Did Carol Burnett & Vicki Lawrence Really Have A Falling Out? The Feud Rumors, Explained

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Two of the funniest actors of their generation, comedians Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence kept audiences laughing on "The Carol Burnett Show" and "Mama's Family" for decades. And in 2025, the duo shared the screen, once again, on Apple TV's "Palm Royale," which stars the equally hilarious Kristen Wiig. But there was a time when Burnett and Lawrence didn't speak — for years. While rumors spread that the two iconic stars were feuding, the truth wasn't quite so simple. The problems began when Burnett divorced her husband, Joe Hamilton. Hamilton was the executive producer of Lawrence's hit show, "Mama's Family," which was born out of a series of sketches she starred in on "The Carol Burnett Show." Burnett even made regular appearances on "Mama's Family" in the first two seasons but that all came to an end when Burnett and Hamilton went through a brutal Hollywood divorce, leading to Burnett cutting ties with a number of her once-close friends. 

Lawrence explained how things looked from her point of view in her autobiography, "Vicki!: The True-Life Adventures of Miss Fireball." "During her divorce, Carol and I went through a 'cool' period. She 'divorced' everyone and remained distant for a lot of years." Lawrence empathized with Burnett, noting, "She went through an incredible amount of pain and adjustment trying to redefine herself after the divorce, and when she finally put it together, she emerged happier for all that had gone down." 

"Mama's Family" ended in 1990, and Hamilton died in 1991. Burnett and Lawrence publicly reunited on Lawrence's talks show "Vicki!" in 1992, and in 2024, Lawrence told ScreenRant she and Burnett are now "closer than we ever have been, really."

While their friendship went through a rough patch, Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence didn't become celebrity besties who don't speak anymore. And honestly, it should've been obvious to them that they were too alike to stay apart forever. Not only are Burnett and Lawrence both genius comedians, but the two look alike, which is exactly why (thanks to some pushing from Lawrence's mother) they met. It all came about when Lawrence entered the Miss Fireball of Inglewood contest when she was a senior in high school in 1966. After a newspaper article about Lawrence mentioned her resemblance to Burnett, the Hollywood hopeful's mother convinced her to send Burnett a letter and include the article. 

Burnett was intrigued enough to find the Lawrence's phone number and give them a call. As Lawrence recalled in her book, "I was taking a nap, and I remember picking up the phone and there was no mistaking her voice. 'Hi,' she said in that funny roller-coaster pitch of hers..." 

Once Lawrence was convinced she wasn't being pranked, she made arrangements for Burnett to come see her in the Miss Fireball contest. Burnett, as it turned out, was looking for an actor who could believably play her sister, and was hoping Lawrence could fill the part. Sure enough, Lawrence didn't just resemble Burnett, she was also funny and a good actor. A year later, Lawrence would become one of the stars of "The Carol Burnett Show." And almost 60 years later, Burnett would once again bring Lawrence into a show she was working on, making Lawrence a recurring character on "Palm Royale."