The Golden Globes' First Carol Burnett Award For Achievement In Television Goes to...Carol Burnett

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Carol Burnett is comedy royalty. Not only was she the first woman to host her own self-titled variety sketch show, The Carol Burnett Show, but she is one of the most influential people in the business of making people laugh. You'd be hard-pressed to find a comedy star today who wasn't influenced by the stylings of Carol Burnett. Her work has stood the test of time, and last year there was an entire 50th anniversary special dedicated to her show. Now she's being honored again, this year by the Golden Globes, with an award named after her...and she'll be the first recipient.

Learn more about The Carol Burnett Award below.

The Hollywood Foreign Press Association has announced the creation of The Carol Burnett Award, which will be a lifetime achievement award in television, the equivalent of their film-centric Cecil B. DeMille Award, which was first given to the filmmaker after which the award was named.

HFPA President Meher Tatna had this to say about the creation of the award:

"For more than 50 years, comedy trailblazer Carol Burnett has been breaking barriers while making us laugh. She was the first woman to host a variety sketch show, The Carol Burnett Show. She was also the first woman to win both the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor and Kennedy Center Honors. And now we add another first to her running list: the first recipient – and namesake – of the new Golden Globe top honor for achievement in television, the Carol Burnett Award. We are profoundly grateful for her contributions to the entertainment industry and honored to celebrate her legacy forever at the Golden Globes."

Carol Burnett was a pioneer in comedy. Not only did she inspire young girls to come out of their shell and strive for careers in the male-dominated world of show business and comedy, but she influenced the world of laughter in general. Every sketch show that has ever been created was influenced by The Carol Burnett Show, and during the 50th anniversary special, her influence was made clear with personal and heartfelt tributes from the likes of Jon Batiste, Beth Behrs, Jim Carrey, Kristin Chenoweth, Stephen Colbert, Harry Connick Jr., Kaley Cuoco, Bill Hader, Steve Lawrence, Jay Leno, Jane Lynch, Steve Martin, Bernadette Peters, Amy Poehler, Tracee Ellis Ross, Maya Rudolph, Martin Short and more.

And if you need on the legacy of Carol Burnett, check out this retrospective story that aired on CBS This Morning before the 50th anniversary special:

If you missed the 50th anniversary special of The Carol Burnett Show last year, you can pick it up in its entirety on home video right now for just $9.00. It's well worth watching.