Betty White’s Stepkid Had Anger Towards Her When They Met Yet They Spent Her Last Birthday Having Fun Together

The world’s favorite grandma, Betty White, had been married three times in her lifetime. Although her first two marriages failed, her third became a success and changed her life for the better.

Marriage was never on the cards for actress Betty White, and her two failed marriages made her realize what she wanted from a man – love and support.

Author Paula Bernstein emphasized this in the book, “How to be Golden: Lessons We Can Learn from Betty White.” Bernstein noted White was looking for love and for someone to support her instead of competing with her, careerwise.

A studio portrait of actress Betty White beaming while wearing a patterned dress with a heart-shaped brooch in 1955 ┃ Source: Getty Images

Bernstein wrote that rather than staying married to men who could not live up to those qualities, White chose to remain single to avoid committing to the wrong people:

“She certainly wasn’t going to give up her big Hollywood dreams to fulfill some man’s fantasy of a wife.”

The comedian said choosing herself over her two marriages was a blessing in disguise because when she tied the knot for the third time, the stars finally aligned.

TV host Allen Ludden and Betty White pictured embracing following their wedding at the Sands Hotel on June 14, 1963 in Las Vegas, Nevada ┃ Source: Getty Images

“Both marriages helped me to appreciate the real thing when it came along,” said White. However, she became hesitant to get married again when she met her future third husband, Allen Ludden.

Despite the pair being the perfect match in terms of temper, intelligence, and wit, White was reluctant to give marriage another shot once the TV personality proposed marriage.

She was based in California and did not want to move to New York, where Ludden taped the popular game show, “Password,” and lived with his kids.

Betty White photographed smiling with her husband, TV producer Allen Ludden during an International Broadcasting Awards dinner tribute to Mary Tyler Moore on March 19, 1974 ┃ Source: Getty Images

But her reluctance did not deter him. Ludden wore the engagement ring he had used to ask for White’s hand in marriage on a gold chain around his neck. He said he would keep it on until she agreed to marry him.

In his second attempt, he made a gesture on Easter wherein he sent his love a stuffed white bunny wearing gold earrings adorned with tiny diamonds, sapphires, and rubies, along with a note that read:

“Please say YES.”

Upon receiving the gift, White called Ludden immediately and said, “YES.” She later explained what changed her mind saying, “It wasn’t the earrings that did it. It was the bunny. I still have it.”

Even before receiving the present, White had already decided that she was madly in love with Ludden and could no longer remain separated from him.

White & Ludden Wed in an Intimate Ceremony

Once the lovebirds realized they should not waste more time, they eloped. White and Ludden tied the knot during a civil ceremony at the Sands Hotel in Las Vegas on June 14, 1963.

They exchanged their wedding vows in front of Ludden’s children and White’s parents. Immediately after getting married, the newly wedded couple returned to New York from their wedding-honeymoon trip and went straight to CBS studio to tape “Password.”

Betty White, Allen Ludden, Jack Klugman, Tony Randall during the taping of the game show, “Password” on December 1, 1972 ┃ Source: Getty Images

After living in California her whole life, White agreed to relocate with her husband and stepchildren to a suburban home in Westchester County on the outskirts of NY. The father of three had to be close to his workplace, and he and his new wife did not want to uproot the kids.

Ludden had two daughters, Sarah and Martha, and a son named David. While David is the oldest of the siblings, Martha is the eldest sister.

She was reasonably young when White became their stepmother; according to media reports, things did not go too well. Martha was a teenager when her father remarried, and she resented him.

TV show host Allen Ludden and his wife Betty White pictured on December 27, 1968 in New York, New York┃ Source: Getty Images

Per Closer Weekly via Pop Crunch, she developed “anger towards Betty.” Martha made it clear that she was against her father’s marriage to the “Hot in Cleveland” alum:

“Marth was young, and she deeply opposed the marriage. She was very angry at her father and made it clear she did not like Betty.”

A source revealed Ludden and his daughter had a “strained” relationship way before White came along but that it became more strenuous once she married him.

“Allen used to argue with Martha constantly over her anger towards Betty. Her tumultuous relationship with her father caused him a lot of grief,” the insider explained.

In White’s New York bestseller, “If You Ask Me,” she expressed her genuine love for her stepkids, dubbing them “the best stepchildren in the world.”

Although she and Martha reportedly started on a rough start, White revealed that she and her stepkids got along well: “So great, they called me ‘Dragon Lady,’ lovingly.”

Throughout the years, White said she and her brood “loved each other dearly,” adding she was “proud” of being their stepmother. “A major blessing – yet again.”

While living their new life, Ludden got diagnosed with terminal stomach cancer. Unfortunately, no treatment worked. White revealed that after consulting with doctors, the family decided to stop opting for treatment and spend his last days with him the best way they knew.

Sadly, Ludden died in June 1981. A friend of White spoke about the love the couple had, saying he was irreplaceable:

“No guy will ever come close to Allen in her heart.”

Ludden was White’s one true love, and she previously admitted it: “Once you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?”

White Spent Her 98th Birthday with Her Stepkids

Closer Weekly reported in January 2020 that White was planning to celebrate her 98th birthday with close friends on January 17, 2020. A pal revealed to the outlet that the TV icon still enjoyed drinking, laughing, and telling stories.

The insider disclosed that White would host her birthday celebration at her home with some of her longtime pals and stepkids, with whom she was still close.

Despite being in her nineties, the Illinois native was still as fit as a fiddle and told Closer Weekly that she was blessed to still be in “good health” at her age:

“I’m blessed with incredibly good health. That’s something you appreciate a lot.”

Amid the COVID-19 pandemic, White kept herself busy during the lockdown. Entertainer, Tom Sullivan, revealed that the veteran star read the LA Times newspaper every morning and would turn every page.

Sullivan added the Emmy Award-winning actress owned many crossword puzzle books and consistently did them to keep her mind sane. He explained that she took the activity seriously.

White divulged that the secret to remaining vibrant even in her golden years was being passionate about life and keeping active. She noted that it was important for an individual to have a passion, adding:

“It’s your mental attitude. So many of us start dreading age. Make the most of it.”

Sadly, White passed away on December 31, 2021, at age 99. Per People, a death certificate revealed in January 2022 that she died due to a cerebrovascular accident. Commonly known as a stroke, it is a loss of blood flow to part of the brain, which damages the brain tissue.

An insider told the outlet that “it was a mild stroke” and that White “died peacefully in her sleep.” Her longtime pal and agent, Jeff Witjas, revealed that “The Golden Girls” star died “without pain,” which brought him solace.

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