Remembering Betty White, Activist

Throughout her nearly 100 years of life, the beloved actor stood up for racial equity, gender justice, and animal rights.

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After Gavin MacLeod’s death in May 2021, Ed Asner tweeted: “Betty! It’s just you and me now.” In addition to both having been co-stars of Murray-portrayer MacLeod’s on The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Asner and Betty White both used their fame and fortune to support causes they cared about.

White, who died on December 31, just seventeen days before she would have turned 100, was a groundbreaking proponent of gender justice, racial equity, and animal rights. 

White made her biggest contribution as an animal advocate and lover. Tom Jacobson, president of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, says White “had a wonderful rapport with animals. Betty was fearless with animals. We have lots of pictures of her with snakes around her neck. She loved them all, and animals really responded to her well.”

She first became involved with the Los Angeles Zoo—which, at 130 acres with 1,400 species, is one of the largest zoos in the country—when it was founded in 1966, Jacobson says.

“Betty joined our board in 1974 and has been a very important part of our zoo family ever since,” Jacobson says in an interview. “Her first act as a board member was to create a television special about the zoo and she recruited a bunch of her celebrity friends to be in it, which was a fantastic introduction of our zoo to the L.A. community.”

Jacobson adds that , besides being on the board and a donor, White  “has also been an advocate for the zoo and animals all over. She had a particular affinity for elephants and gorillas and orangutans.” She would often visit an orangutan named “Elka,” who was named for her character in Hot in Cleveland.

Jacobson says the zoo is “getting lots of spontaneous gifts right now to honor Betty.” It is part of  a “ Betty White Challenge,” a social media fundraising event encouraging contributors to donate $5 in the star’s name for animal shelters or rescues. It is set for January 17, White’s birthday, and a date also being celebrated at the Los Angeles Zoo.

Another organization listed as a Betty White Challenge beneficiary is the Denver-based Morris Animal Foundation, a nonprofit which focuses on solutions for health problems affecting species of animals worldwide, funding scientific research, surgical techniques, new drugs, and the like to improve the wellbeing of all creatures. 

White had been a big part of raising funds and awareness for the Morris Animal Foundation as a celebrity spokesperson since 1971, serving as a trustee and president emeritus.

“She helped lead our capital campaign through the 1980s, raising $10 million . . . and was a donor for years,” says Tiffany Grunert, present and CEO of the Morris Animal Foundation. “Betty was really heavily involved, volunteering as a board member at the foundation was a big commitment.”

White served as the “mistress of ceremonies” in one of  the first canine seminars in 1971. She became a canine division vice president from 1973 to 1982, and from 1982 to 1985 was its  president. She hosted many animal-related  events, including the motion picture premiere of Gorillas in the Mist. She joined with other celebrities working with the foundation over the years, including Mary Tyler Moore and game show host Bob Barker, in support of animal rights.   

“Betty adored not just cats and dogs, but all wildlife,” Grunert says.

To observe White’s death and the centenary of her birth, Saturday Night Live replayed the 2010 episode she hosted. The Hallmark Channel aired Golden Girls marathons, and the documentary Betty White: 100 Years Young, will be screened at participating theaters on January 17.