Betty White’s sweet, naive Rose Nylund may not have had all the zingers on The Golden Girls, but her rants and tangents drew unforgettable looks from her housemates—and adoration from fans.
Scroll through for some of our favorite moments from Rose in tribute to White, who died on Dec. 31, 2021, at age 99.
02
of 19
Season 2, Episode 2: “Ladies of the Evening”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 2, episode 2: ”Ladies of the Evening” The girls get swept up in a prostitution bust. Yes, really. Rose : Downtown? He means jail!
The girls get swept up in a prostitution bust. Yes, really.
Rose: Downtown? He means jail!
Dorothy (Bea Arthur): Oh really, Rose, I thought he meant Neiman Marcus.
Rose: I’ve never been in jail. I won’t make it. They always prey on the weak and innocent. The others will taunt me for trying to excel at my work in the laundry. I’ll fall in with a bad crowd, whose leader looks like Ethel Merman. And I’ll be forced to engineer a daring prison break using my laundry cart. From that time on, I won’t know a moment’s peace. I’ll scar my fingerprints with battery acid and I’ll run from town to town, taking jobs that people have who got bad grades in school. And then one day, they’ll find me, holed up in a little shack in the Louisiana bayou. And a sheriff named Bull will call my name out over a megaphone and when I make a run for it he’ll riddle my body with bullets! Oh, please don’t let them take me downtown! I want to live! I want to live!
Dorothy: You’re not very good in a crisis, are you, Rose?
03
of 19
Season 2, Episode 7: “Family Affair”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 2, episode 6: ”Family Affair” Rose and Dorothy work on a jingle for a contest Dorothy : Yeah, but the lyrics don’t make any
Rose and Dorothy work on a jingle for a contest.
Dorothy: Yeah, but the lyrics don’t make any sense! I mean, it goes, ”Miami is nice/So I’ll say it twice.”
Rose: Ooooh, I see your point. Well, what about this: ”Miami is nice/So I’ll say it thrice!”
Dorothy: Thrice?! Who the hell says thrice?!
Rose: It’s a word!
Dorothy: So is intrauterine. It does not belong in a song.
Rose: “Miami/You’re cuter than/an intrauterine…”
04
of 19
Season 2, Episode 26: “Empty Nests”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 2, episode 26: ”Empty Nests” The girls help their neighbors in this back-door pilot for Empty Nest. Rose : I used to loooove washing
The girls help their neighbors in this backdoor pilot for spin-off sitcom Empty Nest.
Rose: I used to loooove washing dishes! In Minnesota, the whole family’d get together and wash dishes. Even Uncle Gustav, after the giant Swiss Army Knife accident, learned to dry dishes with his feet. We used to laugh and carry on and have such a happy time.
Sophia (Estelle Getty): What is it with you people? All you ever had were happy times?! It’s sickening! Happy times freezing in the cold! Happy times during the locust invasion, happy times eating reindeer! How about death? Did you have happy times then?
Rose: Yes, actually, we did. It was a chance to get together and remember other happy times!
05
of 19
Season 3, Episode 2: “One for the Money”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 3, episode 2: ”One for the Money” Everyone reminisces, cuing various flashbacks. Then Blanche, Dorothy, and Rose all show up at the same dance
Everyone reminisces, cuing various flashbacks. Then Blanche (Rue McClanahan), Dorothy, and Rose all show up at the same dance tournament—which they each thought they were keeping secret from the others.
Rose: Hi, girls!
Dorothy: Et tu, Judas?
Rose: No, it’s me, Rose! I’m just wearing my hair a little differently.
06
of 19
Season 3, Episode 9: “A Visit From Little Sven”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 3, episode 9: ”A Visit from Little Sven” Rose’s cousin Sven visits, and accidentally falls for Blanche Rose : I got caught up at
Rose’s cousin Sven (Casey Sander) visits, and accidentally falls for Blanche.
Rose: I got caught up at work and I barely had time to pick up this cake. I wanted to make Sven feel welcome.
Blanche: Rose! That cake is from the Get It While It’s Hot Erotic Bake Shop!
Dorothy: *looks at the cake* Whoa-ho!
Blanche: Why, Rose Nylund! Why, that cake is in the shape of —
Dorothy: Blanche, we know what it is.
Rose: I thought it was the shape of Florida!
07
of 19
Season 3, Episode 11: “Three on a Couch’
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 3, episode 11: ”Three on a Couch” The girls’ bickering reaches new heights, and they seek the help of a therapist Rose : [on
The girls’ bickering reaches new heights, and they seek the help of a therapist.
Rose: [on Blanche] I think she’s a garconanokin.
Doctor: Well, what exactly does that mean?
Rose: Literally, it’s the precise moment when dog doo turns white. But, in general, it refers to the kind of person you don’t want to share your hoodencoggles with.
Dorothy: Rose, if you say one more of those stupid words, so help me—
R
ose: Oh, blow it out your tubenburbles!
