Patrick Warburton recalls kissing Carol Burnett at age 27
During an appearance on ‘Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia,’ the ‘Seinfeld’ star recalls filming romantic scenes with Carol Burnett, revealing the actress’s playful joke. He also reflects on other unforgettable TV legends.
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Before Patrick Warburton became a fan favorite as David Puddy on “Seinfeld,” he found himself in an unlikely role: Carol Burnett’s much younger lover.
On “Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia,” the actor recalled what it was like being paired with the legendary comedian in a skit.
“I made out with her,” he told Sibilia. “I was 27 at the time, and she played a soap star. She played the good sister, the good twin and the evil twin. They were both dating the same toy boy, which was 27-year-old me.”
At the time, Burnett was in her late 50s.
CAROL BURNETT REVEALS WHAT SHE MISSES ABOUT COMEDY: ‘I DON’T THINK A NETWORK WOULD TAKE A CHANCE’
In an Aug. 2, 2026, episode of “Nostalgia Tonight with Joe Sibilia,” Patrick Warburton, left, spoke about locking lips with legendary comedienne Carol Burnett, right.(Scott Gries/ImageDirect; Ron Galella, Ltd./Ron Galella Collection
“I’d have scenes where I was making out with the good one and the bad one, [and they] were both Carol,” he explained.
“Carol was adorable. When we’re doing that, she looks to the director and goes, ‘Oh, we’re going to have to rehearse this some more.’ That was very cute and very sweet.
“For me, it was kind of like kissing mom because I grew up with the family on ‘The Carol Burnett Show,’” he continued. “But it is funny as I look back. I made out with Carol Burnett. … Me and the older gals, I don’t know.”
The 61-year-old joked there appeared to be a trend.
“I had a 94-year-old Betty White rub my naked chest down in bed in a show,” Warburton told the outlet. “I have very interesting Eartha Kitt stories. Nothing too lascivious, but it’s just odd.”
Another “Golden Girls” legend kept Warburton on his toes.
Betty White and Patrick Warburton in an episode of “The Fixer.”(Vity Images)
“I remember Bea Arthur was doing a three-episode arc on a TV show I was doing, and I was about 27 at the time when I did that as well,” he explained. “There were about seven or eight of us that were all supposed to go get sushi for lunch. Everybody backed out. Bea Arthur looks at me, and she goes, ‘I want sushi, don’t you?’ And I go, ‘Well, yeah, I wanted it.’ And she goes, ‘You and I will go.’
“So, now I’m having lunch with Bea Arthur, and I’m 27,” he continued. “Bea was lovely, but as we all know, Bea was also — there was just something kind of scary and imposing about that woman. And the character she played was not one to be trifled with.
“And I just felt very uncomfortable just sitting there at first having lunch with Bea. [But] we had a lovely lunch. She mostly talked about rescuing greyhound dogs because that was her cause. It’s just weird, Joe. Me and the older gals, I don’t know.”
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Patrick Warburton as David Puddy and Julia Louis-Dreyfus as Elaine Benes in “The Burning” episode of “Seinfeld.”(Joey Delvalle/NBCU Photo Bank)
Warburton later became a fan favorite as Puddy on the ’90s sitcom “Seinfeld” and has voiced paraplegic police officer Joe Swanson on Seth MacFarlane’s “Family Guy” since 1999.
Warburton previously spoke to Fox News Digital about how his parents, John and Barbara Warburton, had a particularly strong dislike of “Family Guy.”
Actor Patrick Warburton attends the “Family Guy” mobile game launch party at the Happy Ending Bar in Hollywood April 2, 2014.(Tommaso Boddi/WireImage)
“They don’t see it as satire. They see it as blasphemy,” Warburton said. “So, it was just a conversation that we were never really able to have. We never saw eye to eye on it. But, yeah, they always hated that show.”
Warburton said his parents objected to the animated series on moral grounds because they were “very religious.” John, who died in 2018, spent three months at the Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Bardstown, Kentucky, where Thomas Merton was his spiritual advisor. He nearly became a monk before deciding to pursue a career in medicine.
According to Warburton, Barbara shared her husband’s devout Catholic faith and his strong disapproval of their son’s most popular shows.
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Patrick Warburton attends An Un-fur-gettable Night with “Zootopia 2” Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles.(Gilbert Flores/Variety
“If Mom could possibly be worse than Dad, she is, yes,” Warburton joked.
Warburton recalled that his mother’s religious convictions led to another attempt to influence his work.
“I remember back in the day when we lived in Woodland Hills, my mom and dad came to visit. And we were in the kitchen, and my mom says, ‘Are you going to work on “Seinfeld” today?’ And I said, ‘I am, as a matter of fact.’ And she said, ‘I have this dynamic videotape that has converted a lot of my Jewish friends. If I gave it to you, would you give it to Jerry?’” Warburton recalled with a laugh.
John O’Hurley as J. Peterman, Keith Hernandez as himself and Patrick Warburton as David Puddy appear in “The Finale: Part 1&2,” episodes 23 and 24 of “Seinfeld.”(Joseph Del Valle/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal
Warburton said his mother didn’t easily give up on her goal of converting Jerry Seinfeld to Catholicism.
“Years later, Jerry was performing [stand-up] in Pensacola, Florida,” Warburton said. “And mom and dad wanted to go. And I go, ‘I’ll hook you up.’ So, I call up Jerry, get them a couple of tickets. So, I talked to my mom after the show, and I go, ‘Did you enjoy Jerry?’ And she goes, ’He was wonderful. I even wrote him a lovely thank-you letter.’
“And, at that point, that’s when the hair on the back of my neck stood up, and I go, ‘You probably didn’t just leave a letter, did you, Mom? You probably left a DVD.’ And she goes, ‘I did,'” Warburton continued. “I go, ‘Do you know how disrespectful that is?’ And she said, ‘I only answer to one person, the Lord above.’ So, that’s how they operate. That’s how Mom operates.”
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Actor Patrick Warburton participates in the “Acting in Independent Film” panel discussion at the South by Southwest Film Festival in Austin March 12, 2000.(John Anderson/
Warburton told Fox News Digital he later brought up his mother’s unexpected gift when he ran into Seinfeld in New York.
“We had a laugh, but yeah, I’m sure he didn’t watch it,” he said.
“He hasn’t converted yet, as far as I know.”
Patrick Warburton visits the AOL Build Speaker Series to discuss his NBC comedy “Crowded” at AOL Studios in New York March 15, 2016.(Slaven Vlasic/
Though Warburton has previously described himself as a “bad Catholic,” he told Fox News Digital he has “absolutely” had moments when he felt uncomfortable with some of his work because of his faith.
“Catholic guilt runs deep,” he acknowledged. “But I believe God has a sense of humor.”
Fox News Digital’s Ashley Hume contributed to this report.
