Why does Carol Burnett tug on her ear? Heartwarming reason explored as actress ends 90th birthday special with trademark 

Carol Burnett celebrated her 90th birthday with a musical bash. Fans watched the Carol Burnett: 90 Years of Laughter + Love NBC celebrations on Wednesday, which included celebrity appearances by Julie Andrews, Charlize Theron, Bob Odenkirk, Katy Perry, and Billy Porter, amongst others. The star-studded event ended with the actress performing her signature ear tugging move, which left followers wondering what the reason behind it was.

During the network’s two-hour celebration, Carol Burnett reminisced about her monumental moments, including her Broadway Once Upon a Mattress debut, her early appearances on television, including that of The Garry Moore Show, her film hits including The Four Seasons, A Wedding and Pete ‘n’ Tillie, and her acclaimed comedy series The Carol Burnett Show.

Speaking about the event, Carol Burnett told The Hollywood Reporter:

“Unbelievable, I’m gobsmacked by it. It’s going to be a wonderful evening- it’s not a birthday party, and it’s not a roast, it’s going to be a variety show. There’s going to be live entertainment, 19-piece orchestra. I mean, it’s so exciting.”

At the end of Katy Perry’s performance at the “variety show,” as Burnett called it, the latter performed her signature ear tug move as she received a standing ovation from the crowd.

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Why does Carol Burnett tug her ear?

Carol Burnett tugged her ear for the first time on television during The Paul Winchell Show as a small nod to her grandmother Mabel. While accepting The Colleagues Champion of Children Award, she explained that the tug would be her way of saying hello to her grandmother from a distance. Burnett said:

“My grandmother raised me out here in Hollywood. When I got my first job in New York, I called her, and I said, “Nanny, I’m going to be on television Saturday morning.” She said, “Well, you gotta say hello to me.” We figured this out - to pull my ear - and that was my signal to her.”

The actress got the idea from a dance troupe where the performers would tug their ears to say hello to their children. She decided to use the gesture to signal to her grandmother, even after she passed away. Burnett explained:

“It always meant, ‘Hi, Nanny. I’m fine. I love you.’”

During one of her The Carol Burnett Show segments, she told her audience that the earlobe she tugs on was once measured by a Life magazine writer who noticed that it had stretched longer than the other after pulling it over the years. Although her earlobes were not symmetrical, Burnett shared that she did not give much thought to it.

Woman’s World noted that the actress maintained the tradition at the end of every The Paul Winchell Show episode. She also hilariously did the same at the 75th Golden Globe Awards while announcing the nominees for an award with Jennifer Aniston.

A few other notables at her recent birthday celebration included Michelle Obama, Ellen DeGeneres, Lisa Kudrow, Sofia Vergara, Martin Short, Steven Martin, Jimmy Fallon, and Bill Hader, amongst others.