Ted Danson ‘didn’t grow up emotionally’ until his 40s, was ‘liar’ in relationship: I went to ‘a psychologist’
He found his way to the good place.
Ted Danson is opening up about his past. In a new interview with NPR published July 4, Danson, 76, said, “I didn’t really grow up emotionally until I was in my 40s, and I was a bit of a liar in my relationship. I’ll leave it at that. And I started to work on myself very seriously around that time. I went to clinics and a psychologist and a mentor. I worked very hard to not be that person who hid his emotions and left out the back door.”
The “Cheers” star, who has been married to Mary Steenburgen since 1995, was previously married to producer Cassandra “Casey” Coates until 1993. He went on to famously be with Whoopi Goldberg, which reportedly contributed to his split from Coates.
Although Danson didn’t directly mention Goldberg, he seemingly addressed their past romance.
“That was all kind of messily in the press, and my poor parents were going, ‘What?’ And I finally called them and they were very sweet and they came to support me and everything. The press sounded horrible. But the work underneath the press was invaluable. I’m very glad for that time, even though it was messy — very messy.”
Goldberg once told Closer, “It was really painful, and it was very public. And the loss of his friendship hurts a great deal. We can never go and have a soda, anywhere. I’m friends with almost every man I’ve gone out with, except this man.”
Danson’s highly publicized divorce from Coates reportedly cost him $30 million in 1993, ranking it among the most costly divorces in Hollywood history.
Despite alluding to how his past was “messy,” “The Good Place” star also told the outlet, “I wouldn’t choose a do-over. You know, if I did something differently and I took a different path, I wouldn’t be with my wife, Mary Steenburgen. I am horribly embarrassed about many things in my past, things that are cringeworthy, but that’s my life.”
He continued, “I wish I hadn’t become a liar and walked out the back door early in life. I wish that hadn’t been me, but even your wounds, you kind of have fondness for if you’ve gone through them and live through it and acknowledged it and made amends and all that stuff.”
He also revealed that Steenburgen was instantly accepting of his checkered past.
“First of all, I’m one of those people that obnoxiously vomits their life out on people. Literally the day I met her,” said Danson, adding that his current wife accepted him from the start.
“I was like a convert to truth. And our life together is so empty of secrets. If there’s even a moment when I didn’t exactly tell the truth, it’s so devastating to me that I immediately grind to a halt and say, ‘I got to talk to you.’ Being truthful, it greases the skids of life. But our life together is very full of laughter and joy. We’re very blessed.”