08
of 19
Season 3, Episode 13: “The Artist”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 3, episode 13: ”The Artist Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose discover that they’ve each posed nude for the same artist Rose : Sophia, what are
Dorothy, Blanche, and Rose discover that they’ve each posed nude for the same artist.
Rose: Sophia, what are you doing with that heavy coat on inside the house?
Sophia: [flashes Rose] You tell me, Rose!
Dorothy: Ma!
Rose: Dorothy, was Sophia naked just now, or does her dress really need ironing?
09
of 19
Season 3, Episode 15: “Dorothy’s New Friend”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 3, episode 15: ”Dorothy’s New Friend” Dorothy’s new friend Barbara rubs the rest of the crowd the wrong way Barbara : No, I’m just
Dorothy’s new friend Barbara (Bonnie Bartlett) rubs the rest of the crowd the wrong way.
Barbara: No, I’m just a writer. Malamud’s an author.
Rose: I thought Malamuds were chocolate cookies with marshmallows in them.
10
of 19
Season 3, Episode 23: “Mixed Blessing”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 3, episode 23: ”Mixed Blessing” Dorothy’s son surprises her with news of his engagement to a middle-aged black woman Rose : The same thing
Dorothy’s son (Scott Jacoby) surprises her with news of his engagement to a middle-aged Black woman.
Rose: The same thing happened to the Bigbotters back in St. Olaf. You see, Gretchen had this thing for Buddy, but Mr. Bigbotter didn’t approve—he did his best to keep them apart. But, one day he came home early and found Gretchen and Buddy in…how will I say it…a most indelicate situation.
Dorothy: What did he do?
Rose: Well, he yelled at them to stop, but they wouldn’t, so he turned the hose on them!
Blanche: He turned the hose on them?!
Rose: Well, they were in the front yard!
Dorothy: Wait, wait, wait a minute, Rose. Buddy and Gretchen weren’t people, were they?
Rose: Of course not; they were dogs! Gretchen was a Dalmatian and Buddy was a schnauzer. And Mr. Bigbotter wasn’t too happy when he ended up with a litter of schnalmatians!
11
of 19
Season 4, Episode 4: “Yokel Hero”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 4, episode 4: ”Yokel Hero” Rose is nominated for St. Olaf’s Woman of the Year award Rose : You know, it doesn’t matter whether
Rose is nominated for St. Olaf’s Woman of the Year award.
Rose: You know, it doesn’t matter whether I win, I mean, just being nominated is enough.
Blanche: That’s a good attitude, Rose.
Rose: It’s also a crock of bull, I want that sucker bad!
12
of 19
Season 4, Episode 6: “Sophia’s Wedding, Part 1″
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 4, episode 6: ”Sophia’s Wedding” Sophia reconnects with an old friend, and Rose forms an Elvis fanclub Blanche : Do you know what I
Sophia reconnects with an old friend, and Rose forms an Elvis fan club.
Blanche: Do you know what I hate doing most after a party?
Rose: Trying to find your underwear in the big pile?
13
of 19
Season 4, Episode 9: “Scared Straight”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 4, episode 9: ”Scared Straight” Blanche’s brother visits, and Rose helps convince him to come out to Blanche Blanche : Rose, honey, there’s something
Blanche’s brother (Monte Markham) visits, and Rose helps convince him to come out to Blanche.
Blanche: Rose, honey, there’s something I have to say to you. It’s just two little words, but they are the hardest two little words in all the whole world for me to say.
Rose: ”Not tonight”?
14
of 19
Season 4, Episode 15: “Valentine’s Day”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 4, episode 15: ”Valentine’s Day” The girls find themselves dateless on Valentine’s Day Dorothy : Blanche, Steve called and canceled your date, didn’t he?
The girls find themselves dateless on Valentine’s Day.
Dorothy: Blanche, Steve called and canceled your date, didn’t he?
Blanche: Yes!
Rose: How did you know that, Dorothy?
Dorothy: I’m clairvoyant, Rose.
Rose: You’re so lucky. I get into a pool, I sink like a stone.
15
of 19
Season 5, Episode 10: “All That Jazz”
The Golden Girls, Bea Arthur, … | Season 5, episode 9: ”All That Jazz” Dorothy’s son returns, and Rose copes with work-related stress Rose : The hardest part for me was explaining
Dorothy’s son returns, and Rose copes with work-related stress.
Rose: The hardest part for me was explaining to my Kirstin the difference between boys and girls. I knew the time had come, but I kept putting it off. Finally, I decided it was time to take the bull by the horns.
Blanche: So, you told her?
Rose: No! I took the bull by the horns, turned him around, and showed her what makes a bull a bull.
Blanche: You are kidding, Rose?
Rose: No! That’s how my mother taught me.
Blanche: Honey, didn’t that give you a false impression about… what a man would look like?
Rose: It sure did! Can you imagine my surprise on my wedding night with Charlie? Boy, that bull would have been jealous!
SEE MORE: See Never-Before-Seen Photos and Learn Untold Secrets From the Set of ‘The Golden Girls’
