Ted Danson’s blackface scandal and affair with Whoopi Goldberg still haunt their careers, despite efforts to move past them.

Whoopi Goldberg and Ted Danson are perhaps two of the most controversial figures in Hollywood, who are also outspoken about their opinions, and quite open about their daring lives.

The former is considered to be extremely bold and has often pushed the boundaries and triggered viewers in several instances.

Whoopi Goldberg in Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit | Walt Disney Studios

But what led to a firestorm in her career was her relationship with Danson. And it wasn’t because they were an interracial couple, but due to an incident that most would find disturbing.

So let’s delve into that controversial moment, when Golberg surprisingly came to Danson’s defense, despite the triggering things he said.

Ted Danson’s Blackface Routine: Whoopi Goldberg’s Defense

Whoopi Goldberg in The Color Purple (1985) | Warner Bros. Pictures

In 1993, Ted Danson made an appearance at the New York Friars’ Club Roast and performed in blackface, which many found offensive and racist. Throughout his routine, he made degrading remarks about Goldberg, and she was watching the whole thing unfold, as she sat at the front (via The Telegraph).

He used racial slurs that shocked the audience, but the most outlandish thing was Goldberg’s reaction, who defended his condemning act, and claimed that all of it was just meant in good fun.

Moreover, she was the one who co-wrote the roast and insisted that it was a tradition in the event to roast its members.

Many felt that her defending Danson was betraying her own community but she did not change her stance and maintained that she valued comedy humor over political correctness.

But the blackface routine is still a dark spot in her career. However, Danson himself went on to acknowledge that the routine was in poor taste.

The Affair Scandal: Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg’s Tumultuous Romance

Ted Danson in A Man on the Inside (2024) | Credit: Netflix

Around the same time of the blackface scandal, Ted Danson and Whoopi Goldberg were involved in a highly publicized affair that affected both their personal lives and careers.

Danson was married at the time, and after his relationship with Goldberg, he had a messy and public split from his wife. In an interview with NPR, Danson spoke briefly about his past regrets.
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.
I am horribly embarrassed about many things in my past, things that are cringeworthy, but that’s my life.
But despite what he says now, the blackface routine and his affair with Goldberg are two glaring moments associated with Danson that people would likely never forget.

And even though these two incidents have been long over, the fallout from these controversies still haunts the duo to this day.