Latest news with #Danson
New York Post
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Ted Danson breaks silence on ‘Cheers' co-star George Wendt's death
Ted Danson is raising a glass to the one and only George Wendt. Hours after news of Wendt's death at age 76 broke, the 'Man on the Inside' star, 77, shared a heartfelt sentiment for his fallen co-star. 'I am devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us,' a rep for Danson shared with The Post. 'I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children. It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie.' Advertisement Wendt's family rep confirmed he passed on Tuesday, telling The Post he 'died peacefully in his sleep while at home.' 5 Ted Danson and George Wendt in 1998. FilmMagic, Inc 'George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him,' the statement read. 'He will be missed forever. The family has requested privacy during this time.' Advertisement Danson and Wendt starred in 'Cheers' together for 11 seasons from 1982 to 1993, with Danson portraying Sam Malone, and Wendt starring as Norman Peterson. During their time on the series, Wendt garnered six consecutive Emmy nominations for his performance as Norm, while Danson earned 11 and won two. The 'Cheers' nostalgia was at an all-time high in recent years, as the cast reunited at the Emmys in January 2024. 5 NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images Advertisement 5 FilmMagic, Inc Wendt, Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman and John Ratzenberger reunited as part of a special tribute at the awards ceremony honoring the most beloved shows in television history. The cast appeared at a replica of the iconic Boston bar, with host Anthony Anderson calling the NBC sitcom 'one of the greatest television shows of all time.' 'This feels nice to be here in front of you,' Danson said, before Ratzenberger, 78, remarked that the event was a 'long overdue class reunion.' Advertisement 5 ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection 5 ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection Grammer, 70, noted, 'Being together brings back some great memories of a show we're all very proud of.' Absent from the festivities was Woody Harrelson, who starred in the show's fourth season as bartender Woody Boyd. 'Woody Harrelson couldn't make 'Cheers' because he's in a play,' Jesse Collins, an executive producer for the Emmys, told the Hollywood Reporter at the time. Added Collins, 'So there were a few people where there were just logistical challenges. But we were lucky to get so many people who were willing to participate.' In April, Danson got candid on some behind-the-scenes drama of the show, setting the record straight on a 30-year-long rift he had with Grammer. Advertisement While talking to the 'Frasier' actor on his and Harrelson's, 63, 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name' podcast last October, Danson told Grammer: 'I missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer, and I feel like it's my bad, my doing, and I almost feel like apologizing to you.'
Yahoo
20-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
George Wendt Had Sweet Reunion with 'Cheers' Costars Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson in Final Public Appearance
George Wendt's final public appearance was alongside his Cheers costars in August 2024 Wendt died on Tuesday, May 20, at the age of 76 He was best known for his role on Cheers, in which he played Norm PetersonGeorge Wendt's final public appearance was a touching nod to one of his most beloved roles. The late actor, who died at the age of 76 on May 20, appeared as a guest on the podcast of his Cheers costars Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson in August 2024. During an episode of Where Everybody Knows Your Name, the trio reminisced on their memories from the set of the beloved sitcom, which aired from September 30, 1982, until May 20, 1993 — exactly 32 years to the day Wendt died. 'My agent called and said, 'You know, honey, they want you to do this Cheers,'' Wendt shared of how he got the job that gave him his big break. ''Now you're not available,' because I had this other show at Paramount for CBS. Then they go, 'But they want you to come in anyway, and it's really small, though. I go, 'Oh, okay.'' At the time, Wendt revealed he was only auditioning to say one word in the pilot, but he ended up reading for another character and landed a starring role. Elsewhere in the Aug. 14 episode, the trio recalled a day where they played "hooky" from the show to hang out on costar John Ratzenburger's boat — it also marked the day Danson experimented with hallucinogenics and got extremely sea sick. Wendt, who played Norm Peterson, recalled that the cast "were in such trouble" afterwards for playing hooky. "I didn't think anyone would give a s---," he said. "They called us in, one at a time, to give a s--- the next day," Danson added. Two months prior to his interview with Harrelson and Danson, Wendt made another appearance as a guest on Steve Kmetko's Still Here Hollywood podcast, where he reflected on his career in comedy and what he thought of his nephew Jason Sudeikis' career. In his interview, he praised the Ted Lasso star's success. 