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Ted Danson was shocked women viewed him as a sex symbol during early ‘Cheers’ days
By Lori Bashian
Published June 01, 2026
Ted Danson could not believe women found him attractive during his early days on "Cheers."
During a recent episode of his podcast, "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," the 78-year-old actor interviewed "Parent Trap" star, Lisa Ann Walter, and had a surprising answer when she asked him "what happened when you figured out what a hottie you were."
"I won't go back too far because it's not necessary, but I was the guy who literally I would be, the woman would be standing opposite me naked and I'd be going 'What?' I'd look over my shoulder and be like, 'You mean me?'" he said. "Literally, it took me until the second year of ‘Cheers’ when I decided, 'You know what? Keep your mouth shut, Ted.'"
The actor said that whenever he wasn't on set and "somebody would say something" about his sex symbol status, he would start to protest, and before catching himself, noting, "I'd have to swallow it."
Danson shared it took some time for him to accept that people found him attractive. (Myung J. Chun / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images)
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He went on to say that when anyone would compliment him and tell him "you're so sexy and so funny," he attributed it to the show's decision to hire "very sexy looking women to look at Sam Malone and go, 'Wow, he's sexy.'"
"I got that mantle and I finally learned to keep my mouth shut," he said.
Walter later assured Danson that while he may not have been feeling it, "you were selling it," and it wasn't just about "the women they put around you."
Danson starred as Sam Malone on "Cheers" for over 12 years, from 1982 to 1993, a role which earned him two Emmy Awards for lead actor in a comedy.
Danson starred in "Cheers" for 12 years and 11 seasons. (Aaron Rapoport/Corbis/Getty Images)
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"Cheers" came to an end after 11 seasons when Danson decided to leave the show in order to pursue other opportunities, with executives deciding to end the show upon his departure.
"I was changing for the better and working really hard at that, so I thought, ‘Might as well jump completely off the cliff,'" Danson shared about his decision to leave the show in an August 2025 episode of the podcast. "And [there was] a little bit of … ‘If I don’t leave now, I may not know if I could do anything else, and I want to see if I can do any other stuff.'"
Following his time on the show, Danson appeared in films such as "Pontiac Moon" and "Saving Private Ryan," and successful television shows such as, "Becker," "Damages," Curb Your Enthusiasm" and "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation."
Most recently, he introduced himself to a younger audience playing a demon named Michael, in "The Good Place," a role which earned him three Emmy Award nominations.
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Danson is currently starring in Netflix's hit show, "Man on the Inside." (Rodin Eckenroth/Getty Images)
"I love when 12-year-olds and their parents come up and tell me how much they love watching 'The Good Place,'" Danson told Vanity Fair in June 2019. "I’m just really grateful that I got to be part of a show that I think actually, in a wonderful, silly, happy, uplifting way, means something."
Danson is currently starring in Netflix's "Man on the Inside," playing a retired professor who finds a new career as a spy.
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