Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (Sometimes)

Guest: Kevin Nealon

Original Air Date: October 29, 2025

Episode Overview

This episode features comedian, actor, and artist Kevin Nealon joining Ted Danson in a wide-ranging conversation. Ted and Kevin reminisce about their comedy roots, swap stories from “Cheers” and “Saturday Night Live,” talk about aging and memory, modern anxieties, the meaning of stewardship, and share laughs about showbiz near-misses, family surprises, and slow-cooked artistic pursuits. The episode weaves Kevin’s passion for hiking and preservation, especially the Appalachian Trail’s 100th anniversary, together with the personal and professional experiences that shaped his comedic voice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Hiking, the Outdoors, & Reclaiming “Take a Hike”

(00:50 – 06:07; 31:55 – 32:16)

• Appalachian Trail 100th Anniversary: Kevin and Ted discuss the legacy and significance of the Appalachian Trail, and their mutual love of hiking and nature.
• Redefining “Take a Hike”:
  • There’s a campaign Kevin supports to have dictionaries update the “take a hike” definition from dismissive to an invitation to connect with nature.

    “We’re trying to get the dictionaries...to change it to more of an invitation to go out in the wilds… and restore all of your natural instincts in life.” — Kevin Nealon (03:24)

• Mental Health Benefits: Ted and Kevin highlight the importance of outdoor time for mental health, referencing today’s “anxious” youth who are risk-averse and digitally distracted.

2. Origins, Upbringing, and Creative Growth

(06:07 – 10:12)

• Childhood Memories:
  • Kevin describes woodsy adventures and pretending to be forest rangers in Connecticut, while Ted shares his free-range childhood in Flagstaff, Arizona.
  • Both reflect on the generational changes in childhood freedom and risk.
• School Stories:
  • Ted reveals he was a mediocre, distracted student, sending himself to boarding school and “finding theater” at Stanford.
  • Kevin’s athletic and artistic childhood foreshadowed his comedy career.

3. The “Cheers” Audition Saga

(10:14 – 14:57)

• Audition Rivalries:
  • Kevin recounts his hopes and heartbreaks in being considered for “Cheers,” recalling waiting for callbacks and the producers’ indecisions.

    “They looked at each other…‘We’re not getting any closer than this.’ But I didn’t hear them say goddammit, so I walked out thinking, paramount, this is my new home.” — Kevin Nealon (11:15)

• Behind the Bar:
  • Ted reveals he felt lucky to be paired with Shelley Long, and that chemistry reads clinched his “Cheers” role.

4. Breaking into SNL: Lorne Michaels & the Subliminal Bit

(15:11 – 21:52)

• Journey to SNL:
  • Kevin was a standup by trade—no characters or impressions—and through Dana Carvey’s referral, he auditioned for SNL and landed the gig.

    “I’m just a stand up. A really, really good stand up.” — Kevin Nealon (17:49)

  • He tells of Lorne offering him the job in person, and the “think about it over the weekend” ploy (an inside manager trick).
• First SNL Sketch:
  • His debut: the now-famous “subliminal sketch,” which he co-wrote with Al Franken, putting his marketing degree to comedic use.
• SNL’s Intensity: Host experiences, the role of cue cards, and the unique pressure of weekly sketch shows.

5. Panic, Near-Misses, and Modern Anxieties

(25:26 – 33:20)

• Claustrophobia After SNL:
  • Kevin describes the traumatic experience of having a life mask made for SNL’s Jay Leno impression, leading to panic and lasting anxiety.

    “I started to get panicky and I remember about to pass out. I was going like this, 'take it off, take it off.'” — Kevin Nealon (26:04)

• Escalating Fears:
  • Ted and Kevin share brushes with disaster—from falling out of trees narrowly missing rocks to nearly stepping off cliffs while distracted.
• Modern Distractions & Memory:
  • Both joke about memory lapses, lost milk, leaving the car running, and the relief in discovering these are normal, distracted lapses.

    “You know where the milk is? That should be in the refrigerator. I can’t find it. I go to get another glass...I’d put it in the cupboard with the other glasses.” — Kevin Nealon (32:29)

• Aging & Prevention:
  • Neurology, preventive mental exercises, and the elusive quest to learn new things (like Spanish in middle age).

6. Showbiz Crossroads, Stand-Up, and Artistic Side-Hustles

(33:47 – 44:56)

• Stand-Up Touring and New Special:
  • Kevin’s special, “Loose in the Crotch,” is coming soon; he’s touring and still passionate about the craft.
• Beyond Caricatures:
  • Kevin discusses his serious foray into art and painting, sharing how caricature work gives him a silent, visual way to delight fans.

    “It was a nonverbal way of getting laughs...I would post it on Instagram and people would love it and they would laugh at it.” — Kevin Nealon (43:14)

• On Blockbuster Nostalgia and Netflix: Reflections on changing media habits—missing the simplicity of “that little envelope.”

7. Garages, Hoarding, and Sentimental Cleanup

(46:41 – 50:49)

• Never Used the Garage for Cars:
  • The comedy of American garages as catch-alls, not inventions. (“We turn all of our garages into another room.” — Ted Danson, 46:57)
• Release vs. Accumulation:
  • Kevin discusses cleaning out accumulated boxes, digitizing old photos, balancing nostalgia with needing space.
  • Compassion for hoarders, especially if they have cookies.

