Ted Danson Will Receive Carol Burnett Award at 2025 Golden Globes

Ted Danson has been named the Carol Burnett Award honoree for 2025. He will be recognized on the 82nd annual Golden Globes telecast, which is set to air live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills on CBS on Sunday, Jan. 5.

In addition, Danson – along with Viola Davis, the Golden Globes’ 2025 Cecil B. DeMille Award honoree — will be feted at a separate gala dinner on Friday, Jan. 3, also at the Beverly Hilton. This marks the first time that the Golden Globes will host a special evening dedicated to the recipients of these two honorary awards. The DeMille Award dates to 1952; the Burnett Award originated in 2019.

Danson will be the fifth recipient of the Carol Burnett Award, following Burnett herself in 2019, Ellen DeGeneres in 2020, Norman Lear in 2021 and Ryan Murphy in 2023. So, Danson will be the first performer to receive the award in five years. The award is presented to an honoree who has made outstanding contributions to television on or off screen.

Danson has won three Golden Globes – best performance by an actor in a limited series, anthology series, or a motion picture made for television for Something About Amelia in 1985, and best performance by an actor in a television series – musical or comedy for Cheers in 1990 and 1991.

He has won two Primetime Emmys for outstanding leading actor in a comedy series, both for Cheers. He has been nominated in that category 14 times, more than anyone else in TV history. He was nominated for all 11 seasons of Cheers and three times for The Good Place. Both shows aired on NBC.

“Ted Danson has entertained audiences for decades with his iconic performances that will forever be ingrained in television history,” said Helen Hoehne, president of the Golden Globes. “His renowned career is a testament to his remarkable talent and versatility as an actor and bears resemblance to the award’s legendary namesake. It is an honor to present him with the 2025 Carol Burnett Award to celebrate the tremendous impact he has made and continues to make in television.” 

The Golden Globe Awards, which likes to call itself Hollywood’s Party of the Year, is the first major awards show of the season. It’s also the world’s largest awards show to celebrate the best of both film and television.

Nikki Glaser is set to host the show for the first time. Glaser was nominated for her first Primetime Emmy this year for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) as executive producer and performer on the HBO special Someday You’ll Die. She is currently nominated for her first Grammy Award for best comedy album for that same title.

Multi-Emmy Award-winning producing duo Glenn Weiss and Ricky Kirshner of White Cherry Entertainment will return as executive producing showrunners for the 82nd Golden Globes. Dick Clark Productions will produce the show. Nominations will be announced on Monday, Dec. 9.

The Golden Globes will air on Sunday, Jan. 5, 2025 (8-11 p.m. ET/5-8 p.m. PT) on CBS, and streams on Paramount+ in the U.S. (live and on-demand for Paramount+ with Showtime subscribers, or on-demand for Paramount+ Essential subscribers the day after the special airs).

Penske Media Eldridge — a joint venture between Billboard’s parent company Penske Media Corporation and Eldridge — owns Dick Clark Productions, the producer of the Golden Globe Awards.