Why Betty White Never Had Kids of Her Own, But Relished Her Role as Stepmom: ‘It Turned Out Great’

Although Betty White never had any biological children of her own, she embraced the role of stepmother with love and affection. In the early 1960s, White met Allen Ludden, the host of the game show Password, when she appeared as a guest. The two quickly fell in love and married in 1963. As part of their marriage, White became a stepmother to Ludden’s three children: David, Martha, and Sarah.

Ludden’s first wife, Margaret McGloin, had passed away from cancer in 1961, and Ludden himself would later succumb to stomach cancer in 1981. Despite not having biological children, White cherished her role as a stepmother and always spoke fondly of her experience. She once told People that becoming a stepmother “turned out great” and that she felt “blessed” to have taken on that role.

In a past conversation with People, Sandra Bullock, White’s costar from the romantic comedy The Proposal, recalled White sharing how she felt about her stepchildren. White had said, “I never had children biologically. I married someone who had three children. And how blessed I was to have those three stepchildren.”

In a 2012 interview with CBS, White elaborated on why she chose not to become a mother, stating that she had no regrets about her decision, reflecting her contentment with the family she had built.