Additional Coverage:
- Ted Danson says he wants to ‘apologize forever’ for doing blackface at Whoopi Goldberg roast (foxnews.com)
Ted Danson Issues Long-Lasting Apology for 1993 Blackface Incident During Whoopi Goldberg Roast
Ted Danson has publicly expressed deep remorse for a controversial blackface performance he did at a 1993 Friars Club roast of his then-girlfriend, Whoopi Goldberg. Speaking on W.
Kamau Bell’s “Who’s With Me?” podcast, the “Cheers” star said he wants to “apologize forever” for the stunt.
“I have no problem talking about this, but I need to and want to apologize for the rest of my life,” Danson told Bell on Wednesday. “Somebody today can go on the internet and say, ‘What the heck?
I feel betrayed. I feel angry.’
And I did that.”
Danson explained that he was initially intimidated by the prospect of roasting Goldberg, whom he described as one of the most “outrageous, funny Black women in the world” at the time. Not a stand-up comedian himself, he decided to approach the roast as a piece of “performance theater.”
During their interracial relationship, Danson noted, tabloids often suggested their romance was purely physical, dismissing any genuine connection. Wanting to respond creatively, he thought, “If I were Black, I could say all these outrageous things.
I’m not. Then my mind went, ‘Well, I will do it in blackface.’”
Reflecting on the decision, Danson admitted the act was “arrogant and stupid,” fueled by a misguided belief that he could make a meaningful commentary on race relations as a white man. He acknowledged borrowing from a stand-up bit Goldberg was doing at the time about language and racism but recognized his attempt was “entitled” and “horrendous.”
Danson said he had shared the concept with Goldberg beforehand, who perhaps didn’t want to suppress his creativity. He recalled that the performance quickly went awry-while some audience members understood or appreciated it, many others strongly disliked it, and he pressed on despite the backlash.
The incident caused significant fallout. Messages flooded his hotel room, and he even had to speak with the mayor of New York City, who had heard about the controversy. It also distressed his wife, Mary Steenburgen, a longtime civil rights advocate, whom he married in 1995.
Danson noted the episode resurfaced during the Black Lives Matter movement, costing him some corporate sponsorships and frightening him. He emphasized that intentions don’t erase impact, saying, “Your intentions do not matter. The impact you have on people is what matters.”
“I thought I could run with the big boys and I couldn’t. It was stupid, wrong, hurtful, and not my place,” he admitted.
Bell praised Danson for openly acknowledging his mistake and continuing to discuss it years later, calling his honesty “admirable” in an era when many avoid such conversations. The dialogue highlights the complexities of reckoning with past actions and the importance of accountability in the public eye.