Betty White kept Arthur Duncan on the show, risking cancellation but launching his career.

Betty White was one of a kind, and no incident highlights that better than her refusing to give in to demands for a Black dancer to be removed from her show in the 50s. Amid the peak of racial segregation, Betty White faced intense pressure to remove tap dancer Arthur Duncan from her show. Having given Duncan his television debut on 'The Betty White Show, Betty White stood her ground against the backlash. "I'm sorry, but he stays...Live with it!" she bluntly told those who brought the matter to her, reported PEOPLE. Betty White died on December 31, 2021, a few weeks shy of her 100th birthday.

Despite television being a new medium, White was already a seasoned performer from stage and radio. She also featured in a sitcom and co-hosted a Los Angeles daytime talk show. 'The Betty White Show' saw her perform songs and entertain viewers with skits and interviews with guests. She even had a regular children’s segment. Duncan recalled the controversy and how White supported him during those challenging times. "I was on the show, and they had some letters out of Mississippi and elsewhere that some of the stations would not carry the show if I was permitted to stay on there," said Duncan during an episode of 'Steve Harvey's Little Big Shots: Forever Young' in 2017. "Well, Betty wrote back and said, 'Needless to say, we used Arthur Duncan every opportunity we could.'" Betty White faced pressure from South stations but used Duncan even more until the show was canceled in 1954. It was also the year segregation in public schools was declared unconstitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court.