Bootleg Betty
Bette Midler’s Iconic TIME Cover—39 Years Today
By Mister D
March 2, 2026
Thirty?nine years ago today, Time magazine decided the only logical thing to put on its March 2, 1987, cover was Bette Midler in full Hollywood?domination mode. The issue screamed, “You Bette! Midler Strikes Again in Outrageous Fortune”—because when Bette’s on a roll, you don’t whisper it, you announce it like a parade marshal with a megaphone.
Inside, the article practically fan?girled over her unstoppable run of comedy smashes—Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Ruthless People, and Outrageous Fortune—as if Bette had personally revived the American economy through punchlines alone. It also marveled at her “unlikely Hollywood marriage” to Walt Disney Studios, proving that even the House of Mouse knows when to bow to a diva with box?office heat.
And, in classic Time fashion, they balanced the glitz with a peek at her home life with Martin von Haselberg and their young daughter—because even when she was conquering Hollywood, Bette still had to juggle scripts, stardom, and snack time.
A cover. A moment. A reminder that in 1987, Hollywood wasn’t ready—but Bette Midler struck anyway.
