Peter Krause Recalls Hospital Run-in with Former Costar Carol Burnett, Only to Realize the Heartbreaking Reason She Was There
Peter Krause Recalls Hospital Run-in with Former Costar Carol Burnett, Only to Realize the Heartbreaking Reason She Was There
Meredith WilshereSat, October 3, 2026 at 2:59 PM UTC
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Peter Krause and Carol Burnett on ‘Carol & Company’Credit: Everett -
Peter Krause starred alongside Carol Burnett in 33 episodes of the sketch comedy series Carol & Company
Burnett congratulated Krause and embraced him after he welcomed his son during their chance hospital encounter
Krause later figured out that Burnett had been visiting her daughter Carrie, who died shortly afterward at age 38
One of Peter Krause’s first major roles was on Carol & Company, alongside legendary actress Carol Burnett.
Krause, then in his mid-20s, learned from the very best during those 33 episodes he did with Burnett and he would frequently think back on their time together as the years went on.
“I just always felt like, if I’m out there in the business, she’s watching somewhere,” Krause, 61, shared in an interview with Esquire.
The pair did meet again years later, during a chance encounter while Krause was making a name for himself on Six Feet Under.
Peter Krause in 2024Credit: Roy Rochlin/Getty
“I was at Cedars-Sinai, where my son had been born, and I was getting the house ready and getting ready to bring him home,” Krause remembered. “I went to the elevators, the doors opened up, and Carol Burnett walked out.”
He said that Burnett, 93, was “very complimentary about how different that work was than the work that we did with each other in sketch comedy.”
“She asked me what I was doing, and I said, ‘Oh, I just had a child. I’m here to pick up my son and bring him home.’ She very quickly said, ‘Congratulations!’ and gave me a big hug and a kiss,” he continued.
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It wasn’t until later that Krause learned the heartbreaking reason Burnett was in the hospital.
“It was later that I found out that she was there at the hospital to visit her daughter Carrie, who, a short time later, passed away,” Krause shared. Burnett’s daughter Carrie Hamilton died in January 2002 at the age of 38 from cancer-related pneumonia.
Despite going through such a difficult time herself, Krause said Burnett seemed genuine and happy for his new chapter as a dad.
“In her graceful manner, she congratulated me and then moved on,” he said.
“She’s a really beautiful person, and I’m really grateful that I got to have the time with her that I did early in my career,” he added. “I would say it set me up for success and deepened the work ethic for me.”
While starring on Carol & Company alongside Burnett, Krause noted that he had to master the ability to “think on my toes,” since they “did a different episode every week, with different characters.”
“Carol was very sharp, very accomplished, but a very humble woman when I met her. I learned a great deal from her in terms of what it meant to be professional. I’m grateful that I had that early on.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
