America's sweetest television grandmother was actually one of its most subversive operators. She defied racist network executives in the Jim Crow South, produced her own shows in her 20s while living with her parents, and weaponized a disarming smile to conquer a ruthless, male-dominated industry.

This profile follows an eight-decade career that began with experimental 1930s broadcasts and ended with a viral internet campaign. It's a masterclass in adaptability — how Betty White reinvented herself decade after decade while never once compromising her core morals.

• How she hosted five and a half hours of live, ad-libbed TV six days a week — and turned that pressure into invincible comedic timing
• Her 1954 stand against a Southern affiliate boycott to keep Black tap dancer Arthur Duncan on her show, telling the network "live  ...