The Shady Side Of Kelsey Grammer
Whether it's inadvertently getting everyone at his radio station fired, treating his father's live-in therapist like a housemaid, or routinely ditching his friends, it's fair to say that Frasier Crane did some pretty questionable things as the star of the eponymous sitcom "Frasier" and its equally beloved predecessor, "Cheers."
But that's nothing compared to the man who plays the neurotic psychiatrist. Yes, Kelsey Grammer is renowned for being difficult, to put it charitably, whether he's on a TV set, at home, or on the road. Just ask Piers Morgan, his third ex-wife, or any of the people included below for further proof.
With Boston's finest now back on our screens in a semi-successful "Frasier" reboot, what better time to dig deep into Grammer's unscrupulous past? From behind-the-scenes outbursts and numerous run-ins with the law to political takedowns and bitter divorces, here's a look at 14 times the actor truly got shady.
Kelsey Grammer walked out on Piers Morgan
Admittedly, most people wouldn't blame Kelsey Grammer for leaving Meghan Markle obsessive Piers Morgan high and dry. Still, the "Frasier" star probably didn't have to be quite so rude to his behind-the-scenes staff.
In 2012, Grammer was just moments away from a televised interview on Morgan's CNN show when he spotted a photo of Camille Grammer, the ex-wife he'd been involved in a very acrimonious divorce with, on the set. Instead of simply asking for it to be removed, the actor reportedly started to rant and rave at the show's producers in an "astonishingly rude manner."
Writing in his memoir "Shooting Straight" (via Digital Spy), Morgan recalled, "I came off set absolutely steaming. And grew even angrier when I learned just how rude [Kelsey Grammer had] been to the team ... that anger turned to incandescence when Stan Rosenfield, his publicist, and someone who's always been a good friend to the show, put out a statement saying, 'Piers needs to take responsibility for what he did to Kelsey. It's called accountability.'" As you'd expect, Morgan didn't placate Rosenfield's client, insisting Grammer's rudeness was uncalled for. Instead, he banned Grammer from ever appearing on his show ever again.
Kelsey Grammer gave Aussie TV producers a piece of his mind
A tip for any TV producer thinking of inviting Kelsey Grammer onto their set: Don't show any visuals of his ex-wife. Just a year after walking off the set of Piers Morgan's CNN chat show after spotting a photo of Camille Grammer, the "Down Periscope" star scolded Aussie morning program "Sunrise" for ambushing him with footage of her reality show.
Grammer saw red mist after he was forced to watch clips of Camille on "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" on the Seven Network show. To make matters worse, he was the subject of conversation in the offending footage. And if that wasn't enough, his wife Kayte Walsh was seated in the audience at the time.
According to news reports, the actor gave producer Mark Beirne a piece of his mind during a subsequent phone call, reportedly saying to a producer (via TODAY), "You are a vile person ... a sick dog ... Your life must be tragic ... I feel sorry for you." And he remained unrepentant when asked about all the drama at a national radio conference (via Express). An "unfortunate incident" was how Kelsey initially described the encounter before adding, "I won't be doing them [Sunrise] again, my outburst was deserved."
Did Kelsey Grammer say ex-wife Camille smelled like beef jerky?
The increasingly bitter dispute between Kelsey Grammer and his ex-wife took a bizarre turn in 2011 thanks to a leaked email, which contained the derogatory subject line: "Camille smells like beef jerkey [sic] goodnight."
The offending message about "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star Camille Grammer was sent from Kelsey Grammer's account, something the "Frasier" lead himself acknowledges. But it didn't come from him. No, according to the actor, a mischief-maker decided to hack into his email address and, with a wealth of sensitive information at their disposal, chose to issue a playground insult against his former spouse.
"May I suggest that it is 'they' who owe you an apology," Grammer wrote in a follow-up email (via TODAY) to the pals and acquaintances that had received the original. The Juilliard School graduate also revealed that he would be closing down the email account from which the jibe had originated.
Kelsey Grammer's ex-girlfriend sued him for defamation
Kelsey Grammer certainly didn't pull any punches in his 1995 memoir "So Far," particularly when it came to former girlfriend Cerlette Lamme. "Not the neediest woman I've ever been with but needy enough," was one of the more flattering references made to his ex (via Time).
Grammer also claimed that Lamme would regularly take drugs at his house, had lost his beloved dog Goose while high, and pestered him to drive under the influence. And just to make sure that the general public knew how he felt about their time together, the "Cheers" star repeated many of these inflammatory statements during an appearance on "The Oprah Winfrey Show."
The former ice skater didn't take this character assassination lying down, though, and later sued the actor for both invasion of privacy and libel. The couple's relationship was tumultuous, to say the least, but she didn't appreciate Grammer disrespecting her after such a serious relationship. In an example of how Grammer might not have been the ideal partner himself, his daughter Greer Grammer was conceived with barmaid Barrie Buckner while he was still with Lamme.
