NEED TO KNOW
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Ted Danson has explained why he will "apologize for the rest of his life" for his 1993 blackface performance.
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Danson made fun of Whoopi Goldberg, with whom he was in a relationship at the time.
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Danson stated that while he had good intentions and wanted to comment on race relations, his intentions were irrelevant.
Ted Danson will forever regret his performance in black makeup in 1993.
Danson, 78, spoke about this on an episode of W. Kamau Bell's new podcast. «"Who's with me?"» Bell, 53, said that before the recording began, he asked Danson if there was anything he didn't want to talk about and praised Danson for being open to discussing the topic.
In 1993, Whoopi Goldberg, Danson's then-date, became the target of ridicule at the Friars Club. Although the taunts were later broadcast on Comedy Central, at the time they were largely private affairs.
«"The idea is that we're all going to get in a room and say the most vile things about each other or do the most vile things because we're inside a club," Bell said. Danson added, "The most vile and ridiculous things have come out of people's mouths.".
Danson apologized to Goldberg, 70, for having to "defend" him over the years. "The last thing she probably wants is to be put in that situation again," he said.
Whoopi Goldberg (left) and Ted Danson (right) at the Friars Club in New York City in 1993. Photo: Mitchell Gerber/Corbis/VCG via Getty
«"I'll explain what was going through my head, not as an excuse," he said. "I'd like to set the record straight and apologize forever. I know what was in my heart. So I have no problem talking about it, but I need to apologize and I want to apologize for the rest of my life, because someone today can go online, you're right, and say, 'What the hell? Wow. I feel betrayed. I'm angry and all that.' And I did that.".
Danson explained that at the time, his relationship with Goldberg was ending and they even tried to avoid participating in the roast, but were unable to.
«"My brain was like, 'Okay, here's one of the most outrageous, funniest black women in the world at the time. I have to make fun of her. And I'm not a stand-up comedian. I can't run with bulls,'" he said. Instead, he decided to pursue "performance theater.".
Watching footage of other comedians, he thought, "If I were black, I could say all these outrageous things." He decided to do so using makeup that imitated a black person.
Actor from TV series "The Good Place"« He added that the press at the time was cruel to him and the Oscar winner as a mixed-race couple, focusing only on their intimate relationship. "It couldn't be because they liked each other or saw something in each other... It had to be just sex, that's the only reason for such a relationship," he said. The couple also received threatening letters because of their affair. He wanted to portray their relationship in a comedic way and didn't realize he was becoming increasingly "angrier.".
«"There was some real, fucking edgy shit in there," he said. He added that at the time, Goldberg said she didn't care if people used the N-word because being racist didn't require "using dirty language." "I kind of jumped on that," he said.
«"I thought I could pull it off," he said. The idea was "so arrogant and stupid of me." He showed the number to Goldberg (and guessed she didn't want to trample on his creativity) and worked on it for months. But once he started talking, everything changed.
Ted Danson in 2025. Photo: Manny Karabel/Getty.
«"20% viewers get it and think it's pretty cool. 30% viewers get it and fucking hate it. 50% viewers don't get it and fucking hate it and hate me," he said. "And I kept going.".
Bell said Danson assumed the animal wasn't going to leave the room. "It left the room before I even got there," Danson said. When he returned to the hotel, New York City Mayor David Dinkins called him.
«"My poor manager said he couldn't open the door to his hotel room because there were so many notes stuck under the door," he said.
Goldberg has repeatedly defended Danson, stating in 1993 The New York Times newspaper, that this situation "caused great pain to a person who did not deserve it.".
However, Goldberg's willingness to forgive Danson for his offensive performance did not relieve him of the need to acknowledge the harm he had caused.
Danson said his current wife, Mary Steenburgen, whom he married in 1995, "couldn't understand" why he did it. Years later, during the Black Lives Matter movement, videos of him in makeup imitating a black man resurfaced.
«"I was scared," he admitted. Jane Fonda introduced him to Heather McGee, the author. The Price of Us: What Racism Costs Everyone and How We Can Prosper Together« , to whom he says he is "eternally grateful" for helping him reflect and discuss his actions. "She didn't make excuses for me. She said, 'This is an opportunity I hope you take advantage of.'".
«"I will always apologize," the star of the series said.» Cheers »"...I also used to say for a long time, 'I knew what my intentions were. My intention was love.' It doesn't matter. Your intentions don't matter. What matters is the impact you have on people. And if you haven't thought about that, you need to do it.".
He continued, "I thought I could compete with the strong guys, but I couldn't. It was stupid, it wasn't me, it was wrong, and it hurt." For a long time, he convinced himself his intentions were good. "Well, it can't be helped. You did it. And you made such an impact. So I apologize again to everyone listening for being arrogant enough to think I had anything to offer.".
Bell thanked Danson for speaking out and said he found it "admirable" that the actor spent "so much time talking publicly about this issue" rather than continuing to press his own agenda.
«"I was complicit by not telling my story when it came out," Danson said. Bell added that while it's normal to feel guilty, "now we have to move on to action.".
Read the original article on People.