'It was Letterman or Conan, he said, 'Did your uncle George have any advice for you?'" Wendt remembered. 'And Jason goes — he's so sharp — he goes, 'Yeah he told me just get on the best show on television and one of the greatest shows of all time and just pretty much take it from there.' And he goes, 'So I did.'' Wendt added: 'He got on SNL.' The proud uncle continued to gush during his chat with Kmetko. 'He's such a great kid,' Wendt said of Sudeikis, who is the son of Wendt's sister Kathy. "Very proud. Proud especially, you know, not only of the success, but he's solid. Have you read profiles and stuff? I mean he is such a mesh, so smart, so thoughtful. I mean, it all comes out in the show. Right?' In June 1, 2024, Wendt appeared with Sudeikis, actor and comedian Robert Smigel and NFL star Travis Kelce during 2024 Big Slick Celebrity Weekend in Kansas City, Missouri. Smigel and Wendt reprised their roles from their iconic Saturday Night Live sketch, "Bill Swerski's Superfans," and teased Kelce over his relationship with Taylor Swift. Wendt joked that Kelce that Swift should fund a new stadium for the Chiefs. 'What's a few hundred million to Taylor? Wendt joked. "That's what four tickets cost to her concert anyway." On Tuesday, May 20, Wendt's publicist, Melissa Nathan, confirmed his death in a statement to PEOPLE. 'Beloved actor and comedian, George Wendt, best known for starring in the NBC hit comedy Cheers, has passed away,' it read. 'George's family confirmed the news of his death early Tuesday morning, announcing he died peacefully in his sleep while at home.' 'George was a doting family man, a well-loved friend and confidant to all of those lucky enough to have known him. He will be missed forever,' it continued. 'The family has requested privacy during this time.' In a statement to PEOPLE, Danson said he's "devastated to hear that Georgie is no longer with us." "I am sending all my love to Bernadette and the children," Danson said. "It is going to take me a long time to get used to this. I love you, Georgie." Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from juicy celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. Wendt was born in Chicago in 1948 and got his start in comedy at Chicago's The Second City theater in 1974. It was there that he met his wife, to whom he was married for 47 years. The pair shared three children: Hilary, Joe, and Daniel. He was also one of nine children, and his sister Kathryn is the mother of actor and comedian Jason Sudeikis. Before Cheers, Wendt's earliest roles included small parts on series such as Hart to Hart, Soap, Taxi and M*A*S*H. He also appeared in a handful of films, including My Bodyguard, Jekyll and Hyde... Together Again and Airplane II: The Sequel. Read the original article on People
Epoch Times
17-05-2025
- Health
- Epoch Times
Nurse Left ‘Traumatised' After Being Told Trans Colleague Would Be Part of Hysterectomy Team
A nurse involved in a dispute with a transgender-identifying colleague has spoken out about the trauma she experienced after being told the man would be part of the surgical team for her hysterectomy. Karen Danson said she was left 'traumatised' after the behaviour of the transgender colleague, known as Rose Henderson, brought back memories of the childhood sexual abuse she said she suffered at the hands of her father. Danson is one of eight women, known as the 'Darlington nurses,' who are taking legal action against County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust, after they were forced to share a changing room with the male nurse who said he identifies as a woman, despite outwardly presenting as a man. Speaking through the charity Christian Concern, Danson, 45, said that through 'an unhappy coincidence,' she was due to have a hysterectomy at her workplace, the Darlington Memorial Hospital, last August, just two months after the legal dispute hit the headlines. She discovered that Henderson was scheduled to be involved in her operation as a surgical assistant. Danson said, 'I immediately knew this was ethically wrong and that my condition would be made worse and more painful with the stress it would cause.' Related Stories 2/11/2025 5/5/2025 She approached the theatre manager and explained the situation, the legal case, and how Henderson's involvement would be 'completely inappropriate,' adding that she wanted a woman as the theatre nurse owing to her childhood trauma. Danson said she was told, 'But Rose is a woman,' and was then accused of being prejudiced and told to take Henderson's feelings into consideration. The theatre manager told Danson in writing that her request could not be accommodated 'due to clinical and staffing skill mix issues,' and suggested she should either try to get the operation done elsewhere or accept Henderson's presence. 'I believed this was purely vindictive and demonstrated how low they were prepared to go,' Danson said. 