Carol Burnett has many blessings in her life, but the iconic actress puts her marriage with her third husband, Brian Miller, at the top of her list. Throughout the struggles she’s faced as a beloved TV star and mom of three, Carol couldn’t be more grateful to have her longtime spouse by her side.
The Carol Burnett Show star was loving life as a single lady when she crossed paths with Brian over two decades ago. Carol’s hunky beau was working as a principal drummer and contractor of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra at the time the two met in the late 1990s, according to reports.
The Mama’s Family alum and Brian dated for about three years before tying the knot in 2001. Although the couple didn’t welcome any children together, Brian filled in as the stepdad to Carol’s three kids, Carrie Hamilton, Erin Hamilton and Jody Hamilton.
Carol became a mom during her marriage with her second husband, Joe Hamilton, whom she married in 1963, but divorced in 1984. She also tied the knot with her first husband, Don Saroyan, in 1955, but the two called it quits seven years later in 1962.
While the Annie star’s former romances didn’t work out, Carol and Brian have been going strong for nearly two decades now. The Emmy Award winner once credited their 23-year age gap for being the reason they work so well together.
“He’s funny and not easily intimidated. As we get older, the gap between our ages narrows,” she explained to People. “If you were 40 and married a 20-year-old, I don’t think you could communicate like [we do].”
The Eunice actress jokingly added, “Look at our friend Clint Eastwood [whose ex-wife Dina Eastwood is 36 years younger] — I say, if it’s good enough for the fellows, it’s good enough for the girls.”
Aside from sharing a loving relationship with the talented musician, Brian has been by Carol’s side as she encountered some challenges. Not only did he lend his love and support when her daughter Carrie died from lung cancer at age 38 in 2002, but he also had Carol’s back when she filed for legal guardianship of her grandson, Dylan.
The Grammy winner requested that she and Brian be appointed temporary guardians to her daughter Erin’s youngest son because “addiction issues and other circumstances” have been “impacting [Erin’s] immediate family dynamic,” Carol told People in August.
“Throughout her adult life, and since Dylan’s birth [in 2006], Erin has suffered from severe substance abuse and addiction issues,” Carol stated in the filing, according to The Blast. “In the past 19 years, Erin has been in and out of rehabilitation centers and has been institutionalized a total of eight times for a minimum of 30 days each time.”
“Dylan’s living environment has long been unstable, unpredictable and unhealthy for a child,” Carol’s filing added. “This culminated in a Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) investigation and juvenile dependency proceedings in 2018 and 2019.”
While the future of the family’s situation is uncertain for now, there’s no doubt Brian will be a source of strength for Carol.
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