Kathy Bates Calls Retirement Announcement a ‘Misunderstanding’

After Kathy Bates’ New York Times interview was released on September 8, there was an uproar surrounding the 76-year-old actress’s alleged plans to retire. Now, the Misery star says it was all just a misunderstanding.

The upcoming reboot of Matlock may indeed be Kathy Bates’ “swan song,” as she said during the interview, but she hopes that it will be a long one – “another eight years or so,” she told ET‘s Nischelle Turner at the Emmy Awards on Sunday, September 15.

Bates appeared on the red carpet alongside Matlock co-star Skye P. Marshall to discuss their upcoming show. Marshall, 39, enthusiastically joked that she would not let the Titanic actress go. “I will drag her out of her house kicking and screaming if she thinks America or the world is gonna let her retire,” Marshall said, causing Bates to chuckle.

“No, I think it was kind of a misunderstanding, but I was very flattered that everybody was upset,” the Emmy and Oscar winner laughed.

Turner and Marshall engaged in a brief chant of “Hell no, she can’t go,” before Bates went on to say how much she enjoyed working with Marshall and the cast of Matlock.

“We’re having so much fun,” the Fried Green Tomatoes actress said of Marshall. “The chemistry is just great, we’re having such a blast.”

Marshall shared her co-star’s sentiments, saying that despite Bates’s legendary status, it’s actually “very easy” to act alongside her. “She comes from such a truthful place,” Marshall said. “When I’m present with her and I’m just listening, the emotions come, the pace, everything just falls in organically. So I feel at home with Kathy.”

Bates reiterated that she and Marshall were a “magnificent” combo in the CBS reboot of the legal drama. “I feel like we can just fly together,” she said.

Matlock premieres September 22 on CBS and will stream on Paramount Plus.