‘Who’s The Boss?’ Actor Danny Pintauro Returns To Acting After Dealing With Trauma

It has been thirty years, and Danny Pintauro is back on our TV screen with a major role in Lifetime’s A Country Christmas Harmony. Before now, Danny had battled with addictions and mental and health issues; due to this, he went through constant rejections and financial decline and was even diagnosed with HIV. The actor was not enthusiastic about returning to acting for a long time.

“I had a lot of trauma from my time after ‘Who’s the Boss’?” Danny said. “…maybe I was a child actor, and that’s all I was supposed to be.” Thankfully, Danny has moved past holding back and is in the spotlight again. “Possibilities are out there,” he said.

What Inspired Danny Pintauro’s Comeback?

Danny quit his job as a veterinarian technician after telling his husband, Wil Tabares, of his decision to get back to his acting career. He reached out to his former manager and auditioned for a role in A Country Christmas Harmony, where he now plays the movie best friend and assistant to a country singer named Brooke Elliott, who tries to revive her career. Danny expressed that he “couldn’t believe it” after landing the role on the first try.

RELATED: At 46, Danny Pintauro From ‘Who’s The Boss?’ Is Happy As Vet Tech Despite HIV

He was inspired by the sci-fi series Star Trek: Discovery, which inspired him to return to Hollywood. He was streaming the show at his home in Austin when he watched as Wilson Cruz and Anthony Rapp shared “this beautiful kiss,” as he described it in the new issue of PEOPLE. Being gay himself, the scene resonated with Danny, and in his words, he “finally felt ready.”

“It made me want to participate. Something just clicked,” he said.

Christmas Came Early For Danny’s Career

46-year-old Danny Pintauro, who believes in signs, thought that the universe was nudging him back to Hollywood after that moment as a spectator. Back when he was forced to come out by The National Enquirer in 1997, it was so rare to see gay actors talk more about gay affection being expressed freely in movies.

The Cujo actor’s career took a hit since his role as Judith Light’s son on the ABC sitcom, Who’s the Boss?, lasting eight seasons and ending in the early ’90s. The Hollywood Reporter revealed that a sequel to the Who’s the Boss? series in the works to air on Amazon’s Freevee; however, there is no confirmation if Danny will return.

A Country Christmas Harmony will debut on November 18 and will be available for streaming on November 19.