During its 11-year run, comedic legend Carol Burnett ended her show, The Carol Burnett Show, with a lyrical farewell and a tug of her left ear. While her closing song became recognized as one of the best in television history and later inspired her 2010 bestseller This Time Together: Laughter and Reflection, her ear tug became a trademark move.
In fact, this small gesture started way before the 85-year-old had her own show: She first tugged at her ear in her television debut on The Paul Winchell Show in 1955 as a nod to her grandmother Mabel.
"My grandmother (Nanny) raised me out here in Hollywood. When I got my first job back in New York, I called her and I said 'Nanny, I'm going to be on television Saturday morning.' She said, 'Well, you gotta say hello to me.' We figured this out — to pull my ear — and that was my signal to her," she revealed while accepting The Colleagues Champion of Children Award. "It always meant 'Hi Nanny. I'm fine. I love you.' Later it meant, 'Hi Nanny. I'm fine. I love you. Your check's on the way.'"
The young actress knew of a dance troupe that would "say hello" to their children by tugging on their ears, so she decided to do the same for her grandmother. Even though her grandmother passed away while the show was still on air, Burnett continued the ear-tugging tradition.
In fact, even decades after her show went off the air in 1978, the actress continued to send a message to her grandmother in interviews, award show appearances, and red carpet events. It even sparked a viral moment at at the 2018 Golden Globes when she let Jennifer Aniston (awkwardly) pull at her ear, prompting her to joke that Aniston has "kinky" tendencies. That's why she's a legend, folks.
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Amanda Garrity is a lifestyle writer and editor with over seven years of experience, including five years on staff at Good Housekeeping, where she covered all things home and holiday, including the latest interior design trends, inspiring DIY ideas and gift guides for any (and every) occasion. She also has a soft spot for feel-good TV, so you can catch her writing about popular shows like Virgin River, Sweet Magnolias, Hallmark Channel’s When Calls the Heart and more.
