Betty White Forever: New Stamp Will Honor the Much-Beloved "Golden Girls" Actor
The United States Postal Service might have found a way to unite a nation bitterly divided after this month's election: It's releasing a Betty White stamp.
The beloved actor known for roles in "The Golden Girls,The Mary Tyler Moore Show,Boston Legal," and others will be on a 2025 Forever stamp, USPS announced Friday.
White died in late December 2021, less than three weeks before her 100th birthday. The Postal Service hasn't announced a release date for the stamp.
"An icon of American television, Betty White (1922–2021) shared her wit and warmth with viewers for seven decades," the Postal Service said in announcing the stamp, which depicts a smiling White based on a 2010 photograph by celebrity photographer Kwaku Alston. "The comedic actor, who gained younger generations of fans as she entered her 90s, was also revered as a compassionate advocate for animals."
Boston-based artist Dale Stephanos created the digital illustration from Alston's photo.
"I'd love to send a letter back to my 18-year-old self with this stamp on it and tell him that everything is going to be OK," Stephanos posted on Facebook.
Regardless of personal politics, self-proclaimed supporters of President-elect Donald Trump and Vice President Kamala Harris reacted with delight on social media.
"Betty White was my hero, all of my life! I actually had a doll when I was a little girl I named Betty White," one Trump supporter posted on X, formerly Twitter.
"Something to make this awful week a little better: We're getting a Betty White stamp," posted a pro-Harris X account.
White combined a wholesome image with a flare for bawdy jokes. Her television career began in the early 1950s and exploded as she aged.
"The only SNL host I ever saw get a standing ovation at the after party," Seth Meyers posted on Twitter after her death.
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Al Arabiya
12-06-2025
- Al Arabiya
Trump met with cheers, boos at Kennedy Center for ‘Les Miserables' performance
A loud mix of boos and cheers greeted US President Donald Trump on Wednesday when he attended his first production at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the institution he subjected to a conservative takeover earlier this year. The mixed reception from theatergoers for Trump and his wife Melania as they arrived in the presidential box for a performance of 'Les Miserables' reflected the heightened emotions unleashed by his overhaul of the cultural center and use of executive power to shake up US society. His appearance at a musical about citizens rising up against their government came just days after he sent US Marines and the National Guard to quell protests against his administration's immigration raids in Los Angeles. Power and protest - key themes in the show - manifested within the theater itself. While some kept their backs turned to Trump, who raised his fist as he greeted the crowd, others chanted 'USA! USA!' to drown out boos as he and his wife were seated. Several drag queens in full regalia sat in the audience, likely in response to Trump's previous criticism of the venue for hosting drag shows. One person shouted 'Viva Los Angeles' as Trump stepped out of the presidential box for intermission. Trump did not attend events at the Kennedy Center during his first term but has taken a keen interest in it during his second. He pushed out its former chairman and took on the role himself, fired its longtime president and pledged to overhaul an institution that he criticized as too liberal. The center, a leading US arts facility, had long enjoyed bipartisan support. Revenue down Ticket and subscription sales have fallen since and some shows, including the hit 'Hamilton,' have canceled their engagements. Trump's appearance was meant to boost fundraising for the center, and he said donors raised more than $10 million. 'We're going to make it incredible. We have all the funding. We raised a lot tonight, and we'll put in a lot of money to bring it back to the highest level,' a tuxedo-clad Trump told reporters after other administration officials arrived on the red carpet, meant to evoke a Hollywood movie premiere. Overall year-on-year subscription revenue at the Kennedy Center was down 36% to $2.8 million as of early June for next season, which begins in the autumn, according to a person briefed on the data. Theater subscriptions, normally a major revenue driver for the center, were down 82%. A Kennedy Center official said the comparisons reflected in those subscription sales were not accurate because the center had launched its subscription renewal campaign later in 2025 than 2024. 'Our renewal campaign is just kicking off,' Kim Cooper, senior vice president of marketing, said in a statement. Cooper noted the center had launched a new subscription option that allowed customers to 'mix and match' genres and said more announcements of shows were coming. The Kennedy Center depends on revenue from tickets and subscriptions as well as donations to operate. Ticket sales for 'Les Miserables' have been robust, according to another Kennedy Center official. Donors were asked to pay $100,000 to $2 million for the event, for which they could attend a reception before the performance, receive a photo with the president and be seated in good locations in the roughly 2,300-seat theater. Conservative programing 'We've raised a little more than $10 million for tonight, which is pretty remarkable, and it's an organization that needs the money right now,' said Ric Grenell, a close Trump ally and former ambassador to Germany, who is now president of the Kennedy Center. Under his leadership, the center has sought to add conservative-leaning programming, including a show that Grenell has described as a celebration of the birth of Christ. Trump said he particularly enjoyed 'Les Miserables,' a musical that explores themes of injustice, poverty, law and order and acts of grace. 'I've seen it many times, it's one of my favorites,' he said. Secret Service agents inspected the prop guns used in the production and remained backstage for the show. Vice President JD Vance, Attorney General Pam Bondi and Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. also attended. Vance was met with boos when he attended a Kennedy Center show with his wife earlier this year. He said on Wednesday that such reactions came with the territory of holding national office. When initiating his takeover of the center, Trump zeroed in on drag shows to argue that it had lost its way. But multiple upcoming shows on the Kennedy Center's agenda include characters dressed in drag, such as 'Mrs. Doubtfire' and 'Chicago.' Other musicals in addition to 'Hamilton' have pulled out, according to a former Kennedy Center official.
