At 77, Ted Danson Finally Opens Up… It Is Not Pretty | HO!!!!

Ted Danson, one of America’s most beloved actors and the face behind TV’s most iconic bartender, has spent decades making audiences laugh, cry, and think. But at 77, Danson is finally revealing the truth behind the scandals, secrets, and silent battles that nearly destroyed his career and personal life.

His confessions—ranging from hidden illnesses and emotional immaturity to public disgrace—paint a picture that’s far more complicated than the charming Sam Malone fans thought they knew. This is the story of a man who survived fame, failure, and self-doubt, and why his hardest admission is only now coming to light.

Early Life: Poverty, Shame, and a Secret Condition

Ted Danson was born December 29, 1947, in San Diego, but his earliest memories come not from California’s beaches, but the quiet mountain town of Flagstaff, Arizona. His father, an archaeologist and curator at the Museum of Northern Arizona, filled their home with stories of ancient ruins and Native American culture.

But behind the intellectual riches was real financial hardship. The family struggled to make ends meet, and Danson wore hand-me-downs from his sister. “I looked like a ragamuffin most of the time,” he once recalled. The fear of not having enough money would haunt him for decades, shaping his relationship with wealth and success.

But poverty wasn’t the only challenge. Danson was born with Poland syndrome—a rare condition that left one side of his chest underdeveloped. Locker rooms became places of torment, and the teasing he endured left deep emotional scars. For years, he kept the condition a secret, not publicly admitting it until 2000. Basketball became his shield, the one place he could shine and escape the pain of being different.

At 14, Danson was sent across the country to Kent School in Connecticut, a prestigious boarding school where he felt like an outsider among wealthy, privileged classmates. He didn’t fit in, but basketball gave him confidence and recognition, even as he continued to hide his physical difference.

Finding Acting—and Losing Himself

After high school, Danson attended Stanford University, more by luck than academic prowess, as he later joked. He was a mediocre student, treating tests as games rather than learning opportunities. But everything changed when he followed a girl to an acting audition. Acting clicked, and soon he was sleeping in his car just to stay close to the theater. He’d found his calling.

Danson married young actress Randy Gosh in 1970, but the marriage lasted only five years. “I was too emotionally immature to be a husband,” he later admitted. His ambition often clashed with his personal life—a pattern that would repeat itself.

Seeking serious training, Danson transferred to Carnegie Mellon University’s drama program, where nerves and panic attacks plagued him. But he persevered, graduating in 1972 and moving to New York to chase theater work. He survived on odd jobs—carpentry, waiting tables, anything to get by. These years instilled a hard-won humility and discipline that would define his approach to acting.

Soap Operas, Struggles, and the Big Break

Danson’s first steady work came on soap operas—first Somerset in 1975, then The Doctors in 1977. The relentless pace of daytime TV taught him discipline, but left him exhausted and unfulfilled. He wanted more than just to act; he wanted to enjoy it.

His first film role in 1978’s The Onion Field was a turning point. Playing a real-life LAPD detective kidnapped and murdered, Danson showed critics he could handle serious drama. Guest roles on Mrs. Columbo, The Amazing Spider-Man, and BJ and the Bear followed, and his career began to build momentum.

Offscreen, Danson married producer Casey Coats in 1977. But tragedy struck in 1979, when Coats suffered a massive stroke giving birth to their daughter Kate. Danson became caregiver to his wife and newborn, an emotional burden that would haunt their marriage.

Cheers: Fame, Fortune, and Fallout

In 1982, Danson auditioned for a role that would change his life forever—Sam Malone, the charming, womanizing ex-ballplayer turned bartender in Cheers. The creators saw in Danson a raw honesty shaped by his family’s struggles with addiction. The role fit like a glove.

But Cheers was almost a flop. In its first season, it ranked 74th out of 77 shows. NBC nearly canceled it, but critics saw something special. Slowly, the show climbed the ratings, hitting number one by its ninth season. Danson’s performance became the show’s heartbeat, earning him Golden Globe nominations and, eventually, a place in TV history. The series finale drew 80 million viewers, the second most-watched in TV history.

Behind the scenes, Danson’s personal life unraveled. His marriage to Coats was strained, and he was having affairs. The fame brought money—by the later seasons, Danson was earning half a million dollars per episode—but not happiness. “I was falling apart inside,” he confessed.

Danson’s working relationship with co-star Shelley Long was famously rocky, but the friction translated into electric on-screen chemistry. When Long left after five seasons, Danson admitted she’d been perfect for the role all along.

