Jane Lynch Talks Bond with Carol Burnett After Playing Mother-Daughter Duo on ‘Glee’

Jane Lynch was thrilled to have the chance to work with Hollywood icon Carol Burnett over a decade ago, but never expected that the comedian would end up as one of her friends.

In a November 2010 episode of Glee, fans were introduced to Burnett’s character, Doris, the mother of Lynch’s Sue Sylvester. Years later, she chatted with Rob Lowe about the experience in a recently re-aired episode of his podcast Literally! with Rob Lowe.

Lynch, 65, explained that the special opportunity was a result of Burnett’s own desire to work with creator Ryan Murphy.

“First of all, Carol Burnett got a hold of Ryan Murphy and said, ‘I want to play in your sandbox. So whatever you want me to do.’ And he said, ‘Well, why don’t you play Sue Sylvester’s Nazi hunting mother?'” Lynch recalled with a laugh.

“And then he said to her, ‘What song would you like to sing?’ And she said, ‘Well, since our show is set in Ohio, why don’t we sing that song for my sister Eileen, ‘why oh why did I leave Ohio?'” she recalled, quoting the song “Ohio” from Broadway’s Wonderful Town, which the two actresses ended up singing.

“And so that’s how all that happened. It was her call.”

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While Burnett only appeared once in season 2 of the hit show, Lynch said they kept in touch after the episode, both residing in the Montecito, Calif., area.

“I’ve had brunch with her up at The Biltmore a couple of times,” Lynch shared. “I did jury duty with her husband, Brian. She’s become a very good friend.”

In 2023, Murphy was named the recipient of the 4th annual Carol Burnett Award at the Golden Globes, which honors prominent figures who have made an impact not only on viewers but on the industry as a whole.

Lynch was also among the stars in attendance the following year when the Carol & Company star, 92, was honored by having her hand and footprints cemented at the famous TCL Chinese Theater in Hollywood, Calif.

Burnett spoke with PEOPLE on the special day, explaining how being there for her own ceremony felt surreal, and she couldn’t help but feel like she was a kid again.

“When I put my hands down there today, I went back to Betty Grable, when I did it with them,” she recalled. “All of a sudden, I was a little girl again, putting my hands on Betty Grable’s prints.”

She later told PEOPLE, “This is my roots,” noting that after living in the heart of Hollywood for 21 years, it is “quite a trip” to be in the position she admired so much.

“This [handprint] and then the star on Hollywood Boulevard is in front of a theater where I worked as an usher. So I’ve come full circle.”