The Untold Story Behind Bea Arthur's Departure from The Golden Girls

Article Overview

Bea Arthur left The Golden Girls because she felt that the writers had done everything they could with the main characters and the quality of the sitcom was slipping.

The jokes about her character on the show deeply offended Arthur, impacting her as an actress.

Arthur's departure from the show was motivated by a combination of factors. She felt that the show had reached its natural end, desired to retire and take things at a slower pace, and also considered the effects of aging.

Why did Bea Arthur decide to leave The Golden Girls, one of the beloved sitcoms of the '80s?

Why Bea Arthur Wanted The Golden Girls To End

Bea Arthur's departure from Golden Girls was influenced by multiple factors. In the book Golden Girls Forever: An Unauthorized Look Behind The Lanai, author Jim Colucci interviewed Arthur and other actors and crew members of the show. According to Colucci's findings, Arthur believed that the writers had exhausted all possibilities for the four main characters, leading to a decline in the quality of the sitcom in its later years.

Arthur felt it was important to leave the show while it was still successful and resonating with audiences. Additionally, the book revealed that she was personally offended by the amount of mockery her character received. While her co-stars Betty White, Estelle Getty, and Rue McClanahan were unaffected by jokes about their characters, Arthur struggled with them. This could possibly explain her absence from the Golden Girls reunion on the 1990s sitcom Ladies Man. Colucci shared this insight in his book.

Regrettably, Dorothy was frequently described as being big and unattractive, which took a toll on her as an actress over time.

Arthur's son, Matthew Saks, supported his mother's belief that "the ideas had started to run out" in a separate interview with Closer (via Cheat Sheet). However, he also acknowledged that aging played a role in the actress's decision to depart from The Golden Girls. At around 70 years old when the sitcom concluded, it is understandable why Arthur desired to retire the character of Dorothy Zbornak and take things at a slower pace. Creating an entire season of a series consisting of 25–26 episodes is no small task. Arthur passed away from lung cancer in 2009, just two and a half weeks shy of her 87th birthday.

Why Bea Arthur Didn't Star In The Golden Palace

When asked about the opinion that The Golden Girls had come to an end and why Bea Arthur left the show, White had a different perspective. She believed that the show ended prematurely. It is likely that the rest of the cast, excluding Arthur, shared this sentiment as they continued on in the short-lived spinoff, The Golden Palace. In this spinoff, Rose, Blanche, and Sophia join forces to purchase a hotel in Miami, hoping for financial success. However, they soon discover that most of the staff has been let go, leading them to take on additional responsibilities.

In the final season of The Golden Girls, Arthur's character, Dorothy, had a satisfactory departure. After enduring years of her cheating husband, Stan, and struggling with dating, she finds herself in a whirlwind romance and eventually marries Blanche's uncle, Lucas Hollingsworth. The couple then moves to Atlanta. Arthur only made one appearance as Dorothy in The Golden Palace, which involved a two-part storyline centered around her mother, Sophia. Considering her earlier decision to leave The Golden Girls, it is understandable why she had limited involvement with the spinoff. Unfortunately, The Golden Palace did not resonate with audiences and was canceled after just one season, consisting of 24 episodes.

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Did Bea Arthur Fall Out With Her Castmates?

During Betty White's lifetime, her notable traits were her kindness and her fearless willingness to go to great lengths for a good laugh. It may come as a surprise, then, that she and Bea Arthur had a troubled relationship during their stint on The Golden Girls. Arthur's son, Matthew Saks, revealed that his mother lacked diplomacy and found pleasure in having someone to direct her anger towards, with White being her primary target (via Country Living). White herself confirmed this account.

Nevertheless, despite their conflicts, both women maintained a professional attitude throughout the production of the hit TV show. Rue McClanahan mentioned in her book, My First Five Husbands...and the Ones Who Got Away, "We would have heated moments from time to time, but what truly mattered to each of us individually and as a group was the chemistry that worked. We were incredibly funny, and we achieved that together." Why did Bea Arthur decide to leave Golden Girls? It was simply her time, and it was unlikely that any falling out played a significant role.

Golden Girls’ Betty White Left Behind A Powerful Legacy

In addition to Bea Arthur, another Golden Girl who left a remarkable legacy is Betty White. Throughout her career in show business, White achieved great success, earning Guinness World Records in 2014 and 2018 for holding the "Longest Career Held By An Entertainer (Female)." Notably, many are unaware that she was a trailblazer, being among the first women to work both in front of and behind the camera. In fact, she was the first woman to produce a sitcom titled "Life With Elizabeth" and is often referred to as "the First Lady" of television. Following her volunteer service for the American Women's Voluntary Services during World War II, Betty ventured to Los Angeles in pursuit of work.

In 1949, Betty found her start in radio. Her career on the radio took off after being given her own show, aptly named "The Betty White Show." As she transitioned to television, her popularity continued to grow. Notably, she formed a close friendship with Lucille Ball as their respective shows were recorded in the same studio. Betty White gained even more recognition when she became a regular cast member as Sue-Ann Nivens on "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

Finally, she made her way to The Golden Girls in the 1980s, and the rest is history. Betty White spoke highly of her co-star Bea Arthur, although she never disclosed the reason for Arthur's departure from Golden Girls. In a tribute on the Today Show in 2009, White expressed her deep emotional pain upon learning about Arthur's passing, stating, "I knew it would hurt, I just didn't know it would hurt this much."

What Bea Arthur Did After Leaving Golden Girls

Having left Golden Girls to pursue other projects, Arthur sought new opportunities. Yet, from her departure in 1992 until her passing in 2009, none carried the same acclaim as the iconic sitcom. Beyond occasional appearances at awards shows and talk shows like The View, her post-Golden Girls career lacked noteworthy endeavors. However, in an exceptional turn, she captivated audiences with her memorable guest role in "Water Park," one of Malcolm in the Middle's finest episodes. Moreover, her unmistakable voice graced Futurama's "Amazon Women in the Mood" as Femputer.

Editor's P/S

Bea Arthur's departure from The Golden Girls marked a significant turning point in the history of the beloved sitcom. Her decision to leave was influenced by various factors, including her belief that the show had run its course and a desire to retire and take things at a slower pace.

The show's writers had exhausted all possibilities for the four main characters, leading to a decline in quality in the later seasons. Additionally, Arthur felt deeply offended by the amount of mockery her character received, which took a toll on her as an actress. Despite the show's enduring popularity, Arthur believed it was time to move on and leave the show while it was still successful and resonating with audiences. Her departure left a lasting impact on the show, as it marked the end of an era and paved the way for the short-lived spinoff, The Golden Palace.