The Best Oscars Moment Was John Travolta Rescuing Betty White’s Dog
CK Kimball
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It was the Academy moment barked around the world when actors Jamie Lee Curtis and John Travolta reconnected through a memoriam for Betty White and a rescue puppy named Mac-n-Cheese.
Betty White, who passed in 2021 on New Years Eve at the age of 99, in some respects was as well known for her love of animals as she was for her acting chops. Having been active in film and television for over eighty years, it was the role of “Rose” in the mature ladies sitcom Golden Girls she would become most recognized for and with whom shared a big heart for little creatures.
Betty White was devoted to animal activism, often providing support under anonymity, so it was only fitting to have tiny and tan rescue puppy Mac-n-Cheese take the stage in her honor accompanied by the legendary actor, Jamie Lee Curtis.
“She was not only a Golden Girl, she was a legend who brightened every room she walked in and brought a smile to the faces of all who watched her on the screen,” Curtis said in her tribute to White. “And day in and day out for almost a century, she was a woman who cared so much for not just her two-legged friends but for animals just like this.”
Curtis continued, encouraging the audience and those watching from home, to consider adopting a rescue pet, to honor the late White.
“So the greatest gift you could give Betty White is to open your heart and your home and adopt a rescue dog just like Mac-N-Cheese from Paw Works. So thank you, Betty, thank you for being a friend to us all.”
Understandably following Mac N Cheese’s Oscar debut, the puppy was in high demand backstage for a celebrity photo op and that’s where this story takes a Best Picture turn. Among the who’s who looking to network with Hollywood’s new hottest rescue dog, was a one John Travolta. Travolta, who starred with Curtis in the 1985 film Perfect, was pictured with Mac N Cheese literally in hand on Jamie Lee Curtis’s instagram account.
“Look who grabbed a hold of sweet mac & cheese to hold backstage after I had left. Thrilled to see my friend John @johntravolta my PAWFECT co-star and our shared passions!” The post read, but it turned out to be but foreshadowing to a great Hollywood climax.
In another twist, it was John Travolta’s young son Ben who ended up the big winner of the night when he welcomed Mac-n-Cheese to be an official, adopted member of the Travoltas.
“Ben adopted this dog from last nights Oscar tribute to Betty White,” John Travolta wrote in a post of thanks to Curtis and animal rescue Paw Works. A sentiment shared by Curtis who referred to the “emotional end” of the story as the “perfect tribute to Betty White,”, focusing the spotlight on the tremendous work animal shelters do every day.
In a night of awards and surprises, it was rescue pup Mac-n-Cheese who won “Best in Home”.
