Allison Janney is opening up about her friendship with Carol Burnett.
Janney, 66, struck up a friendship with the television icon while they worked together on Apple TV comedy “Palme Royale,” and have remained close ever since.
In fact, Burnett sends a text to Janney each morning, something the star of “The Diplomat” admits she still finds a bit surreal.
A Bond Built on ‘Wordle’
During her recent appearance on CNN’s “Coming Up” podcast, Janney revealed that Burnett has been texting her “every day” for four years — and the subject of each text is their shared love of the New York Times word game “Wordle,”
“I play ‘Wordle’ with her every day, so I get a text from Carol Burnett every day of my life for the last four years,” Janney said, via People.
“It’s pretty exciting,” she admitted. “Every time it doesn’t get old, I say, ‘Yep. Carol Burnett texted me!’ So that’s pretty great.”
A ‘Wordle’ Heavyweight
Back in 2024, the 93-year-old comedy legend divulged that she and Janney had become “Wordle” buddies while appearing on “Live with Kelly and Mark.”
She admitted that she and Janney were pretty evenly matched in terms of their “Wordle” skills, although she did reveal she’d “gotten Wordle-in-1 seven times,” bragging about the multiple times she’d guessed the word of the day in her first try.
Carol Burnett Is Her ‘Idol’
Janney gushed about the opportunity to work with Burnett in “Palm Royale,” describing her as “my idol” when discussing Burnett on the CNN podcast.
“I just adore her,” Janney said. “Carol Burnett is probably the reason why I wanted to be an [actress], aside from my mother being an actress. Watching Carol Burnett, I dreamed of having my own ‘Carol Burnett Show.’ She was very much why I wanted to be an actress.”
The fact that they’d become friends is still something that Janney has a tough time believing.
“Getting to work with her and getting to know her… I’m like, she’s my friend, which is just enormous,’’ Janney added. “It’s so exciting for me. I pinch myself.”
Stepping Away From the Spotlight
Earlier this year, Burnett revealed that she was planning on stepping back from onscreen roles, indicating that being a series regular in “Palm Royale” may well be her final major role.
Speaking with People, Burnett explained she’d recently decided to shift her focus to behind-the-scenes — for a very relatable reason.
“I’m really not a fan anymore of getting up at the crack of dawn and putting on makeup and all of that,” Burnett said with a laugh.
However, she’s also not closing the door completely when it comes to on-camera work, but only if the roles were smaller ones.
“I might do a bit on Pluribus,” she said, of the acclaimed Apple TV series. “We’re thinking about [it], but it wouldn’t be a long thing at all.”
She also teased an upcoming projects that would place her in an off-camera role.
“But I’m working on stuff behind the scenes now,” she continued. “So I can’t reveal it yet, but we’ve got some interesting projects coming up where I would be like a co-writer and co-producer. So that way, I’ve still got my hands in it, but I’m not in front of the camera.”
