Betty White to Be Honored at Paley Center's LA Gala Celebrating Women in Television

Since the early days of television some of the most unforgettable, moving, and hilarious moments have come from brilliant and talented women, and to recognize this The Paley Center for Media will host the Paley Honors in Hollywood: A Gala Celebrating Women in Television on October 12, 2017. This historic celebration will showcase television's powerful influence in shaping our culture and will be the first of its kind to celebrate eight decades of groundbreaking accomplishments of women across a variety of genres including drama, comedy, music, variety, news, talk, and sports.

This unforgettable evening will take guests on a journey through all the moving moments that have come from women in television including the hilarious antics of Lucille Ball in I Love Lucy, Mary Tyler Moore's portrayal of the quintessential independent woman in The Mary Tyler Moore Show, the unforgettable moment when Ellen DeGeneres came out as gay on Ellen, and the tour de force performances of today's brightest stars including Claire Danes in Homeland, Taraji P. Henson in Empire, Tatiana Maslany in Orphan Black, Mandy Moore in This Is Us, Gina Rodriguez in Jane The Virgin, and Kerry Washington in Scandal, to name a few. The record-breaking athletic achievements of sports stars such as Nadia Comaneci, Peggy Fleming, Billie Jean King, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, and Lisa Leslie will be celebrated, as well as the intrepid reporting from journalists including Maria Bartiromo, Julie Chen, Katie Couric, Rachel Maddow, Diane Sawyer, María Elena Salinas, Leslie Stahl, and Barbara Walters.

Rounding out this unforgettable evening will be a tribute to the beloved icon Betty White, featuring a look at her incomparable career on television as an actress, entertainer, and producer which encompasses over seventy years including her Emmy Award-winning performance on The Golden Girls, as well as roles on The Mary Tyler Moore Show and Hot in Cleveland; her influential pet-themed talk show, The Pet Set; and numerous appearances on television game shows and variety specials.

"I am thrilled to be honored by the Paley Center," said Betty White. "To be acknowledged for working in a business I love for as long as I have is truly a privilege. I'm proud to share this evening with these amazing and talented women."

Kristin Chenoweth, Nadia Com?neci, Allison Janney, Debra Messing, Rita Moreno, Wanda Sykes, and Lynn Whitfield will also take part in the celebration with more participants to be announced at a later date.

"The Paley Center is so proud to honor this incredible group of women at this once-in-a-lifetime event," said Maureen J. Reidy, President & CEO of The Paley Center for Media. "No other medium has brought people together the way television has, and this is the perfect time to celebrate the pioneering entertainers, groundbreaking series, and current hit shows that have sparked conversations, educated audiences, and thrilled generations."

This momentous occasion benefits the Paley Center's programs and its ongoing efforts to expand and preserve the Paley Archive, which includes the Women's Collection. Featuring over 160,000 programs, the Paley Archive is the nation's largest publicly accessible archive of television and radio programs from over seventy countries, spanning almost one hundred years.

The Paley Honors in Hollywood: A Gala Celebrating Women in Television will take place 6:30 pm at the Regent Beverly Wilshire Hotel in Beverly Hills. For additional event information, including how to purchase tables, tickets, and ads please visit paley.me/lahonors2017

Photo Credit: Walter McBride / WM Photos

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