'Gender identity was placed above patient and staff care. They tried to punish me for the legal case I was part of and for opposing gender identity policy within the hospital.' Just days before the operation, Danson went to the Patient Advisory and Liaison Service, which swiftly decided that it would be inappropriate for Henderson to be involved in her surgery. The legal case is still proceeding to tribunal, despite last month's Supreme Court ruling on the definition of a woman for the purposes of the Equality Act, which means that a trans-identifying biological male does not have the right to access women's changing rooms or toilets. Danson and the other female nurses are being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, which has said the case 'demonstrates how far the NHS has been prepared to go to uphold gender identity ideology and compromise the basic safety and dignity of female staff and patients.' The high-profile legal case began a year ago after the women were told by NHS bosses they were being 'transphobic' by objecting to a male in their changing rooms, and advised to 'broaden their mindset' and 're-educate' themselves. The Darlington nurses photographed outside of Parliament, where they took a petition supporting their right to dignity in the workplace, in an undated file photo. Christian Concern On Sunday, Danson, who has been a nurse for six years, revealed that her discomfort at being forced to change with a man was heightened because of her memory of being abused. In September 2023, she first encountered Henderson in the women's changing rooms. 'I looked up and saw a man. He had holes in his boxer shorts so that you could unavoidably see male genitalia.' She had heard that a trans-identifying man was using the women's changing rooms and that she had seen Henderson before, but because of his masculine appearance, including facial hair, she had no idea that he was the individual concerned. Danson said that Henderson asked her three times, 'Are you not getting changed yet?' and recalled that he had 'a smirk' on his face. She said that the situation and words jolted her back to sexual abuse she experienced as a 6-year-old, when her abuser would ask her if she was 'getting changed' before bedtime. Danson, who has previously been counselled for PTSD, said: 'Rose had the same look on his face as my Dad. I wanted to get out of there, but I couldn't.' The nurse said she has since had nightmares about the incident, in which the face of her father replaced that of Henderson, and resorted to changing in the toilets to avoid further distressing encounters. In March 2024, Danson and 26 other nurses sent letters to the trust outlining their concerns for their privacy, safety, and dignity in the workplace. Health Secretary Wes Streeting leaving Downing Street, London, after a Cabinet meeting on July 9, 2024. Lucy North/PA Wire After five of the nurses went public last July, the trust gave the women access to a converted office to use as a 'temporary' changing room if they felt uncomfortable undressing in front of a man, and a rainbow-coloured sign labelled 'Inclusive Changing Space' was placed on the female changing room door. The nurses took a petition with 48,000 signatures advocating for single-sex spaces to Downing Street and received widespread public support. The NHS policy 'Transitioning in the Workplace' is used widely throughout the organisation and allows men to use women's changing facilities if they say they 'identify' as a woman, regardless of whether they are taking cross-sex hormones or have had feminising surgery. According to the women's accounts, Henderson has said that he has a female partner who he was trying to get pregnant. Health Secretary Wes Streeting announced last week that following the Supreme Court ruling in favour of For Women Scotland, there would be 'new rules' on matters to do with single-sex spaces issued 'within weeks.' Interim guidance was issued by the Equality and Human Rights Commission on April 25, making clear that single-sex facilities are to be used based on biological sex only, regardless of whether or not a person has obtained a Gender Recognition Certificate. Last October, Danson attended a meeting with Streeting where she said she told him that the changing room encounter had triggered her PTSD. She said that while Streeting was sympathetic, no action has been taken to resolve the women's concerns, and they are still having to use the makeshift locker room, while Henderson continues to use the female changing room. The tribunal is currently scheduled to be heard in October. Judge Stuart Robinson said the hearings will take four weeks, given that around 30 witnesses are expected to give evidence. The nurses have filed the claim on the grounds of sexual harassment, discrimination, victimisation, and breaches of the right to a private life, under Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. A similar case is underway in Scotland, brought by nurse Sandie Peggy, who alleges she was intimidated by a trans-identifying male doctor. The Epoch Times contacted County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation Trust for comment. The trust told the The trust added: 'We want all our colleagues and patients to feel safe, respected and supported at work and in our care, [and] we are very sorry when this is not the experience. We are committed to providing a safe, compassionate environment for all patients and staff.'
