Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen were honored with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award at the 2025 Emmys.
The Cheers alum, 77, and the Oscar winner, 72, became the first couple to receive the accolade during the Sunday, September 14, awards show at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles. Danson’s The Good Place costar Kristen Bell and the show’s creator, Michael Schur, presented them with the honor, calling Steenburgen “both a brilliant actress and devoted philanthropist” and Danson “tall and from San Diego, according to a bio his publicist sent over since neither of us is familiar with his acting work.”
The duo put jokes aside to call Danson and Steenburgen “an unstoppable force both on screen and off” before playing a highlight reel of their charity work over the years.
“[This award] is named after a man who’s very name was Hope, and that’s what Bob Hope brought to people for 50 years as he traveled the world entertaining our troops,” Danson began their acceptance speech. “We send our love to his family and our thanks. … There is no honor that would mean more to Mary and me than this one, and the fact that it’s been given to both of us means the world.”
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Steenburgen continued by sharing that the couple receiving the award would have “meant the world” to their parents because it’s about “living the lives they taught us to live.” She told a story about her father, a train conductor, who “played by all the rules at work besides one. When he came across a man down on his luck and hiding in a boxed car, he didn’t put them off the train. He let him ride. And even though I was a child, I understood the beauty in that act of kindness.”
Danson, for his part, shared that his father was an archeologist who “spent most of his life digging up and finding the remnants of past cultures.” He explained that his dad’s job taught him that “this life is not just about us. A lot of people have come before us and a lot of people will come after us. It’s about our stewardship of what we’ve been given.”
Steenburgen continued, “If it’s true that life is made up of two emotions, love and fear, the world’s a little out of balance right now. We don’t want to live in fear. So we work for organizations that move the scale away from fear and put us smack dab in the middle of love.”
The couple concluded their speech by thanking their children and grandchildren, whom they called their “best teachers” and their “beloved community.”
“Together we have a sacred assignment to remind the world of its dreams, its failures, its laughter, its courage and most especially its hope,” Steenburgen said, to which Danson added, “The two of us feel very blessed to spend our lives doing just that with you. Thank you for this honor.”
The Bob Hope Humanitarian Award is presented by the Television Academy’s Board of Governors to individuals in the media industry “whose deeds and actions have a lasting impact on communities and whose philanthropic efforts exemplify Bob Hope’s decades-long altruism and positive impact on society,” according to a July press release.
Danson is a longtime environmentalist and ocean conservation activist, while Steenburgen has collaborated with various organizations such as No Kid Hungry, Oceana and the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation. The couple — who have been married since October 1995 — are also the cofounders of Angels at Risk, a nonprofit that provides resources for children, teenagers and families who are at risk for drug and alcohol abuse as well as outspoken LGBTQ+ allies.
“Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen have long used their voices — and their hearts — to champion causes that uplift the planet and its people,” Cris Abrego, chair of the Television Academy, said in a July statement. “From environmental advocacy to humanitarian relief, they lead with grace, integrity and purpose. The Television Academy is proud to honor their extraordinary legacy of service with the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award.”
This marks the sixth time the Bob Hope Humanitarian Award has been given out since it was established in 2002. Past recipients include Danny Thomas in 2004, George Clooney in 2010 and Sean Penn in 2022, among others.
Outside of his philanthropic efforts, Danson is a two-time Emmy winner with trophies for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 1990 and 1993 for his role as Sam Malone on Cheers. He has received 18 Emmy nominations throughout his career, including for his performances on Damages and The Good Place.
As for Steenburgen, she has one previous Emmy nod for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Miniseries or a Special for The Attic: The Hiding of Anne Frank in 1988.
