FACT CHECK: Did Betty White Say, ‘If You Wanna Be Tough, Grow A Vagina’?

Mecca Fowler | Contributor

A post shared on Facebook over 370 times claims the late actress Betty White once said, “If you wanna be tough, grow a vagina.”

Verdict: False

There is no evidence White made this statement. She confirmed the alleged quote is misattributed in a 2012 interview with The Guardian.

Fact Check:

White, who famously starred in “The Golden Girls” as Rose Nylund, died on Dec. 31 at her Los Angeles home just weeks short of her 100th birthday, The New York Times reported. Her agent told People Magazine she died of natural causes.

In the wake of her death, social media users flooded Twitter, Facebook and Instagram with posts about her. One Facebook user shared an alleged quote from White that reads, “Why do people say ‘grow some balls?…’ Balls are weak and sensitive. If you wanna be tough grow a vagina. Those things can take a pounding.”

There is, however, no evidence of White making this statement. It could not be found on any of her verified social media accounts. While some media outlets attributed the quote to White and linked it to her book “If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t),” it is nowhere to be found in the book. (RELATED: Did Betty White Encourage People To ‘Eat Healthy And Get All Your Vaccines’ Days Before Her Death?) 

In fact, White herself debunked the alleged quote as a misattribution when asked about it in a 2012 interview with The Guardian. “That’s what I hate about Facebook and the internet,” said White. “They can say you said anything. I never would have said that. I’d never say that in a million years.”

This is not the first time a quote misattributed to White has gone viral. Check Your Fact recently debunked a Facebook post that alleged she encouraged people to “eat healthy and get all your vaccines” days before she died.

UPDATE: This article has been updated to note that some credible media outlets misattributed the quote to White and linked it to her book “If You Ask Me: (And of Course You Won’t).”

Mecca Fowler

Contributor

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