Ted Danson Says It Took 2 Years on 'Cheers' to Accept Sex-Symbol Status

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Jun 1

Ted Danson, 78, said on his podcast that he did not believe women found him attractive until the second year of "Cheers," when he learned to stop protesting compliments.
Sam Malone's image, he said, felt partly manufactured by casting "very sexy looking women" around him, making him think the show's setup — not his own appeal — sold the persona.
Lisa Ann Walter pushed back during the interview, telling Danson he was "selling it" himself, not just benefiting from the women placed around him.
"Cheers" ran 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993, and Danson said in a 2025 podcast episode that he left to test whether he could succeed beyond the role that won him 2 Emmys.
That post-"Cheers" career stretched from "Becker" and "CSI" to "The Good Place," and he is now starring in Netflix's "Man on the Inside."

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