It’s been more than 50 years since comedians Carol Burnett and Vicki Lawrence first met and hit it off, but their friendship is still going strong today.

The two co-starred on The Carole Burnett Show beginning when Vicki, now 69, was just 18 years old and Carol, now 85, was 34. “There were so many men, so they really had a special bond,” James Sheridan of the Paley Center for Media told Closer Weekly in the magazine’s newest issue, on newsstands now. “They were both versatile, so they could play mother and daughter, friends or rivals so easily.”

Carol Burnett Vicki Lawrence Relationship
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“You could actually feel the teamwork,” Herbie J. Pilato, founder of the Classic TV Preservation Society, also shared with Closer. “They knew each other’s comic mannerisms and exactly how to make each line funnier and deeper.”

After years on television together, their relationship only grew stronger. “Carol was on a pedestal for me for years,” Vicki admitted. “But our friendship is much stronger now.” Carol added, “We see each other as often as we can. I’m like her big sister.”

Vicki is currently starring in her new Fox sitcom, The Cool Kids, and she gushed that she turned to Carol for advice on how to return to the small screen. “I haven’t done this in a while,” she told Closer. “I emailed Carol and said, ‘How do you do it all? I need some Geritol!’ Carol said, ‘I guess it’s Red Bull now!’ We laughed about it.”

Carol Burnett Vicki Lawrence Relationship
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She also added that she’d love to relive their undeniable chemistry by having Carole appear on The Cool Kids. “I would give my right arm to have her be on this show,” Vicki confessed Closer. And it seems she may get what she wants considering how highly Carol thinks of her. The Annie star gushed to Closer about their bond: “We are like family.”

For more on Carol and Vicki, pick up the latest issue of Closer Weekly, on newsstands now — and be sure to sign up for our newsletter for more exclusive news!

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