Polly Holliday (Polly Holiday), Flo from Alice TV Show, Dies at 88 — The Woman Behind “Kiss My Grits”
- Sarah Whitfield
- Sep 10, 2025
- 6 min read
TodayBeat Entertainment | September 2025
Who Just Died? Flo from Alice TV Show Legend With a Southern Drawl
For anyone typing “who just died” into a search bar today, the answer is a face you know and a voice you can hear in an instant: Polly Holliday — frequently misspelled as Polly Holiday — the actress who turned a supporting role on the Alice TV show into a cultural earthquake. At 88, the Alabama-born performer has passed away, leaving behind a legacy that spans Broadway stages, blockbuster films, and, most famously, a small roadside diner where Flo Castleberry served coffee, opinions, and the most quotable line of the 1970s: “Kiss my grits!” the Flo from Alice TV Show
Prologue: From Jasper, Alabama to Primetime Stardom
Polly Dean Holliday was born July 2, 1937 in Jasper, Alabama, a coal-town upbringing that gave her both the music of the South and the mettle that later defined Flo. Before television found her, Polly Holliday taught music, performed in regional theater, and honed a performer’s discipline that would become her signature on camera.
Friends remembered her as precise, funny, and fearless — a professional who brought the same energy to a rehearsal hall as she did to network television. She didn’t chase celebrity; she chased craft. But celebrity came anyway.
“Alice”: How a Sitcom Turned Polly Holliday into “Flo”
When Alice premiered in 1976, it felt like a modest, blue-collar comedy: a widow named Alice Hyatt, a teenage son, a crusty diner owner, and a pair of waitresses who handled the breakfast rush and each other with equal skill. Then Flo walked in — Florence Jean Castleberry, all hair and heat, sass and sunshine — and the ensemble detonated into something bigger.
The Role: Flo was brassy but warm, the best friend who’d defend you and the truth-teller who’d scold you.
The Spark: Polly Holliday invented a rhythm for Flo — a musicality you could tap along to — and audiences tapped right back.
The Line: “Kiss my grits!” wasn’t just a punchline; it was a mood, a mantra, a musical flourish that said, “I’m not backing down.”
The Alice TV show belonged to its title character, but Polly Holliday made sure Flo belonged to the audience. Ratings followed. Awards followed. A spinoff followed.
Flo’s Spinoff, Fame, and the Price of a Catchphrase
Flo burned so brightly that CBS launched Flo, a spinoff with Polly Holliday headlining. It ran for two seasons (short in years, long in impact). Even after the spinoff ended, Flo Castleberry kept living in syndication, in family rooms, and in the American vocabulary. People who never watched a minute of Alice still learned the language of Flo: “Kiss my grits” became a universal eyeroll, a comedic nope, a tidy southern thunderclap.
For Polly Holliday (Polly Holiday), the line was both crown and cross. She was proud of the character — she built her — but she also wanted room to be more than Flo. So she did.
Beyond Alice: Films, Guest Roles, and Stage Firepower
The career after Alice proved her range:
Films: From mischievous mayhem in Gremlins to family-favorite turns in The Parent Trap, Holliday found second acts far from the diner counter.
Television: Guest arcs on big network comedies reminded viewers that timing is a talent, not an accident.
Stage: She returned to theater with acclaimed performances that showcased the craft beneath the catchphrase.
Even when the roles were small, Polly Holliday made them precise — the kind of actor other actors watch.
Why Flo Worked: A Character Study in 3 Beats
Voice: Flo’s cadence is the south as percussion — consonants with kick, vowels that linger.
Valor: The humor never made her mean; it made her brave. Flo Castleberry stood up for people, even while standing up to them.
Vulnerability: The wink behind the wisecrack made Flo human, not caricature. Polly Holliday played the woman, not just the waitress.
That is why Alice still streams. That is why Alice TV show retrospectives lead with Flo. And that is why “Kiss my grits” still gets a smile: it’s defiance soaked in dignity.
The Lasting Power of “Kiss My Grits”
Let’s say it plainly for searchers and fans alike: “Kiss my grits” is one of the most enduring American sitcom catchphrases ever written. It works because it’s clean but cutting, musical but muscular. It lets you say “no” with a grin. It belongs to Polly Holliday, to Flo, and to anyone who’s ever needed a sentence that ends a conversation without starting a fight.
When people search alice, alice tv show, or polly holiday, they are often looking for that line. They will find it, and they will find her.
Personal Life, Privacy, and Professional Grace
Polly Holliday kept her private life private. She never married and had no children, a fact that never defined her so much as clarified her priorities: art, work, friends, quiet. Colleagues describe a woman who showed up early, knew everyone’s name, and made the stage crew laugh as often as the studio audience.
As for money talk — the inevitable net worth searches — the truth is straightforward: a long, steady career in the pre-streaming era means comfortable, not lavish. The value that mattered most was the kind that can’t be tallied: respect, influence, longevity.
Death at 88 and the Farewell to a TV Aunt
Polly Holliday has died at 88 after a period of declining health. For many, the news lands like losing a favorite aunt — the one who hugged hard and told the truth harder. The memorials write themselves: a red vinyl booth, a steaming mug, a bell over the diner door, and a voice from the pass shouting a line America will never forget.
In the hours after the announcement, queries like “who just died,” “polly holliday,” “polly holiday,” “alice tv show,” and “kiss my grits” surged. It’s the digital version of a town gathering on a front porch to swap memories — a reminder that television isn’t just watched; it’s lived with.
Frequently Asked (and Searched) Questions
Who just died?
Polly Holliday (also searched as Polly Holiday), the actress who played Flo on the Alice TV show.
How old was Polly Holliday when she died?
What is Polly Holliday best known for?
Playing Flo Castleberry on Alice, and for the catchphrase “Kiss my grits.”
Is “Polly Holiday” the same person as Polly Holliday?
Yes. Polly Holiday is a common misspelling of Polly Holliday. Both refer to the same actress.
What was Alice?
Alice was a long-running network sitcom about a widow navigating work and life at a diner. Flo (Polly Holliday) became its breakout character.
Did Polly Holliday have a spinoff?
Yes — Flo, a short-lived spinoff that cemented her stardom beyond Alice.
What does “Kiss my grits” mean?
It’s Flo’s playful, pointed way of saying “no” or “back off” — a signature of both the character and the era.
What else was Polly Holliday in?
A range of film and TV projects over decades, plus stage work that critics frequently praised.
Did she have children or marry?
No. She never married and had no children.
Why This Loss Feels Bigger Than TV
Polly Holliday’s passing is about more than nostalgia. It’s about the blueprint she helped write for comic women on television: fearless, flavorful, and fully human. Before Flo, the sassy friend was often there to decorate a lead. After Flo, the sassy friend could be the lead or steal the show from one.
The Alice TV show proved that a workstation — a diner counter — could also be a pulpit for wisdom, and that the sharpest line could be the kindest choice.
A Closing Scene, Held on the Perfect Line
Picture the set one more time. The neon hum. The grill hiss. The bell on the door. Alice wipes a counter. Mel mutters. Vera smiles. And then Flo — Polly Holliday — leans in, eyes bright as a dare, and drops a line that still lands: “Kiss my grits!”
It’s not a goodbye. It’s a benediction — a blessing on anyone who ever needed a laugh instead of a fight.
Rest easy, Polly Holliday (Polly Holiday). You gave television one of its great characters, and you gave audiences a sentence they could carry into life.
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