Casting Director Makes Some Bold Claims About Betty White's On-Set Drama

The world was left with a void after comedic legend Betty White died unexpectedly on December 31, 2021 — two weeks shy of her milestone 100th birthday. The 99-year-old died "peacefully in her sleep" in her home on New Year's Eve, according to what her agent Jeff Witjas told People. The Los Angeles County later revealed that White had suffered a stroke six days before her death, per CNN.

White's death created shockwaves in Hollywood because of how well beloved she was in the business. Countless celebrity friends paid tribute to her on social media, while fans recounted their favorite performances of the star.

White was best known for being a part of "The Golden Girls" in the 1980s, alongside Beatrice "Bea" Arthur, Rue McClanahan, and Estelle Getty. While the co-stars were consummate professionals on-screen, a casting director has revealed in a new podcast that White was not as well-received by her castmates on-set.

Betty White may have been beloved by the public, but her "Golden Girls" co-stars did not have the warmest feelings toward her. Joel Thurm, who was the casting director of the "Golden Girls" for NBC in the 1980s, claimed Rue McClanahan (who played Blanche Devereaux) and Bea Arthur (who played Dorothy Zbornak) in particular had issues with White during an appearance on "The Originals" podcast on February 10.

"The women hated her," Thurm told journalist Andrew Goldman when asked if the co-stars got along on-set. "Literally Bea Arthur, who I cast in something else later on, just said, 'Oh, she's a f**king c**t,' using that word." Thurm claimed that he heard Arthur using the C-word with his "own ears" and she wasn't the only one who said it — McClanahan did as well. "Rue McClanahan said it to me in Joe Allen's; Bea Arthur on the set of 'Beggars and Choosers,'" Thurm added.

Per TMZ, Thurm said the reason White wasn't well-liked was because she would make jokes about her co-stars in front of the live audience, like when Estelle Getty couldn't remember her lines. Before her death in 2010, McClanahan actually discussed Arthur's dislike toward White in an interview with Greg In Hollywood. McClanahan claimed that Arthur had issues with White breaking the fourth wall while acting on-set. Still, McClanahan noted White "did really love Bea," while "Bea's feelings about Betty were not mutual."