Ted Danson says wife Mary Steenburgen banned him from wearing Speedos

Ted Danson is sharing one of the compromises he had to make for his wife.

During a recent episode of his podcast, “Where Everybody Knows Your Name,” featuring Adam Scott, the topic of Speedos came up. Scott said he felt “embarrassed” to be seen in his Speedo as a teenager in high school, leading Danson to share he “was proud of my Speedos.”

The 78-year-old actor shared he “had about a good 10 years” of wearing Speedos before meeting his wife, actress Mary Steenburgen.

“The first time I put ’em on when we’re together and my kids were all together on a vacation, all the kids are finally together,” he said. “And Mary looked at me and said, ‘No.’ And my daughters went, ‘Oh, thank you. Thank you so much for saying no to his Speedo.'”

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In the end, the “Cheers” star was able to admit that “it was the right move” to ban him from wearing Speedos, with Scott praising Steenburgen’s wisdom.

Danson and Steenburgen first met in 1993 while on set of the movie “Pontiac Moon” and quickly became one of Hollywood’s most-beloved couples. They got married in October 1995 in a ceremony on Martha’s Vineyard.

When speaking to actor Don Cheadle during an episode of his podcast in March, Danson shared that Steenburgen helped him discover that despite the fact that his “go-to is wanting to be nurturing and loving and kind,” he can sometimes be a “d—.”

“She said, ‘You are as mean as a junkyard dog,’ and it was the first time I’d heard that phrase. And I thought it was so silly to be said about me,” he said. “I luckily have grown and developed with my relationship with Mary to realize, ‘Oh yeah, I do have that,’ which is a wonderful thing to know that you are both.”

The couple have worked together many times over the years, most recently on season two of the hit Netflix show, “Man on the Inside,” in which Steenburgen joined the show as Danson’s character’s love interest.

During an episode of his podcast in June 2025, Danson shared what it was like to have his wife on set with guest, Brett Goldstein, noting that he felt “part of my job is to host my wife” as she was joining him on his show.

“If she doesn’t have a wonderful time, I’m an a–hole,” he said. “And that’s on me.”

The experience ended up being positive for both of them, with Danson sharing that they fell in love all over again while filming their scenes.

“Oh, it’s just magical. We’re falling in love. The story evolves, but I’m just head-over-heels in love with her and to sit there on camera and look into your wife’s eyes…. And we’re nauseatingly in love in private life and to just disappear into her eyes in front of a camera is pretty astounding,” Danson said.

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He later discussed what it was like working with his wife on the show during an interview on the “Today” show, admitting being married made it easier for him to film the more intimate scenes.

“Easier for me because I’m not crazy about love scenes with strangers — actors,” Danson said. “No, but it’s also true. You feel guilty and awkward and it’s wrong,” he added after the host quipped it was “a good answer sitting next to your wife.”

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