Behind Carol Burnett’s elegant (and hilarious) ‘90 Years of Laughter + Love’

It was no trouble securing stars to appear on a television special to celebrate Carol Burnett’s 90th birthday, according to the event’s executive producer Mark Bracco.

Bracco and co-executive producer Linda Gierahn spent about a year putting the show together. When it came time to secure talent for the event, Bracco told CNN he has never seen a response as swift from artists eager to appear and fete the comic icon.

“Literally everyone wanted to say yes,” Bracco said in an interview ahead of Wednesday’s broadcast. “It just grew beyond our wildest expectations of how many people would come and participate.”

Vicki Lawrence, Kristin Chenoweth, Bernadette Peters, Julie Andrews, Jane Lynch and Katy Perry were among the first to agree.

“Katy Perry’s people got back to us with a yes in under ten minutes,” Bracco said.

The special was recorded last month at the intimate Avalon Hollywood theater in Los Angeles to honor Burnett’s seven decades of work in Hollywood.

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Carol Burnett poses for a portrait in New York in 2016.

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A young Burnett is seen in an undated portrait. Burnett was born in San Antonio in 1933, and she later moved to Los Angeles, where she attended UCLA and took theater-arts classes.

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Burnett, left, and Mary Rodgers move a prop mattress through the stage door of the Alvin Theatre in New York in 1959. Burnett's first Broadway play was the musical "Once Upon a Mattress," and Rodgers wrote the score. Burnett earned a Tony Award nomination for her work on the play.

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In the late 1950s, Burnett became a regular on "The Garry Moore Show." It was her television debut.

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Burnett and her sister, Chrissie, listen to records on the floor of Burnett's apartment in 1959.

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Garry Moore kisses Burnett in 1962 after they both received Emmy Awards for their work on "The Garry Moore Show."

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Burnett guest-stars on a "Twilight Zone" episode in 1962.

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Julie Andrews, left, and Burnett drink tea while reviewing the musical score for their 1962 TV special "Julie and Carol at Carnegie Hall."

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Burnett peeks at a portrait of herself that was being painted by artist Dmitri Vails in 1963.

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Burnett made her film debut in 1963's "Who's Been Sleeping in My Bed?"

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Burnett laughs while appearing with Lucille Ball, center, and Mary Jane Croft on a 1966 episode of "The Lucy Show."

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Burnett interacts with the audience of her new variety show, "The Carol Burnett Show," in 1967. The show aired for 11 years and brought together Burnett's gifts for comedy, acting and song.

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Burnett, left, and Cher perform a skit on "The Sonny & Cher Comedy Hour" in 1972.

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Burnett — flanked by Jean Stapleton and Phil Silvers — tugs on her ear during an episode of "The Carol Burnett Show" in 1975. Burnett's signature ear tug came at the end of each episode and was her way of saying hello to her grandmother who raised her.

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Burnett wears a dress made from a window curtain as she parodies "Gone With the Wind" during a "Carol Burnett Show" episode in 1976.

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Burnett performs a Tarzan yell, which she would often do during her show's question-and-answer sessions.

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In 1979, Burnett poses with her second husband, Joseph Hamilton, and their daughters Erin, Carrie and Jody. Burnett and Hamilton divorced in 1984. She married her third husband, Brian Miller, in 2001.

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Burnett takes the stand in 1981 after suing the National Enquirer for libel. She said the tabloid, in one of its gossip columns, incorrectly implied that she was drunk and had an argument with US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger at a Washington restaurant in 1976. The court ruled in Burnett's favor.

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Burnett co-stars in the 1982 musical film "Annie."

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Burnett reacts to a wax figure of herself as it is unveiled in Buena Park, California, in 1984.

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Burnett and Charles Grodin film a scene for the miniseries "Fresno" in 1986.

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Burnett poses with her memoir "One More Time" at a book signing in Beverly Hills, California, in 1986.

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In the late 1990s, Burnett had a recurring role playing Helen Hunt's mother in the TV series "Mad About You."

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From left, Burnett, Julie Andrews, Judi Dench and Isabelle Stevenson pose for a photo at the Tony Awards in 1999.

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Burnett, center, poses with other Kennedy Center honorees in 2003. Joining her, from left, are singer James Brown, singer Loretta Lynn, film director Mike Nichols and violinist Itzhak Perlman.

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President George W. Bush awards Burnett the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2005. Burnett was honored "for enhancing the lives of millions of Americans and for her extraordinary contributions to American entertainment."

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Burnett appears in a 2009 episode of "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit."

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Carol Burnett Square was unveiled in Los Angeles in front of her alma mater, Hollywood High School, in 2013.

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Burnett is honored with the Kennedy Center's Mark Twain Prize for American Humor in 2013. Joining her in the front row is her husband, Brian Miller.

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Burnett performs a skit with "Tonight Show" host Jimmy Fallon in 2014.

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In 2017, CBS put together a two-hour special episode of "The Carol Burnett Show" to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

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Burnett appears on stage during the Creative Arts Emmy Awards in 2018.

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From left, Cher, Burnett and Andrews appear in the television special "Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love" in 2023. The show paid tribute to Burnett on her 90th birthday.

Steve Carell opens the show with a tribute to Burnett’s trailblazing television work.

“Tonight you will see an amazing gathering of talented performers, friends and fans from every generation — except babies — who are here to celebrate the hilarious, incredible, one of a kind, no one like her, Carol Burnett,” Carell said. “Brace yourself, because we are about to lay it on thick.”

Burnett, sitting in the audience in a sequined Bob Mackie suit, reacted with smiles and surprise as guests like Amy Poehler and Maya Rudolph took the stage, along with Cher, who said Burnett helped her immensely when she went solo in her career.

Bracco explained that Burnett, also a producer on the special, know what she wanted.

“She said ‘I don’t want a birthday party. I don’t want balloons and cake and I don’t want anyone singing ‘Happy Birthday.’ She said, ‘I wanna put on a show, I wanna have music and comedy,” Bracco recalled.

It didn’t hurt that Burnett “remembers everything,” recalling exact dates, footage and stories from her performances over the years.

Gierahn told CNN it was “one of the most special evenings” she’d ever helped produce.

“It wasn’t just the TV producing portion of it. It was just a beautiful event,” she said. “Everything went really smoothly and there was just such joy in the room.”

“Seeing all the reactions from all of Carol’s friends and celebrities, everyone was so engaged and just happy,” Gierahn said of the evening.

Bracco added that Burnett herself showed up for edits and was thrilled with the final cut.

“Watching it back, she got a bit emotional,” he said. “It was what she envisioned and we were so happy to give it to her.”

For viewers at home, Bracco offered some insight.

“You’re gonna laugh a lot and you’re gonna be singing along, and you probably want to have a little box of Kleenex next to you as well,” he said.

“Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love” airs Wednesday, April 26 at 8 p.m. EST on NBC and will stream the next day on Peacock.