Betty White Was a Stepmom to Late Husband Allen Ludden’s 3 Kids! Meet David, Martha and Sarah

She had an incredible Hollywood career spanning 80 years, but Betty White was more than just an actress in her life. She was also an amazing wife to late husband Allen Ludden, as well as the loving stepmother to his three kids, David, Martha and Sarah.

The showbiz icon was married three times in her life. She walked down the aisle with U.S. Army pilot Dick Barker in 1945, but they split later that year. Following her divorce, Betty tied the knot with actor Lane Allen in 1947. However, their marriage lasted two years as the Hollywood agent died in 1995.

While the Golden Girls star did not have any kids with her first two husbands, that changed during her third and final marriage with Allen Ludden. Not only was it her longest union, lasting from 1963 to 1981, but Betty became the doting stepmom of his kids.

The TV personality welcomed David, Martha, and Sarah with his first spouse, Margaret McGloin. The couple was together for 18 years, but when Margaret died in 1961, Allen moved on with the Hot in Cleveland actress.

Sadly, the Password host died in 1981 after a battle with stomach cancer. Following her beloved husband’s death, Betty revealed whether or not she could picture herself saying “I do” for the fourth time.

“I miss having someone to hold,” Betty once shared. “[But] if you’ve had the best, who needs the rest?” As to how she dealt with Allen’s passing, the actress revealed, “There’s no formula. Keep busy with your work and your life. You can’t become a professional mourner. It doesn’t help you or others. Keep the person in your heart all the time. Replay the good times. Be grateful for the years you had.”

The Emmy Award winner was “grateful for the years” she had with Allen, but Betty was especially thankful for gaining three children through their relationship. The star’s close pal, Sandra Bullock, said Betty’s love of motherhood actually inspired her to adopt her own children.

“Betty said, ‘You know what? I never had children biologically,'” the Bird Box actress told People in 2009. “‘I married someone who had three children. And how blessed I was to have those three stepchildren.’”

Prior to her death at age 99 in December 2021, Betty announced the special one-day-only theatrical release of her movie, Betty White: 100 Years Young. The film shows a behind-the-scenes look at some of the acting legend’s biggest roles. Her booming career is part of the reason why she never had children of her own. 

“No, I’ve never regretted [not having kids] it. I’m so compulsive about stuff, I know if I had ever gotten pregnant, of course, that would have been my whole focus,” she told CBS in 2012. “But I didn’t choose to have children because I’m focused on my career. And I just don’t think as compulsive as I am, that I could manage both.” 

Keep scrolling below to learn more about David, Martha and Sarah!