8. Family Revelations and DNA Surprises

(51:01 – 57:38)

• Long-Lost Half-Brother Story:
  • Kevin shares how a 23andMe connection revealed a half-brother he never knew; the emotions and logistics of sudden new family.
  • Family acceptance, the bittersweet realization for his half-brother, and the shifting meaning of “family.”
• Historical Context:
  • Ruminations on “back then, nobody really used protection,” leading to DNA surprises decades later.

9. Love Lives, Marriage, and Guiding Lights

(58:13 – 71:29)

• Romantic First Encounters:
  • Meeting his wife, Susan: Kevin humorously describes his awkward but fateful attempt at connection, and her immediate recognition that he was “the man I’m going to marry.”
• Italian Wedding Chaos:
  • Ted and Kevin laugh over the paparazzi mixup at his Bellagio, Italy, wedding—where photographers expected Matt Damon.

10. Spirituality, Faith, and Stewardship

(59:31 – 62:16)

• From Catholic to Agnostic:
  • Both reflect thoughtfully on religion’s role in their upbringing versus their present-day ambivalence or secular gratitude.

    “There’s 300,000 religions, but your religion is the right one.” — Kevin Nealon (60:28)

• What Endures:
  • Ted connects his archaeologist father’s worldview to his own sense of stewardship and the transience of individual lives, returning the conversation to environmental duty.

11. Fires, Loss, and What Matters

(62:55 – 64:25)

• Evacuation Lessons:
  • Both share experiences with wildfire threats, reflecting on what truly matters (“external drives, the guitar...and eventually, the cow”).

    “It really makes you aware of what is valuable to you in life when there’s a fire coming your way.” — Kevin Nealon (62:55)

• Living Light, Being Ready:
  • Having kits by the door—and eating from earthquake supplies.

12. The Creative Life: Energy, Sleep, and Endurance

(65:32 – 66:43)

• Touring with Adam Sandler: Kevin describes the strange hours and rituals of a late-career road comic.
• Aging Creatively:
  • Both find reassurance in artists (like Mick Jagger and Paul McCartney) staying vibrant into their 80s: “Stay creative, keep moving, stay engaged.” (66:43)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On redefining “Take a Hike”:

  “We’re trying to get the dictionaries…to change it to more of an invitation to go out in the wilds… and restore all of your natural instincts in life.”
  — Kevin Nealon (03:24)

• On getting “Cheers”:

  “I got Cheers, at least 90% of why I got it was I was reading with Shelley Long. Shelly Long just nailed that part.”
  — Ted Danson (14:23)

• On DNA family surprises:

  “A friend of mine…do a radio show in Austin…he goes, I don’t know if you noticed, but I’ve noticed you’re not getting recognized as much anymore…It was a gradual boiling water.”
  — Kevin Nealon (52:09)

• On the anxiety of SNL life masks:

  “If [the nostril straws] closed up, I’ll suffocate. I started…panicky. I was going like this, take it off, take it off. And…the next thing I know, I’m [smelling] salts and I’m waking up.”
  — Kevin Nealon (26:04)

• On aging and remembering:

  “If my mental health and my anxiety level is good…then I pretty much remember why I went into this room.”
  — Ted Danson (33:05)

• On modern digital anxiety:

  “The generation now is anxious because they’re always on their devices. They’re not out, they’re risk averse…not climbing trees like you did, or riding bicycles.”
  — Kevin Nealon (31:23)

• On faith and skepticism:

  “The longer I live scientifically, I think…there’s 300,000 religions but your religion is the right one.”
  — Kevin Nealon (60:28)

• On discovering what matters in a disaster:

  “I know what’s valuable to me now, and I keep it by the door.”
  — Kevin Nealon (63:09)

Timestamps for Key Segments

| Segment Description | Timestamp | |-------------------------------------------------------|------------| | Hiking, “Take a Hike” campaign, nature & mental health | 00:50–06:07; 31:55–32:16 | | Childhood & creative upbringing | 06:07–10:12| | “Cheers” audition stories | 10:14–14:57| | SNL, Lorne Michaels, and the Subliminal Sketch | 15:11–21:52| | Near-misses, anxieties, memory lapses | 25:26–33:20| | Stand-up, art, caricatures, creative hustle | 33:47–44:56| | Family revelations, 23andMe half-brother tale | 51:01–57:38| | Faith, spirituality, and stewardship | 59:31–62:16| | Fire evacuations and what matters | 62:55–64:25| | Love & comedy: Meeting Susan, Italian wedding | 67:02–71:29|

Tone & Style

• Deeply conversational, blending heartfelt honesty with quick wit and playful teasing.
• Both men are self-deprecating, gently nostalgic, and open about their vulnerabilities, with Ted often acting as the amused, affable interviewer and Kevin riffing with understated comedic detachment.
• Frequent asides and meta-humor about the beats and awkwardness of show business auditions, memory loss, and the absurdity of publicity.

In Summary

A lightly profound, humor-packed hour where Kevin Nealon’s layered talents and quirks get a warm, roomy conversation. Expect stories about chance and fate (“If I’d gotten Cheers, I wouldn’t be married now…”), anxiety and acceptance, the real joys of hiking and artistic expression, and the odd surprises of midlife, from lost relatives to aging memory and the shifting value of faith/family/work. Ted’s gentle warmth and curiosity perfectly frame Kevin’s blend of humility and dry humor.

Key Takeaway:
Find your stewardship, laugh at your detours, cherish new trails (literal and figurative), and don’t be afraid to check the kitchen cupboards for your milk.

For Further Involvement

Support Trail Preservation:
Sign the “Take a Hike” petition for a better definition and to help protect the Appalachian Trail: [takeahikepetition.org]

(All timestamps approximate; content-specific ads and production credits have been omitted for clarity.)