Arab News
12-06-2025
- Arab News
Trump booed and cheered at the Kennedy Center while attending ‘Les Misérables'
WASHINGTON: A tuxedo-wearing President Donald Trump was booed and cheered as he took his seat for the opening night of 'Les Misérables' at the Kennedy Center, bringing his own dose of political drama to the theatrical production that was unfolding onstage. It was his first time attending a show there since becoming president, reflecting his focus on remaking the institution in his image while asserting more control over the country's cultural landscape. 'We want to bring it back, and we want to bring it back better than ever,' Trump said while walking down the red carpet with first lady Melania Trump. The Republican president has a particular affection for 'Les Misérables,' the sprawling musical set in 19th-century France, and has occasionally played its songs at his events. One of them, 'Do You Hear the People Sing?,' is a revolutionary rallying cry inspired by the 1832 rebellion against the French king. California Gov. 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But after returning to office in January, Trump stunned the arts world by firing the Kennedy Center's longtime director and board and replacing them with loyalists, who then named him as chairman. Trump promised to overhaul its programming, management and even appearance as part of an effort to put his stamp on the national arts scene. His latest moves have upset some of the center's patrons and performers. In March, the audience booed the Vances after they slipped into upper-level seats to hear the National Symphony Orchestra. Trump appointed Usha Vance to the Kennedy Center board along with Bondi, White House chief of staff Susie Wiles and Fox News Channel hosts Maria Bartiromo and Laura Ingraham, among other supporters. Sales of subscription packages are said to have declined since Trump's takeover, and several touring productions, including 'Hamilton,' have canceled planned runs at the center. Actor Issa Rae and musician Rhiannon Giddens scrapped scheduled appearances, and Kennedy Center consultants including musician Ben Folds and singer Renée Fleming resigned. Understudies may have performed in some roles Wednesday night because of boycotts by 'Les Misérables' cast members, but Trump said he wasn't bothered by anyone skipping the performance. 'I couldn't care less,' he said. Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has adopted a more aggressive posture toward the arts. The White House has taken steps to cancel millions of dollars in previously awarded federal humanities grants to arts and culture groups, and Trump's budget blueprint proposed eliminating the National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities. Trump has also targeted Smithsonian museums by signing executive orders to restrict their funding and by attempting to fire the director of the National Portrait Gallery. Trump characterized previous programming at the Kennedy Center as 'out of control with rampant political propaganda' and said it featured 'some very inappropriate shows,' including a 'Marxist anti-police performance' and 'lesbian-only Shakespeare.' The Kennedy Center, which is supported by government money and private donations, opened in 1971 and for decades has been seen as an apolitical celebration of the arts. It was first conceived in the late 1950s during the administration of Republican President Dwight Eisenhower, who backed a bill from the Democratic-led Congress calling for a National Culture Center. In the early 1960s, Democratic President John F. Kennedy launched a fundraising initiative, and his successor, President Lyndon B. Johnson, signed into law a 1964 bill renaming the project the John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts. Kennedy had been assassinated the year before.
Al Arabiya
08-06-2025
- Al Arabiya
Trump attends UFC championship fight, taking a break from politics, Musk feud
President Donald Trump walked out to a thunderous standing ovation just ahead of the start of the UFC pay-per-view card at the Prudential Center on Saturday night, putting his public feud with tech billionaire Elon Musk on hold to instead watch the fierce battles inside the cage. Trump was accompanied by UFC President Dana White and the pair headed to their cageside seats to Kid Rock's 'American Bad Ass.' Trump and White did the same for UFC's card last November at Madison Square Garden, only then they were joined by Musk. Trump shook hands with fans and supporters — a heavyweight lineup that included retired boxing champion Mike Tyson — on his way to the cage. Trump was joined by his daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband, Jared Kushner, along with son Eric Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Trump shook hands with the UFC broadcast team that included Joe Rogan. Rogan hosted Trump on his podcast for hours in the final stages of the campaign last year. UFC fans went wild for Trump and held mobile devices in their outstretched arms to snap pictures of him. Trump arrived in time for the start of a card set to include two championship fights. Julianna Peña and Merab Dvalishvili were scheduled to each defend their 135-pound championships. UFC fighter Kevin Holland won the first fight with Trump in the building, scaled the cage and briefly chatted with the President before his post-fight interview.
