Ted Danson has said he will spend the rest of his life apologising for wearing blackface at a roast of his then-girlfriend Whoopi Goldberg in 1993. The 78-year-old actor made the comments during an appearance on W. Kamau Bell's podcast Who's With Me?, where he described the act as 'stupid' and 'hurtful'.
At the New York Friars Club event, Danson, then star of Cheers, performed a routine that included multiple uses of the n-word and offensive jokes. He said the routine was prepared with Goldberg's help and was intended to mock media coverage of their interracial relationship, which was ending at the time. 'The press were going after us, you know, mixed race and affair,' he said.
Danson acknowledged that Goldberg had approved the jokes and defended him afterwards, but he accepted that the impact outweighed his intentions. 'Your intentions do not matter. The impact you have on people is what matters,' he said. He added that he was 'arrogant enough to think that I had something to offer' and apologised directly to Goldberg.
The actor said the Friars Club had sold too many tickets for them to cancel, despite their relationship ending. He recalled that on stage, he realised the audience reaction was mixed, with many hating the performance. 'I kept going,' he said. Danson concluded: 'It was stupid, and it was not my place. And it was wrong, and it was hurtful.'
