Ted Danson Makes Rare Outing With Daughter Kate Danson at Actor Awards 2026

Be prepared to cheer on this father-daughter night out in Hollywood.

After all, as Ted Danson walked the red carpet for the 2026 Actors Awards—formerly the SAG Awards—on March 1, he was not joined by wife of 30 years Mary Steenburgen but instead his eldest daughter Kate Danson. For their night at the Shrine Auditorium & Expo Hall in Los Angeles, the Cheers star donned a classic tux while Kate, 46, looked like an Actor statue brought to life with her shimmery gold gown. (See all the stars on the red carpet here.)

At the ceremony hosted by his Good Place costar Kristen Bell, Ted is up for an Actor Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series for Man on the Inside—alongside Martin Short, Seth Rogen, Adam Brody and Ike Barinholtz. Though, being able to celebrate this occasion with his eldest is already making him a winner.

“My sweet wife Mary is babysitting our grandson Sonny,” Ted told Justin Sylvester in an exclusive interview during Live From E!: Actor Awards, “so that we could do this together.”

“He's got a wicked sense of humor,” she revealed, “but he's far better than people think. And he's not paying me. He’s an amazing dad and grandfather.”

In fact, more than a decade after appearing on CSI—amid his run as D.B. Russell—she may be ready to return to the small screen opposite him. Because him playing coy, she emphasized how great of a leader he is when the cameras stop rolling.

“Oh, he’s the best,” Kate emphasized. And when Ted—also dad to Katrina Danson, 40, and stepkids Lilly Walton, 45, and Charlie McDowell, 42—started playing coy she added, “No, I'm sorry. I have to say it: People would say how amazing you were. And it was like, you think you might have someone in your air going, 'your dad's kind of a'—everyone said how incredible you were.”

As for when their onscreen reunion may be, well, that remains to be seen. Until then, Ted and Kate will be celebrating with their peers—and sending their love to Mary back home. To see all the stars who stepped out for the Actor Awards, keep reading...