Betty White to host Saturday Night Live

A campaign by Betty White (88) fans to have the actress host “Saturday Night Live” has paid off.

The actress will host the NBC show on May 8. But the episode won’t just feature the Golden Girl. The Mother’s Day special will also feature a reunion of Molly Shannon, Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, Maya Rudolph, Rachel Dratch and Ana Gasteyer.

SNL executive producer Lorne Michaels tells USA Today, that he always wanted Betty White to host but she wasn’t interested until she got wind of the fan campaign. “It took on a groundswell. It isn’t something we would have said no to, but I was validated that, ‘Oh, that’d be fun.’ It was the outpouring of affection from fans, and we feel the same way,” Michaels says.

“Years ago, I turned it down three times,” explains White. “It’s so New York, and I’m not New York at all. But my agent said he’d divorce me if I didn’t do it, and I love my agent.”

“It’s lovely, and at my age it’s certainly unexpected. I’ve got so much energy, it is ridiculous and I love working. My schedule is a feverish one –  I’m used to that.”

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