Kelsey Grammer labeled ex-wife 'pathetic'
While the jury's still out as to whether Kelsey Grammer was responsible for comparing his ex-wife Camille Grammer's natural scent to beef jerky, it's 100% official that he's described her as "pathetic," among many other insults.
Indeed, since announcing their split in 2010, the once-happy couple have both continued to air their dirty laundry in public, including the time Kelsey Grammer was interviewed by Graham Bensinger. In a slightly self-unaware statement, the sitcom favorite said (via Page Six), "Honestly, I don't really talk about her very much, because so much of her life is spent talking about me and I just think it's sort of pathetic."
Of course, Grammer didn't stop there. He also accused the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star of acting insensitively on the day of his mother's funeral: "She started telling me, 'I'm out of this, I'm out of here. I want a divorce, blah, blah, blah,' which, we'd had the same conversation for eight years, and it was tiresome. I realized at that moment that I was done with her, that I was not going to end up in this relationship for much longer. And somewhere under a year [later], I was done."
Kelsey Grammer delivered fake news about Shelley Long
Kelsey Grammer continued to stir the pot in his 1995 memoir "So Far" when he claimed, wrongly as it happens, that the producers of "Cheers" only kept his character on the show to annoy his co-star Shelley Long.
The pair, who played Frasier Crane and Diane Chambers respectively, apparently didn't get on during the three episodes that Grammer was originally booked for. And the star wrote that the behind-the-scenes team wasn't particularly enthused by Long's behavior, either. So in an act of petty revenge, they extended Frasier's screen time and he ended up becoming a permanent fixture.
However, "Cheers" writer Ken Levine insists that this was never the case, writing on his blog, "Let me categorically say that this is just not true. Not remotely true. I don't know where he got his misinformation. I suspect it was hearsay, but I can tell you unequivocally that it is wrong. And in the process, he does a disservice not only to Shelley but to himself." Long herself was rather charitable in her response, telling Tom Jicha (via The Sun Sentinel), "I honestly think Kelsey has different information now. What he wrote was based on what he thought was going on."
Kelsey Grammer served 14 days in jail
Kelsey Grammer is so convincing as the uptight law-abiding talk radio DJ Frasier Crane that it's hard to imagine that in real life he used to be a regular lawbreaker. In fact, he was once sentenced to 30 days in jail!
Yes, in 1987 the actor was arrested and charged in Van Nuys on a DUI and went on to serve two weeks in county jail after failing to attend an alcohol rehab program. The experience behind bars didn't seem to deter him, though, as nine years later, the actor once again found himself in trouble with the law after police caught him driving under the influence close to his home in California's Agoura Hills.
Grammer suffered a forehead cut after crashing his red Dodge Viper during a solo drive and, after seeking hospital treatment, was allowed to go home. On this occasion, however, Grammer was spared any incarceration. Instead, he was allowed to check himself into the Betty Ford Center, a rehab clinic renowned for helping to get the rich and famous clean.
Kelsey Grammer has had several other run-ins with the law
A DUI isn't the only crime listed on Kelsey Grammer's rap sheet. In 1988, cops discovered a quarter-gram of cocaine in his possession after pulling him over in North Hollywood for an expired license plate. According to Officer Michael Akana, the actor instantly came clean, telling him (via the Los Angeles Times), "That cocaine was in my pocket. I felt stupid. I should have just told you I had it. You deserve better than that. I would like to apologize to you."
Grammer was subsequently ordered to spend three months under house arrest, attend a substance abuse counseling course, was fined $500, and was sentenced to carry out 300 hours of community service. "It seemed fair," he commented at the time (via the Los Angeles Times). "I'll be allowed to work," he added, referring to the fact that the courts agreed to let him continue playing Frasier Crane in "Cheers" during this period.
But Grammer's most serious brush with the law came in 1995 when an underage babysitter alleged that the sitcom legend had raped her. Following the grand jury's decision against indicting the star, he issued a statement in which he insisted that there had never been any basis for the accusations.
Did Kelsey Grammer have six-month affair while still married to Camille?
The already strained relationship between Kelsey Grammer and his third wife no doubt became even frostier in January 2012 when the "Boss" star appeared on "Jimmy Kimmel Live" waxing lyrical about his fourth. Indeed, the actor couldn't stop gushing about Kayte Walsh as he revealed their origin story. And unless he got his dates mixed up, it began six months before he officially split from Camille Grammer.
Grammer said (via Daily Mail), "We actually met in the air on a plane to England. It was very romantic, she was working on the plane. We went out for coffee several days later and had this magical night in the snow in London around Christmas time. It was two years ago.'" This meant that the meet-cute occurred in early 2010, long before he and Camille officially announced their divorce.
And Grammer didn't waste any time in making things official once that divorce went through. In fact, he and Walsh walked together down the aisle just over two weeks later. Despite the sudden rush, the Hollywood star told Kimmel that he had the support of his pals: "Most of them say, 'It's about time. You're a marrying kind of guy.'"