Scandal, Divorce, and Public Disgrace

Danson’s film career soared with Three Men and a Baby in 1987, the year’s highest-grossing American film. But Hollywood quickly typecast him as the funny dad, and the magic faded with the sequel. In 1993, Danson starred opposite Whoopi Goldberg in Made in America, but the headlines focused on their affair. Still married to Coats, Danson’s infidelity led to a $30 million divorce—one of Hollywood’s most expensive at the time.

But the worst was yet to come. At a 1993 Friars Club roast for Goldberg, Danson appeared in blackface and used racial slurs, shocking the audience into silence. Even Howard Stern called it insane. The scandal dominated headlines for months, damaging Danson’s clean image. Goldberg defended him, but the public wasn’t laughing.

Behind it all, Danson battled another secret: plaque psoriasis. The painful, scaly skin condition left him ashamed and physically uncomfortable, feeding his emotional immaturity and instability. He avoided swimming, mirrors, and anything that exposed his body. The disease worsened in his 40s, spreading to his joints and causing psoriatic arthritis.

Recovery, Redemption, and Reinvention

After the scandals and divorce, Danson sought therapy, confronting the emotional pain and shame that had haunted him since childhood. Filming Pontiac Moon in 1994, he met actress Mary Steenburgen, whom he married in 1995. This time, the relationship was built on honesty—no secrets, no running away. “Mary saw me for who I truly was and stayed,” Danson said, crediting her with helping him grow up.

In 1996, Danson starred in NBC’s Gulliver’s Travels, earning an Emmy nomination and critical acclaim for his nuanced performance. Spielberg cast him in Saving Private Ryan in 1998, a small but significant role that proved Danson could do serious drama. The film’s success restored respect to his name.

But sitcoms remained his bread and butter. After a failed attempt with Ink, Danson landed Becker in 1998, playing a cynical Bronx doctor. The character’s chronic illness mirrored Danson’s own struggles with psoriasis, and for the first time, he brought his pain to the screen. The show tackled taboo topics—race, mental health, gender identity—over 129 episodes, peaking with 16 million viewers.

Yet success brought new friction. In 2002, cast members revolted over pay, leading to lawsuits and cast changes. Danson stayed out of the drama, but the tension added to his growing anxiety and burnout.

Reinventing Himself—Again

Larry David invited Danson to guest star on Curb Your Enthusiasm. Initially reluctant, Danson’s self-deprecating appearances as himself won over a new generation of fans. He returned for 33 episodes over 12 seasons, poking fun at his own scandals and reminding viewers that comedy doesn’t have to be perfect—it just has to be honest.

The Good Place premiered in 2016, with Danson as Michael, a supernatural architect learning to be human. The role, written for him, earned three consecutive Emmy nominations and a Critics’ Choice Award. The show’s finale in 2020 was hailed as one of the most emotionally satisfying in TV history.

Danson’s next project, Mr. Mayor, failed to connect with audiences, but he gave it his all. In 2025, he starred in Netflix’s A Man on the Inside, inspired by the Oscar-nominated documentary The Mole Agent. Playing a widower undercover in a retirement home, Danson earned yet another Golden Globe nomination, sharing the screen with Steenburgen in a tender portrayal of aging and love.

Activism, Loss, and Final Confessions

Danson’s activism began in 1987, when he found a Santa Monica beach too polluted for swimming. He founded the American Oceans Campaign, which merged into Oceana in 2001, becoming the world’s largest ocean protection organization. Danson testified before Congress, narrated documentaries, and wrote a book to raise awareness. In 2025, he and Steenburgen received the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the Emmys.

But 2025 also brought heartbreak. On May 20, Danson’s close friend and Cheers co-star George Wendt died at 76. The loss devastated Danson, who admitted he still hadn’t processed the grief. It reminded him of his lifelong fear of dying—a fear he now faces with gratitude, telling himself, “Thank you for this blessing to calm the fear.”

Danson finally opened up about the emotional damage caused by his psoriasis, joining national campaigns to help others feel less alone. He admitted he didn’t truly grow up until his 40s, calling himself a liar in past relationships and crediting his scandals for forcing him to face the truth and grow.

The Truth Isn’t Pretty—But It’s Real

Ted Danson’s journey from poverty and shame to fame and scandal is a story of survival, redemption, and relentless honesty. At 77, he’s still pushing boundaries—on screen, in activism, and in his personal life. The confessions he shares now aren’t easy, but they’re necessary. “I’m grateful for that messy period,” Danson says. “It forced me to face the truth. It forced me to grow.”

For fans who only knew the charming bartender, the truth may be hard to swallow. But for Danson, it’s the only way forward. And in finally opening up, he’s given us all permission to do the same.