Current:Home > InvestTed Danson, Woody Harrelson recall ditching 'Cheers' set to do mushrooms -VisionFunds
Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson recall ditching 'Cheers' set to do mushrooms
View
Date:2025-04-19 01:38:36
"Cheers" stars Ted Danson, Woody Harrelson and George Wendt are recalling how they once swapped their pints for a more potent option after ditching the set of the hit sitcom.
In the Wednesday episode of Danson and Harrelson's "Where Everybody Knows Your Name" podcast, the pair are joined by Wendt and discuss the time they left the show for a "hooky day" involving a boat, mushrooms and a hurricane.
The escapade may have taken place while the cast was shooting the 1982 episode "Any Friend of Diane's," in which Diane's old college friend visits the bar. Because the episode focused on Diane and her friends, Danson — who played Sam Malone — Harrelson — who played Woody — and the crew took advantage of the opportunity.
"John (Ratzenberger) had just bought a boat. And he was anxious to show it off," said Wendt, 75, who played Norm on the show. "So we cooked up this little getaway."
"I remember we all met at his boat. Woody and I by then were already stoned," said Danson, 76. "We got on the phone at a payphone and called into the show saying ... 'I'm not feeling too good I can't come in.' And then handing the phone to the next person."
Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.
'Cheers' cast reunites,reveals what was in Norm's beer mug, unexpected Kirstie Alley gift
"I think somebody said, 'Yeah, I'm seasick,'" Wendt added with a chuckle.
"The Good Place" actor said Kelsey Grammer got on the boat and quickly fell asleep on the lower bunk, after being up all night playing cards. That's when Harrelson, 63, offered Danson the psychedelic.
"Woody turns to me and goes, 'Have you ever had mushrooms?' I go no I haven't and he said, 'Well this will be a good time, we have nothing to do,'" Danson said.
With an empty stomach, he ate "an extraordinary amount of mushrooms." By the time the group got halfway to California's Santa Catalina Island, Danson got "freaked out" from the combination of 'shrooms and the "leftover waves" from a hurricane. Meanwhile, Harrelson was relaxing.
Ted Dansonfelt like a liar on 'Cheers' because of plaque psoriasis. Now he's speaking out.
Danson credited Wendt for helping calm him amid his bad trip. He then recalled seeing Harrelson as a skeleton, while the "True Detective" actor said Danson "looked like a hologram" of himself.
Despite his rough experience, though, Danson said he would try mushrooms again.
"I guess it depends on the setting," Harrelson said, offering a word of advice. "But definitely, in the middle of a hurricane, no."
Danson and Wendt starred in all 11 seasons of NBC's Emmy award-winning sitcom, while Harrelson joined the show from Season 4 on.
Danson and Harrelson started their podcast in May, on Conan O'Brien's Team Coco podcast network.
veryGood! (52)
Related
- Questlove charts 50 years of SNL musical hits (and misses)
- Florida's abortion laws protect a pregnant person's life, but not for mental health
- 24-Hour Flash Deal: Save $225 on the Dyson Ball Animal 3 Extra Upright Vacuum
- A robot answers questions about health. Its creators just won a $2.25 million prize
- Mets have visions of grandeur, and a dynasty, with Juan Soto as major catalyst
- Court Rejects Pipeline Rubber-Stamp, Orders Climate Impact Review
- Coastal Communities Sue 37 Oil, Gas and Coal Companies Over Climate Change
- Flood Risks from All Sides: Barry’s Triple Whammy in Louisiana
- Pressure on a veteran and senator shows what’s next for those who oppose Trump
- This Week in Clean Economy: ARPA-E’s Clean Energy Bets a Hard Sell with Congress, Investors
Ranking
- The company planning a successor to Concorde makes its first supersonic test
- Inmate dies after escape attempt in New Mexico, authorities say
- In a supreme court race like no other, Wisconsin's political future is up for grabs
- Padel, racket sport played in at least 90 countries, is gaining attention in U.S.
- Civic engagement nonprofits say democracy needs support in between big elections. Do funders agree?
- Review: 'Yellowstone' creator's 'Lioness' misses the point of a good spy thriller
- This Week in Clean Economy: West Coast ‘Green’ Jobs Data Shows Promise
- Ireland is paying up to $92,000 to people who buy homes on remote islands. Here's how it works.
Recommendation
Former Syrian official arrested in California who oversaw prison charged with torture
Aging Oil Pipeline Under the Great Lakes Should Be Closed, Michigan AG Says
Greenland’s Melting: Heat Waves Are Changing the Landscape Before Their Eyes
1 dead, at least 22 wounded in mass shooting at Juneteenth celebration in Illinois
A White House order claims to end 'censorship.' What does that mean?
As pandemic emergencies end, some patients with long COVID feel 'swept under the rug'
OB-GYN shortage expected to get worse as medical students fear prosecution in states with abortion restrictions
Trump Admin. Halts Mountaintop Mining Health Risks Study by National Academies