Betty White honored at Emmys — 'It's incredible that you can stay in a career this long and still have people put up with you'

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Ageless wonder Betty White showed her age at the Emmys Monday night during a special presentation in her honor.

The 96-year-old “Golden Girls” star, who has earned 24 Emmy nominations and eight awards over her legendary career, spoke quietly and emotionally in a heartbreaking speech during the show.

“This is very exciting. I thought the biggest, most exciting night I had ever had, I'm talking to Lorne Michaels now, was the night that he gave me an honor. But boy, you topped yourself tonight, Lorne. You think I'm going to miss a chance when I get it? Believe me, this goes back to...somebody said something the other day about first lady of and I took it as a big compliment. And then I heard her talking to her daughter a little later, she said, first lady, yes, she's that old, she was the first one, way, way back. But little did I dream then that I would be here,” White said.

See photos of Berry White at the 2018 Emmy Awards:

“It's incredible that I'm still in this business, that I'm still...and you are still putting up with me. No, I'm thanking you. It's incredible that you can stay in a career this long and still have people put up with you. I wish they did that at home. I want to thank Lorne Michaels for doing not only this tonight, but all the wonderful things he's done with me...no, for me. And all I can say is, it's such a blessed business to be in, and how lucky can I be, and how much I say, thank you to each and every one of you. Thank you so much.”

White’s iconic career began in 1945 with “A Time to Kill” and within 10 years, she’d taken the title of Mayor of Hollywood after becoming the first woman to produce a sitcom with “Life with Elizabeth.” Over 75 years, White had award-winning roles in “The Mary Tyler Moore Show,” “Golden Girls” and the recent “Hot in Cleveland.”

She also made a name for herself on game shows, becoming the first woman to win a Daytime Emmy for hosting a game show with “Just Men!” in 1983.

See more celebrities at the 2018 Emmy Awards:

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