Ted Danson, beloved for his role as Sam Malone on the iconic sitcom Cheers, recently shared a humorous revelation during an appearance on The Jennifer Hudson Show. 

The Emmy-winning actor opened up about the surprising celebrity mix-up he’s encountered for years, despite the two stars sharing little physical resemblance.

"There was a period for about five years," Danson explained, "where people kept mistaking me for Tony Danza." Known for his role as Tony Micelli in Who’s the Boss?, Danza starred in another popular sitcom era that overlapped with Danson’s Cheers fame. 

Danson speculated the confusion might have stemmed from their similar-sounding names. "There’s the Ted Danson, Tony Danza—must have happened," he quipped.

Danson recounted his first encounter with this unusual mix-up. While walking in New York, a group of construction workers enthusiastically called out to him, shouting, “Hey, Tony!” Not recognizing the greeting, Danson ignored it. But the workers persisted, yelling, "Tony Danza! What are you, too good for us now?"

When host Jennifer Hudson asked how he responded, Danson said he just kept walking, joking, “I wanted to make sure Tony got a little…” while playfully pounding one fist into his other hand. In another instance, Danson even signed an autograph using Tony Danza’s name.

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Both Danson and Danza were sitcom staples of the '80s and '90s. While Danson’s Cheers ran from 1982 to 1993, Who’s the Boss? aired from 1984 to 1992.

Coincidentally, both actors portrayed characters who were former athletes—Danson as an ex-baseball player turned bartender, and Danza as a retired ballplayer working as a housekeeper.

Since his Cheers days, Danson has continued to charm audiences in shows like The Good Place, Becker, CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, and Mr. Mayor. 

His latest project is the Netflix series A Man on the Inside, where he plays an elderly man hired to go undercover in a nursing home suspected of elder abuse. The series, created by Mike Schur, is inspired by the 2021 documentary The Mole Agent.

Reflecting on casting Danson in the role, Schur joked, “It was a no-brainer idea that I guess proves that I have no brain. Once the idea came up, it was like, of course, we do this. It’s perfect.”