Ted Danson opened up about a memorable early moment in his romance with Mary Steenburgen — one that unfolded at the White House.
The 78-year-old actor recalled a tense one-on-one conversation with then-President Bill Clinton, who questioned Danson about his “intentions” with Steenburgen, a close friend of the Clintons.
“One of the first things she did was take me to meet her dear friends in the White House,” Danson said while moderating a History Talks panel with Bill and Hillary Clinton, according to Variety. “Bill — Mr. President — pulled me aside, and there were three Secret Service agents standing behind him, all staring at me. The president asked what my intentions were.”
The Cheers star later joked, “My first question to you, Mr. President: Was that fair?”
Clinton responded with a laugh, “No, but it was effective. And I didn’t think I had to be fair. As it turns out, you became the best thing that ever happened to her.”
Danson and Steenburgen first met in 1993 on the set of Pontiac Moon and quickly became one of Hollywood’s most beloved couples. They tied the knot in October 1995 during a ceremony on Martha’s Vineyard.
Hillary Clinton stands with Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen ahead of her remarks at a fundraiser held on February 1, 2008, at the Orpheum Theatre in San Francisco, California.
Speaking to People in February 2021, Danson reflected on their relationship, saying he knew he had to propose because he “couldn’t imagine not being with her at all times.”
Steenburgen shared similar sentiments with the outlet, saying, “Not to sound corny, but I would sign up for 100 more lifetimes.” She added, “He makes me a better person. He’s a truly beautiful human being. A great big soul. I love how he sees the world and how he cares about people, and he’s deeply hilarious, which is super, super sexy to me, and he smells really nice.”
After both enjoying long and successful careers, Danson and Steenburgen also had the chance to work together on Netflix’s Man on the Inside, with Steenburgen joining season 2 as the love interest of Danson’s character.
Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen appear together in the CBS television series INK, dated January 1, 1996.
Steenburgen told People in November 2025 that learning they would work together again sparked immediate excitement, saying, “there was a lot of screaming and jumping up and down … because we were so excited to work together.”
Danson added, “We’re both actors. We were trained the same way. We had some really good material to work with. We’d get up every morning giggling about what we get to do.”
