Betty White will be remembered for many things: her historic career, her indelible spirit, and her ability to leave everyone breathless with laughter. As fans around the world mourn her death at the age of 99, they’ve taken to sharing some of the moments that showcase what we all loved best about her. That includes one newly viral moment from years ago when White unexpectedly roasted her The Proposal co-star Sandra Bullock while accepting an award from her.
Over the years, Betty White has been the subject of many viral internet moments. Whether it was an old scene from The Golden Girls that felt especially relatable at the time, or drama with Ryan Reynolds, the actress always had a knack for staying in the spotlight. Shortly following her death, BuzzFeed’s Spencer Althouse shared a clip on Twitter that perfectly captured what made Betty White so captivating – her biting wit and impeccable comedic timing:
This is my absolute favorite Betty White moment – her Lifetime SAG Award acceptance speech where she roasted Sandra Bullock to hell and back.RIP to a legend pic.twitter.com/dddB6Rx07dDecember 31, 2021
This now-viral moment happened when Sandra Bullock presented the Screen Actors Guild Lifetime Achievement Award to Betty White in 2010 – something she undoubtedly earned since her legendary career had already spanned eight decades at the time. Needless to say, the sweet–but-shocking punchline aimed at Bullock was not only blisteringly funny. and something few people besides the iconic TV legend could have pulled off – making fun of an actress at the height of her career, right to her face, in a room full of her peers, on a prestigious award show being simultaneously broadcast around the nation.
While it’s debatable whether the Oscar-winning actress deserved the roasting, few can argue that her iconic colleague didn’t more than deserve the honor she received that night. At the time, her career had already spanned nearly six decades, and saw her as one of the early pioneers of television. Starring in everything from her own variety show, to The Mary Tyler Moore Show to, of course, Golden Girls, and even Hot in Cleveland, she proved herself as one of the most enduring personalities in Hollywood history.
It’s a testament to how beloved Betty White was that Sandra Bullock didn’t seem bothered in the slightest by the roast. The two actresses were great together in 2009’s The Proposal, and the friendships they forged on that set endured for years, and recently led to both Ryan Reynolds and White joking about his unrequited feelings for her.
That kind of off-the-cuff humor is one of the things her colleagues, friends and fans will miss the most about her. After news broke that she passed away just weeks before her 100th birthday, tributes poured in from everyone from Ryan Reynolds, to Golden Girls writer David A. Goodman, to President Biden and the United States Army. At the news of her loss, Sandra Bullock told People that she will “just be okay being sad.” Mood.
