'Your Intentions Do Not Matter': The Controversial Moment Ted Danson Will Never Stop Apologizing For

A white man in blackface isn't acceptable now, and it wasn't acceptable in 1993. When Ted Danson wore blackface and used racial slurs and stereotypical tropes during a New York Friars Club-hosted celebrity roast, he rightfully attracted backlash from high-profile figures, including the first Black mayor of New York City, David Dinkins. Because Danson was in a relationship with Whoopi Goldberg then, he thought he had something valuable to say about race, and the blackface would give it validity. But he was wrong and will never stop apologizing for the mistake.

In the aftermath, Danson tried to justify his mistake to himself by arguing he wasn't malicious. But the "Cheers" alum learned he was wrong again. "Your intentions do not matter. The impact you have on people is what matters," he said on the "Who's With Me? with W. Kamau Bell" podcast in June 2026. It's been decades, but Danson still feels the need to issue an apology every time the incident comes up. "I need to and want to apologize for the rest of my life," he said. He knows younger fans might come across the blackface pictures online and feel betrayed, so he wants to continuously apologize so they also know he's ashamed of it.

Amid the criticism, Goldberg stood by Danson, arguing his performance was meant to be outrageous. "[It] has caused great hurt to a man who doesn't deserve it," she told The New York Times in 1993. She further defended him by informing those offended that she had given the okay beforehand. "If they knew me, they would know that Whoopi has never been about political correctness," she added. Regardless of his ex's support, Danson knows he messed up.

Just a month after Ted Danson joked about his interracial relationship with Whoopi Goldberg while in blackface, their relationship came to an end. Even though the performance received fierce support from Goldberg, its aftermath likely played a role in their split. After announcing the breakup, their reps revealed that the public scrutiny of their romance had taken a toll. "In some ways, they seem so different as people. And I can't believe that whole Friars Club thing helped," a studio source told Variety in November 1993 (via Eugene Register-Guard).

But the blackface episode wasn't the only aspect of Danson and Goldberg's relationship that drew attention. The relationship started during filming of "Made in America" in 1992, when Danson was married to his now ex-wife, Casey Coates. His affair with Goldberg ended his marriage, with Coates filing for divorce in June 1993. After news of the affair came to light, paparazzi followed Goldberg and Danson everywhere. Every aspect of the high-profile entertainers' relationship seemed to fascinate the public. "News were going after us, you know, mixed race and affair," Danson said in the "Who's With Me? with W. Kamau Bell" interview.

Because they were seen as an odd couple, the tabloids continuously came up with theories to justify their unlikely pairing. "It had to be just pure sex. That's the only reason for a relationship like this. And there was a lot of mean," Danson told Kamau Bell. By the time the blackface fiasco happened, their relationship was already on the rocks. "Whoopi and I had had an affair. And it was ending," he said.