Ted Danson Embraced His Gray Hair after People Accused Him of Wearing a Wig — His Wife Is 'Obsessed' with Him

• Ted Danson was once accused of wearing wigs.

• He has since allowed his gray hair to grow.

• Moreover, his wife is still "obsessed" with him after 27 years of marriage.

Television star Ted Danson's hair first became a top of discussion in the 90s when he starred in the popular American sitcom, "Cheers." Danson explained that he had a small bald spot then and hid it with a brown color and a combover.

That was when all the speculations unraveled as the media purported that he was wearing a wig. But instead of addressing the allegations, Danson chose to keep quiet about it.

The press fueled the rumors by speculating that the Hollywood star had no hair, and once again, he could not bring himself to refute the claims. According to Danson:

"The tabloids said that I'm wearing a huge hairpiece. And I couldn't go, 'No, no - I just color it in."

Danson finally started to embrace his baldness and gray hair once he appeared on ABC's sitcom, "Help Me Help You" in 2006. He noted how relieving it was to accept his look. At the time, his bald spot became visible to viewers.

"It's very nice not to sit around with a bunch of ladies with silver things in my hair getting dye jobs. So, I'm happy to be gray," he proudly said.

Back in the day, Danson was considered a sex symbol, especially during his time portraying Sam Malone in "Cheers." However, he felt insecure about playing the role for a while and once revealed to Seth Meyers:

"Playing Sam Malone was an anathema to me for the longest time."

It has been 40 years since Danson starred in the hit TV show and has stuck to television studios, having appeared in "Becker," "CSI," and "Curb Your Enthusiasm," among others.

His latest acting stint is on NBC's "Mr. Mayor," where he plays Neil Bremer, a billionaire businessman who runs for mayor in Los Angeles. Of his love for acting, the California native told the Orange County Register in March 2022:

"I love going to work. I love writers. I love actors. I love studios. I love driving through the gate. I really do."

Letting Gray Hair Grow

Danson is now 74 years old and has warmly embraced aging after wearing a hairpiece on and off screen throughout the years. Surprisingly, in 1990, he came out of his shell and stunned the audience at the Primetime Emmy Awards by showing off his bald spot for the first time and revealing that he had always worn a hairpiece.

His publicist at the time divulged that he looked like his everyday self as people saw him at the event and figured he would be acting "with and without the hairpiece" from there onwards.

In July 2006, Deseret News reported that the Emmy Award winner would go au naturel in the TV series "Help Me Help You" by doing away with the hairpiece and coloring.

Although he was not entirely bald, he was full-on gray-haired, a look he had attempted to hide before, primarily while starring in "Becker" and "Cheers."

Despite efforts to hide it, the white hairs became apparent on Danson's head in the final episode of "Cheers," which ran from 1982 to 1993.

Happy Relationship with Wife of 27 Years

Irrespective of the criticism Danson received concerning his looks, his wife of two decades, Mary Steenburgen, is still "obsessed" with him. The lovebirds have been married for 27 years and are still going strong.

Danson met his beautiful spouse on the set of the movie "Pontiac Moon" in 1993 and they got married in October 1995. In January 2021, "The Good Place" star gushed about Steenburgen:

"I'm in love. We're in love. We make each other laugh. I admire her. If I could be a woman, I'd want to be her."

Danson said he and the actress make one another happy and make it their mission to celebrate their love for each other. The feeling is mutual with Steenburgen, who spoke highly of her husband and said she was lucky to have him in her life:

"I would sign up for many more lifetimes with this one. I'm very blessed. I'm pretty obsessed with him, actually."

When the couple marked their 25th wedding anniversary in October 2020, the Arkansas native paid tribute to her spouse on social media, thanking him for making her laugh daily:

"You're are the goofiest, wisest, kindest dreamboat in the world. Happy anniversary, Ted. Love, Mary."

In February 2021, Steenburgen and Danson graced People's first annual Love Issue and reflected on their long-lasting relationship.

They had quarantined together for nine months at their LA home amid the COVID-19 pandemic, and Steenburgen said they still wanted to remain married despite the amount of time cooped up together.

Danson chimed in and explained that he and his wife "get to choose" whether or not they want to be together still "every morning," adding, "it's a rule."

When the pair first crossed paths, they were still married to other people. However, fate brought them together again despite vowing not to pursue relationships following their divorces.

Steenburgen had been married once to British actor Malcolm McDowell, while Danson was married twice to actress Randy Danson and environmentalist Casey Coates.

After two failed marriages, Danson said he felt like a "hot mess" and feared getting into another relationship because he thought he would sabotage it. It came to a point whereby he believed he was not "relationship material."

With Danson having finalized his divorce from Coates and ending his love affair with Hollywood A-lister Whoopi Goldberg, Steenburgen admitted that she became wary of his relationship reputation, so they started as just co-stars and friends.

Things dramatically changed after they went on a romantic outdoor adventure in Mendocino, California, and they have been together since that experience. Both of them could not fight off the intense connection they had.

"It was very magical. We came back in love, to be honest, or I'll say, smitten," said Danson about the couple's memorable encounter.