Bette Midler is an iconic singer-songwriter and actress — a key member of show biz society, tbh.
I mean, without her, we would not have Hocus Pocus . Can you even imagine???
Aside from the obvious, however, there is so much than meets the eye (or ear). Here are some random facts about her that fans may not know!
1. She is a big fan of Adele.
“I do love Adele. I adore Adele. I think she’s a really good singer and a terrific songwriter. Her voice is such a beautiful voice. And she’s funny and she’s warm and she’s all the things you want a performer to be,” she told Pride Source .
2. She gives great advice to children who are being bullied.
“I would tell them to tell someone immediately. Tell a grown-up. Tell an older person immediately that this is happening. Say, ‘Please help me stop this,'” she told Pride Source .
“You shouldn’t keep it a secret,” she added. “I would encourage a child not to keep it a secret and to get help as quick as they can, and if they don’t get help in one place, try to get help in another place.”
“Sometimes children who are a little bit different are not considered – and they have to be! Everybody has to be considered and treated fairly. It’s just unacceptable .”
3. Her favorite color is blue.
“I love blue. I just live for blue. My mother said to me very young ‘blue is your color’ and I had NO idea what she was talking about. And I went through all the colors. But when I was about 40, I realized she was right,” she wrote on Reddit .
4. She believes that Broadway is a much easier place for women than Hollywood.
“I do. I don’t think it enters into their equation. They think about the material first–Does it have resonance? Will it reach an audience?–and then cast it according to what the play requires. I don’t think they care who comes as long as there are bodies in the seats. Everyone hopes for a good box office, but they’re more willing to take a risk on Broadway than they are in Hollywood,” she told Time .
5. She was a mentor on *The Voice* and she was professionally trained to sing when she was younger.
“I had a singing teacher here and a dancing instructor there, but I followed my own sense of what was dramatic or interesting as a performer. These kids don’t get exposure .” she said to Time .
6. Besides singing and acting, her favorite hobby is one that *many* of us do: Reading.
“What do you do for fun? What do you do to relax?,” a fan asked her in a Reddit AMA.
“I’m a reader. I’m a reader,” she replied .
7. Her favorite movie role was *The Rose*.
“I’d have to say The Rose is my favorite. That was the one when I was surrounded by people who loved me, and they really wanted to launch me in a big way, and it was a once in a lifetime occurrence, so I have to say that one,” she wrote in a Reddit AMA.
8. She took a souvenir from the set of *Hocus Pocus* — and a bizarre one at that!
When asked by a fan on Reddit if she stole anything from the set of one of her most iconic movies, Hocus Pocus , she replied : “I kept the teeth.”
9. Her favorite place in the world is at a farm in upstate New York.
“Where I feel the best in the whole world? We have a farm in upstate New York where it’s very quiet and you can see the stars at night, and I have a garden there, and I think i’m very comfortable and happy there. I have some chickens, we call them The Kardashians, and it’s very very pretty, and it’s only a little way away from the city but so quiet. And I think it’s the quiet that gets me the most,” she wrote on Reddit .
10. She hopes there is never a biopic made about her.
When asked by a fan on Reddit who she might want to play her in a hypothetical, future biopic, Bette replied :
“I certainly hope NOT. Nope, not interested.”
11. She wasn’t a big fan of *Seinfeld* until she became part of it.
“It was so peculiar. But fabulous, of course, I’m a huge fan. At the time I was not a huge fan, because I was in my own world and doing my own thing, but I became a huge fan,” she wrote on Reddit .
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“This is the story: a girlfriend of mine, whose name was Margery Gross, was very ill, She was a staff writer on *Seinfeld*, and I heard through the Grapevine that she had written an episode for me and I wanted to do it,” she continued.
“I had always liked her, so I wanted to do that for her. And I did. And she died not long after that, so I was glad I did it.”
12. She is a supporter of the LGBTQ community.
She has always been transparent about having gay friends and supporting their rights.
“Of course I have a lot of gay friends. I’m in show business!,” she told Pride Source . “I watch and I’m fascinated and I’m interested.”
“And I’m enthusiastic. I’m all those things. I try to help where I can. I just think it’s just fantastic for the gay community,” she went on.
“Just fantastic. And I know they’re happy. I know there’s a lot of joy in the community. I know there are a lot of people who are very, very excited about the change that all this acceptance has given them. I know it’s a real thrill.”
