Tragic Details About Whoopi Goldberg & Ted Danson's Strange Relationship

Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson have garnered their respective Hollywood statuses through decades of career success, from Goldberg's industry-changing performance in 1985's "The Color Purple" and her residency on "The View," to Danson's Emmy-award-winning "Cheers" role and comedic genius on "The Good Place." But for a blip in their timelines, Danson and Goldberg's paths crossed, and what ensued was a whirlwind relationship that ended in scandal and immense scrutiny. 

The two actors met in 1988 on "The Arsenio Hall Show," but reportedly didn't fall in love until 1993 while shooting their movie, "Made in America." At the time, Danson was married to his second wife, Casey Coates. What started as a secret affair between Goldberg and Danson resulted in a media frenzy, with the public scrutinizing Danson's infidelity and subsequently his remarks at a comedy roast in Goldberg's honor. Their relationship unravelled after just a year and a half of dating. Decades later, the pair is still riddled with regret. 

Ted Danson's marriage to Casey Coates was seemingly at the end of its rope when he ventured into an extramarital relationship with Whoopi Goldberg. Danson married Coates in 1977 and had a seemingly loving relationship up until 1979, when Coates suffered a stroke while giving birth to the couple's daughter, Kate. Danson opened up about his marital trials on a September 2024 episode of the "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, admitting that he often found himself arguing with Coates as they coped with their new reality. "We would have these fights that were basically [Coates would say] 'Where were you when I was having the stroke? Why didn't you keep that from happening?' Which was conceivably a valid question," Danson said. "Mine was even more irrational: 'I don't trust you anymore, you almost died. You said you were not gonna leave me ever.'"

As fragile as their relationship may have already been, Danson's infidelity was evidently the breaking point for Coates. She filed for divorce in 1993, citing her husband's relationship with Goldberg as the final nail in the coffin of their marriage, according to FandomWire. In 2024, he told NPR that he "didn't really grow up emotionally until I was in my 40s" and now realizes his relationship faults. He certainly learned his lesson through his financial woes, as The Telegraph reports his divorce as one of the priciest in Hollywood's history at around $30 million. 

Ted Danson's infidelity doesn't hold a candle to his contentious actions at the 1993 roast of Whoopi Goldberg at the New York Friars Club, which was almost unanimously deemed as wildly inappropriate. Danson waltzed on stage in blackface, with an exaggerated white rim around his mouth. Instead of the Friars Club's usual vulgar humor, it was a performance laden with racial slurs, lewd comments about his relationship with Goldberg, and jokes that the press couldn't publish. Though Goldberg was reportedly laughing, many in the audience couldn't stomach his brazen performance.

Former NYC Mayor David Dinkins called the act "way, way over the line," while talk show host Montel Williams made his feelings known when he walked off stage during the roast, according to The New York Times. Jack Green, the head of the comedy club, later issued an apology, which stated: "While raucous and X-rated humor are usually the tradition of these annual events, they are never intended to ridicule or disparage any segment of our society."

Although it was one of Danson and Goldberg's most controversial moments, the "Sister Act" star vehemently defended the performance. During a news conference after the fact, Goldberg said (via the Associated Press): "We were not trying to be politically correct. We were trying to be funny for ourselves." She revealed that she helped in writing some of Danson's jokes that night and even provided him with the artist who did his controversial makeup.

Shortly after the infamous Friars Club roast, Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson ultimately parted ways. The couple's romantic ventures were continuously dogged by media attention, but criticism came to a head after Danson's tactless blackface performance. Thus, 18 months after they began their illicit romance, Goldberg and Danson broke up, citing the public's burning spotlight on their relationship as a main factor in why they didn't work out.

However, there are speculations that even behind the scenes, the pair was scorned. A source told The National Enquirer in 2013 that Danson's parents seemingly didn't approve of Goldberg, which incentivized him to break up with the "Ghost" actor. According to the insider, Goldberg was heartbroken, saying: "For Whoopi, Ted is the one that got away." But Danson seemingly agreed with his parents, telling reporters at the time (via TheThings): "I went nuts last year, I hurt my children. I hurt my wife. But I was doing the best that I could at that time."

Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson each found love again soon after their breakup. The "Three Men and a Baby" star married fellow actor Mary Steenburgen in 1995 and has been with her ever since (as of this writing). As for Goldberg, she tied the knot with her third husband, Lyle Trachtenburg, in 1994, but split with him one year later and — at the time of this writing — hasn't married anyone else. Whether Goldberg is still pining over Danson remains to be seen. However, there's one thing the Hollywood legend has been outspoken about, and that is her regret for ruining a good friendship.

"It was real painful, and it was very public," Goldberg reportedly told Closer Weekly of her relationship with and separation from Danson. "And the loss of his friendship hurts a great deal." The public nature of their romance seemingly put a strain on any kind of relationship, including one of pals, they could have had in the future. "We can never go and have a soda, anywhere," Goldberg added, noting that she has a friendship with all of her exes, but Danson is the unfortunate exception.

Ted Danson has also opened up about those fateful months with Whoopi Goldberg. In a 2024 interview with NPR, the "CSI" alum revealed that the publicity became too much to bear for both him and his parents. According to the actor, he "brought [his] parents to their knees" around the age he began his affair with Whoopi Goldberg and separated from Casey Coates. "The press sounded horrible," said Danson. However, he noted that the work he did on himself in those days changed him for the better, making him somewhat grateful for the negative attention in the long run.

Danson said he had issues with being "a bit of a liar in my relationships," which prompted him to seek professional help. "I went to clinics and a psychologist and a mentor," he told the outlet. "I worked very hard to not be that person who hid his emotions and left out the back door." It has seemingly worked in his favor; Danson appears to have a solid marriage with Mary Steenburgen (despite Danson not thinking he was marriage material when they initially met).

Opening up about working with Steenburgen on Season 2 of "Man on the Inside," Danson told guest Brett Goldstein on a June 2025 "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" episode that he and his wife have a profoundly deep connection. "Oh, it's just magical," he said. "We're nauseatingly in love in private life, and just to disappear into her eyes in front of a camera is pretty astounding." If any fans were hoping to see a Danson-Goldberg reunion, the signs are pointing to it being unlikely.