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Bette Midler reveals Bette Davis was ‘not pleased’ to learn she was named after her: ‘I was a little bit hurt’

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As a lifestyle expert, I find Bette Midler’s story about her encounter with the late Bette Davis at Elizabeth Taylor’s 60th birthday party to be both amusing and insightful. I can only imagine the pressure that must have been felt by Midler as she attended this glamorous event, fresh from giving birth and without the benefit of a hair and makeup team.

Bette Midler shared a memory from the past about an awkward encounter she had with the late acting legend Bette Davis.

In the most recent installment of Hoda Kotb’s Making Space podcast, the actress from Beaches, who is now 78 years old, shared stories about going to Elizabeth Taylor’s 60th birthday celebration in 1986. At the event, Davis was also present.

I was named after the iconic actress Bette Davis, but unfortunately, she wasn’t thrilled about it when my mother shared this news with her. (Bette Davis never expressed her pleasure towards being the namesake of a newborn.)

During that period, Midler had recently welcomed her second baby into the world. She managed to put together her party look all on her own, without the help of a glam team. This unexpected choice seemed to displease Davis.

After giving birth to my baby, I was extremely tired and received an invitation. I responded with something like, “In those days, there wasn’t even time for hair and makeup.” – Bette Midler (Hocus Pocus star)

‘You didn’t know about hair and makeup. You just did your hair, and you put on a dress and went.’

Midler added that Davis took offense when she showed up at the gathering without having put on any makeup.

At the party, Midler noticed that the 78-year-old All About Eve star engaged in lengthy conversations with Bob Dylan, an observation that left Midler feeling uneasy.

In 1976, Midler and the artist behind “All Along the Watchtower” teamed up for a duet version of “Buckets of Rain.”

‘So, I can’t imagine what he said to her,’ she told Hoda.  

‘Anyway, so I was a little bit hurt,’ Midler said of the memory.

Midler revealed that her sisters, Judy and Susan, were similarly named after the famous actresses Judy Garland and Susan Hayward.

‘And I was Bette Davis. Although, I pronounced it bet [and] she pronounced it Betty,’ she shared. 

Miss M, with a renowned and accomplished career akin to her namesake, has joined the trend of creating memes in response to J.D. Vance’s remark about childless women being referred to as “cat ladies.”

The actress from The First Wives Club posted on X (previously Twitter) a picture of herself with Time Magazine’s Taylor Swift issue, her cherished feline companion Benjamin Button resting comfortably on her shoulders.

‘Cat Ladies Stand Back and Stand By,’ she wrote across the photo. 

‘Giddyup and GO, #ChildlessCatLadies!’ she captioned the post.

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2024-07-26 05:03

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