Yahoo
13-05-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
A woman saying no to trans ideology should be enough. In the NHS it isn't
If you want to understand how power works on a day-to-day basis, here is an easy explanation. The less power you have, the more you are required to explain yourself. If you are late for work you need to have a reason why, but if your boss is late he or she does not. The lower you are in terms of status, the more you have to justify your actions. I notice that when someone bumps into me. I am the one who automatically says 'sorry'. Most women are programmed to apologise for difficult social interactions – it's how we are brought up. That is what makes it hard for us to say no, to demand respect, to insist that we mean what we say. Experience has taught us that to be taken seriously, we have to prove that we count. The case of the Darlington nurses, who are locked in a legal battle with their local NHS trust over its transgender policies, includes an example of this in extremis. Why did nurse Karen Danson have to give a detailed account of the sexual abuse she suffered as a child at the hands of her own father for some to understand why she does not want to share a changing room with a biological male called 'Rose'? The details of what she went through, as described in an interview at the weekend, are just horrible. Nobody should need to go public with their private torments in order to demand something that we once took for granted: single-sex changing rooms. As she and her colleagues fight the NHS over this, the Supreme Court Equality Act decision (which defines sex as 'biological sex', and which various luminaries claim not to understand) has made it clear that they should have single-sex changing rooms. Danson did not want to get undressed in front of 'Rose', a man who self-identifies as female but whose genitals could be seen through the holes in his boxer shorts. Liberal media compliance with all of this has meant that 'Rose' has to be referred to as a trans woman and the Darlington nurses as vile transphobes. Let's just end such compliance here. 'Rose' asked Danson why she was not getting changed. I have never heard a woman ask that of another woman in a changing room, have you? Privacy, dignity, safety – these three little words surely do not need vast explanations. These three words should also be the central tenet throughout hospital wards and care homes, particularly when intimate care is required. This is part of our understanding that we treat each other as fully human, even at our most frail. Later, when Danson needed an urgent hysterectomy, she was informed that 'Rose' would be present, and she obviously objected. Was this punishment for the legal action she and her colleagues were taking against their employers, the County Durham and Darlington NHS Foundation? Twenty-six women had complained about the changing room situation and were told they needed 're-education'. As with the case of nurse Sandie Peggie, who also took her NHS employer to court when she was suspended after complaining about sharing a changing room with a transgender colleague, the feelings of female nurses with decades of experience counted for nothing. What mattered were the delusions of selfish men who cared not about how uncomfortable they made colleagues feel. So cowed has the NHS been that such men are deemed the victims of outrageous bigotry. They are the ones suffering from outdated prejudice, even though the health system has altered our very language to represent their desires and they have the full backing of their unions. Most of the unions and some MPs are struggling to comprehend the Supreme Court judgment. This is yet more dishonesty. It is easy to understand. What they are struggling with is the fact that they have got the law wrong. Unions exist to protect all their members yet the intense focus on trans rights at the expense of women's means that they are not much interested in doing so. The absolute abandonment of any principle of safeguarding by so-called progressives has been astonishing to behold. Safeguarding exists to protect the vulnerable. We need it because we know too much about the abuse of children, women, the elderly and the disabled – nearly always at the hands of biological men. That such reality is deemed offensive does not make it untrue. There is no need for competitive victimhood here (trans people have a hard time but so do other sections of society) yet here we go again. We have seen it with the treatment of rape victims and the astonishingly low rate of convictions because the victims don't conform to a stereotype of respectable women attacked by strangers. The police described some of the children raped by grooming gangs as 'unrapeable'. Gisele Pelicot was a heroine for going public with the crimes inflicted on her. But who would wish this on anyone? Women are required to explain themselves over and over in order to be believed and deserving of justice. Why? Why is it not enough for us to say no to men however they identify? Our institutions, including the beloved NHS, have not accepted that women have a right to say No. But we do and we need to own it. I read once that when Meryl Streep is asked to pose in a certain way or do something she doesn't want she simply says, 'That won't be happening'. She does not need to explain herself. None of us do. That Danson found her voice is admirable. But no more apologies, no more explanations, no more stories of violation should be necessary now. We have the right to our own space. We always did. Broaden your horizons with award-winning British journalism. 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New York Post
29-04-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Ted Danson recalls confronting Kelsey Grammer on ‘Cheers' in heated exchange: I'm ‘f—king pissed off'