Kelsey Grammer called Washington politicians a bunch of clowns
Kelsey Grammer is one of Tinseltown's most famous Republican supporters. So it was little surprise to hear him leap to the defense of Donald Trump while promoting the musical "Man of La Mancha" in 2018. But it was a little more surprising that he called out many of the party's former leaders, too.
When asked whether he thought Trump's rise to power was beneficial to society by Christiane Amanpour, Grammer replied (via USA Today), "Well, I think fabric being disrupted is a good thing. I don't think Washington did us any favors for the last 50, 60 years, I think they've all been sort of the same party, the same bunch of clowns, the same bunch of really unpleasant people. And I don't think they've been helping anybody but themselves."
Grammer insists that his career hasn't suffered for his conservative views. But the Paramount+ team was certainly keen to stifle any political talk in 2023 when he was asked by BBC Radio 4 whether he still supports Trump. The star, who was promoting the "Frasier" reboot at the time, answered in the affirmative but didn't elaborate. However, presenter Justin Webb later revealed that his guest wanted to expand on the matter but was told by various PR execs that the interview needed to be wrapped up.
Tammi Baliszewski was also two-timed by Kelsey Grammer
Following the news that Kelsey Grammer had left third wife Camille Grammer for British flight attendant Kayte Walsh, another ex went to the press to reveal that this wasn't the first time the "X-Men: Days of Future Past" star had engaged in a spot of two-timing.
Speaking to Radar Online, Tammi Baliszewski claimed that she, too, had been on the receiving end of Kelsey's womanizing ways. In fact, she was with the actor when he began seeing Camille. "The public is starting to understand this individual," the spiritual counselor said. "It's very harsh, very cruel, he doesn't have compassion for other people's stories; he has compassion for himself and his story."
Baliszewski then put forward a theory about Grammer's behavior: "I think he's like a lot of people in that they think they have to have someone outside of them loving them for them to feel love. They don't have an internal reference point for self love ... he's not on solid ground within himself. Somebody has to want to change and I don't see that he does, he can't be alone."
Kelsey Grammer revealed a bit too much about his third wife
The phrase TMI springs to mind concerning Kelsey Grammer's 2012 appearance on Conan O'Brien's late-night talk show. While chatting to the red-haired host, the six-time Emmy Award winner revealed that he hadn't had sex for a decade until he got together with his fourth wife Kayte Walsh in 2010. This, of course, was the same year that he got divorced from his third wife Camille Grammer.
While Grammer appeared to be insinuating that his ex-spouse was the reason, an interview Camille gave to Howard Stern told a different story. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" star told the shock jock (via TODAY), "He wasn't into sex that much ... We struggled to have an intimate relationship, but we got along as friends. I loved him because he was charming and talented."
Camille then agreed when Stern addressed the rumors that Kelsey was a "total freak." She added, "I told him he needed to be a man with me and that's all I'm going to say. Listen ... I do think he likes being with women but there's something between us that didn't click between us."
Kelsey Grammer compared abortion to gun deaths
In 2015, Kelsey Grammer came under fire for an Instagram photo in which he appeared to compare abortions to gun deaths. As reported by ET, the "Swing Vote" star proudly wore a t-shirt in the snap emblazoned with a handgun graphic, the question, "Would it bother us more if they used guns," and a reference to pro-life campaign Abort 73.
A year later, the actor reaffirmed his opinion on the issue, telling The Times, "Little makes me angry, but injustice does. It gets a bit dishonest to call something reproductive rights when you clearly have a choice well before a baby is conceived." And before the interviewer had the chance to offer a justification, Grammer added, "If someone has to die as a result of rape, then we should kill the rapist — not the unborn child."
Grammer later described the article as "an awful hit piece" to Vanity Fair where he also revealed plans to open up a "home for young women who've decided to have their babies, so that they're not just tossed out into society." Interestingly, when asked about the subject in 2010, the Hollywood star claimed that he was all about pro-choice.
Kelsey Grammer became a grammar pedant
Kelsey Grammer nearly became another example of nominative determinism when he signed up for X (formerly known as Twitter). Instead of using the social media platform to prove that he isn't as grouchy as his reputation suggests, the three-time Golden Globe winner decided to double down by becoming a grammar pedant.
"It has come to my attention that the fine people of Twitter have an egregious grammar problem," he posted on his official account. "I'm here to help." Adopting the #KelseyGrammerGrammar hashtag, the sitcom favorite then stuck to his word by correcting a whole host of followers, whether they asked for linguistic help or not. See the poor fan who tweeted, "The movie "Down Periscope" with Kelsey Grammer is one of my favorite movies. Its [sic] a movie I can watch over and over again," only to have its leading man fire back, "I'm honored you think so, but believe it should be *it's."
It wasn't just the general public that Grammer went on his grammar offensive against, either. He also called out NASA for a "grammar slip" in a tweet about the super typhoon known as Neoguri.