Bob Barker and Betty White have been fixtures on American television for decades, and both are known for their animal welfare commitments. However, they were so divided on what they thought was best for an elephant named Billy that it was rumored that it led to a feud between the two.
The feud rumor was published in the National Enquirer in 2009, which cited anonymous sources who said Barker threatened not to attend the Game Show Awards if White attended.
This claim was repeated by several gossip blogs at the time and re-posted after Barker’s death on Saturday. White passed away in December 2021.
Neither Barker nor White appear to have addressed the rumor publicly, and all reports of their alleged feud seem to go back to The Enquirer.
However, the basis of the gossip was a real disagreement between Barker and White over a planned renovation of the Los Angeles Zoo’s elephant exhibit.
Barker opposed the renovation and wanted the only elephant left at the zoo at the time, Billy, to be moved to a sanctuary. White was deeply involved with the zoo and supported its renovation.
In January 2009, Barker, Cher and Lily Tomlin spoke out against the renovation at a Los Angeles City Council meeting. Barker also offered to pay $1.5 million to have Billy relocated. He had opposed the exhibition for years, saying in 2006 that the elephants there “lived in misery.”
The zoo’s nonprofit partner, the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association, responded that the zoo was the elephant’s home, the Los Angeles Times reported, and that it offered Billy and other elephants “a level of personal attention and state-of-the-art technology.” “ would offer veterinary services that you cannot get anywhere else.”
White had a relationship with the zoo that spanned more than five decades and was a trustee of the Zoo Association at the time of her death. She told The New York Times in 2011 that the zoo was her second home and that she could stop by outside of normal visiting hours.
She spoke out in favor of the renovation at a city council meeting and supported the project in a 2012 interview with the zoo’s magazine, Zoo View.
“It seemed like it was never going to happen, and when it almost died down, so close to realizing — I think it was a whole week that I didn’t sleep,” she said. “But actually we made it through perseverance and it’s beautiful on both sides of the enclosure. It’s great for the elephants and it’s great for the people.”
Barker and White representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Sunday.
Barker attended the 2009 awards show where he was recognized for his work on The Price Is Right.
White, who won the award for Favorite Celebrity Gamer for “Million Dollar Password,” appeared on the show only in a video tribute to Mark Goodson, who wrote shows like “The Price Is Right,” “Family Feud,” and ” Match Game” produced. ”
Four years later, White tried to make amends, The National Enquirer reported, again citing an anonymous source.
Billy still lives at the zoo, although a Los Angeles City Council committee said in December 2022 that Billy should be placed in a shelter after 30 years.
Cher and Tomlin continue to support efforts to move Billy. The zoo stated that it disagreed with the effort and that it had “complete confidence in the knowledge, skills and expertise of our entire animal care team.”