Ted Danson is clearing the air about his relationship with his 'Cheers' co-star Kelsey Grammer. The 'A Man on the Inside' star, 77, addressed his 30-year-long rift with Grammer, 70, on a recent episode of Howie Mandel's 'Howie Mandel Does Stuff' podcast, attempting to clarify his previous remarks on the subject. On an episode of his and fellow 'Cheers' actor Woody Harrelson's 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name' podcast last October, Danson spoke with Grammer and told him,'I missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer, and I feel like it's my bad, my doing, and I almost feel like apologizing to you.' Advertisement 11 Ted Danson is clearing the air about his relationship with his 'Cheers' co-star Kelsey Grammer. Howie Mandel Does Stuff/YouTube 11 The 'A Man on the Inside' star, 77, addressed his 30-year-long rift with Grammer, 70, on a recent episode of Howie Mandel's 'Howie Mandel Does Stuff' podcast, attempting to clarify his previous remarks on the subject. Howie Mandel Does Stuff/YouTube Referring to the conversation, Mandel told Grammer, 'I didn't know that you were on the outs with Kelsey.' Advertisement Danson was quick to reply, 'I wasn't.' He added, 'You know what — sorry. How far do I wanna go?' the 'Good Place' star paused and asked himself. 'Go all the way,' Mandel insisted. 11 On an episode of his and fellow 'Cheers' actor Woody Harrelson's 'Where Everybody Knows Your Name' podcast last October, Danson spoke with Grammer and told him,'I missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer, and I feel like it's my bad, my doing, and I almost feel like apologizing to you.' CBS Advertisement 11 Referring to the conversation, Mandel told Grammer, 'I didn't know that you were on the outs with Kelsey.' Danson was quick to reply, 'I wasn't.' NBCUniversal via Getty Images 11 He added, 'You know what — sorry. How far do I wanna go?' the 'Good Place' star paused and asked himself. 'I wasn't,' Danson repeated. The Emmy-winner explained that his relationship with his co-star became strained towards the end of their run on 'Cheers' after he and the cast staged an intervention for Grammer because of how heavily he was using drugs and alcohol at the time. But after the intervention, he and Grammer — who has since been sober for years — had a tense exchange. Advertisement 'Finally I went up to his dressing room and I said, 'I've told you how much I love you […] but I have not told you how f—king pissed off I am at you. I'm so angry at you and I felt the need to say that to be real,'' Danson recalled telling Grammer. 11 'I wasn't,' Danson repeated. The Emmy-winner explained that his relationship with his co-star became strained towards the end of their run on 'Cheers' after he and the cast staged an intervention for Grammer because of how heavily he was using drugs and alcohol at the time. Getty Images for the Environmental Media Association 11 But after the intervention, he and Grammer — who has since been sober for years — had a tense exchange. Getty Images The 'Boss' actor 'took it well and all of that but it was a moment,' Danson said. 'And then … Life went on.' Danson added that after 'Cheers' ended, the pair saw each 'here or there' but 'very rarely.' He explained, 'It felt like probably because I hadn't completed that moment. And I had walked away without it being really complete. So maybe that's why I didn't reach out to him or whatever. I don't know. So it was very simple. In our podcast, it was a very simple conversation.' Reflecting on his conversation with Grammer in October, Danson said, 'I think what happened to me was in the room, talking to him, it was like, 'Oh, my God, I'm really having the best time talking to you.'' 11 Danson added that after 'Cheers' ended, the pair saw each 'here or there' but 'very rarely.' Getty Images Advertisement 11 He explained, 'It felt like probably because I hadn't completed that moment. And I had walked away without it being really complete. So maybe that's why I didn't reach out to him or whatever. I don't know. So it was very simple. In our podcast, it was a very simple conversation.' Getty Images for Paramount+ 'It was — it was so much fun to be around Kelsey that I went, 'Oh shoot, I've wasted these 30 years of no Kelsey,'' Danson confessed. 'So it really wasn't like I was saying, 'Boy, was I pissed at you and I held a grudge and all of that.' That's not what happened. It really was: 'I'm having so much fun. I wish I hadn't let these years go by without reaching out.'' Danson also shared that though Grammer asked him 'several times over the years' to guest star on 'Frasier,' he frequently said no because he didn't know how to play his 'Cheers' character Sam Malone in his 60s or 70s. Advertisement 11 'It was — it was so much fun to be around Kelsey that I went, 'Oh shoot, I've wasted these 30 years of no Kelsey,'' Danson confessed. NBCUniversal via Getty Images 'It's amusing to be an aging adolescent when you're in your 30s, 40s, but not when you in your 70s,' Danson said. 'So I thought, I don't know know how do that.' The decision was 'not because I was angry at Kelsey or anything,' he pointed out. Danson did make one appearance on 'Frasier,' popping up in an episode during Season 2 in 1995. Advertisement The show ended its run in 2004 but was revived by Paramount+ in 2023 for 2 more seasons before being cancelled in January. Grammer is currently looking to find 'Frasier' a home for another season. Should he be successful, Danson would now happily reprise his role as Malone. 11 (L-R) Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, and Ted Danson speak onstage during the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards at Peacock Theater on January 15, 2024 in Los Angeles, California. WireImage 'If he came back and he asked me to do an episode or something, yeah, I would,' Danson said. Danson's recent comments would align with Grammer, who exclusively revealed to the Post why they had their fallout years ago. Advertisement 'It got a little blown out of proportion. There really wasn't an argument. It was at a time in my life when I was actually going through a lot of self-doubt, self-loathing, honestly,' he said in January. 'It was when I was drinking a lot. Ted had just come up and said, 'You know, I'm kind of mad at you that sometimes you don't show up ready to go.' And I said, 'OK, I respect that.' And that actually was sort of it. Now, maybe what happened for Ted was he stepped away from what might have been a better friendship. Maybe he just had to protect himself. I don't really know. But, I said, 'Thanks.' We were fine with that.'
