Inside Carol Burnett's three marriages — including current husband decades her junior


The legendary actress has been married three times and has three daughters. Learn all about her love life and her children.


© Getty Images
Nova M BajamontiNews and Features Writer
November 5, 2025
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Carol Burnett loves love and has been married three times. She was firstly married to producer and writer Don Saroyan back in 1955 and they got divorced in 1962. Next she married television producer Joe Hamilton in 1963. The couple had three children together, however, they divorced in 1984. Lastly, Carol married musician Brian Miller in 2001 and has been with him since then. Take a peek into Carol's rich love life below.

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Don Saroyan

The duo met at UCLA back in 1952, and quickly became college sweethearts, where they were both studying theater. They got married in 1955 and moved to New York City in order to audition for acting roles, as they both worked odd jobs. They supported each other through all the ups and downs and rejections. Eventually it all changed when Carol got successful in the late 1950s, thanks to The Garry Moore Show and then The Carol Burnett Show. Carol's career began to take off as Don's stood still, and they got divorced in 1962.

© Getty Images

Joe Hamilton

Carol and Joe met on the set of The Garry Moore Show, where he was the producer and she was a regular comedian. The two hit it off thanks to their shared love of entertainment and they got married in 1963. He then became the executive producer of The Carol Burnett Show. They got divorced in 1984.

© Getty Images

Carol Burnett and Joe Hamilton's children

The couple welcomed three daughters, Carrie Louise Hamilton, who sadly passed away, Jody Hamilton, 58, and Erin Kate Hamilton, 57. Carrie Louise studied at Pepperdine University and made appearances on the series Fame and the film Tokyo Pop. She even collaborated on the play Hollywood Arms with her mother. In 2001, she was diagnosed with lung cancer and a year later she tragically passed due to cancer-related pneumonia at only 38 years old.

Carrie and Jody grew up in Hawaii with friends in the 1980s as their parents were divorcing. She went on to become a film and TV producer and founded a film company called Namethkuf. She also produced her mother's retrospective called Carol Burnett: Show Stoppers. Later on, she co-hosted a political podcast called From The Bunker. Erin Kate attended Bennington College and then she became a professional singer. She released an album called One World in 1999. Erin opened up for Bette Midler and Whitney Houston.

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Brian Miller

Brian and Carol met in Long Beach, California and they dated for a few years before they got married in 2001, and he's over two decades younger than her. He is a musician and was the principal drummer for the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. He's also worked as a music contractor for the Hollywood Bowl and the Hollywood Pantages Theatre. Brian has put together the teams behind the Hamilton and Waitress national tours. 

© FilmMagic

What has Carol Burnett said about Brian Miller?

Carol provided an inside look into their love life and expressed to PBS: "We have a terrific relationship. And I feel so fortunate at this time of my life to be with him. And all of my friends have just totally embraced him. And he loves all of my buddies, so it works out great."

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