For years, fans of Cheers wondered why Danson and Kelsey Grammer, two of the show’s most recognizable faces, didn’t stay in touch. Now, Danson is finally shedding light on what really happened and why it took three decades to make things right.
In a recent episode of Howie Mandel Does Stuff, the 77-year-old actor got candid about his long, quiet rift with Grammer, who played Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers and its successful spin-off, Frasier. According to Danson, the distance wasn’t caused by some dramatic fallout but by a single emotional moment that was never properly resolved.
Why Ted Danson walked away from Kelsey Grammer
Danson explained that during Cheers, tensions ran high one day after the cast staged an intervention for Grammer’s drinking. Danson, trying to be honest, went to Grammer’s dressing room and told him, “I love you, but I’m so angry at you.” Then the show ended, and Danson never followed up.
Instead of patching things up, he kept his distance. “I didn’t complete that moment,” he admitted, saying that might be why he didn’t reach out in the years that followed. It wasn’t until Grammer appeared on Danson’s podcast in late 2024 that the two actors reconnected. “It was so much fun to be around Kelsey,” Danson said. “I went, ‘Oh, shoot. I’ve wasted these 30 years of no Kelsey.'”
Ted Danson initially turned down Grammer’s request for a ‘Frasier’ revival appearance
Though fans would have loved to see Sam Malone pop up in the 2023 Frasier revival, Danson turned down the opportunity more than once. “How the f— do you play Sam Malone in his 60s or now 70s?” he asked. He added that It’s amusing to be an aging adolescent when you’re in your 30s or 40s, but not when you’re in your 70s.
Danson also felt out of place doing a half-hour comedy again, admitting that “a half-hour scares the crap out of me.” While Cheers was a fast-paced sitcom, Danson has spent recent years in slower, character-driven shows like The Good Place and Curb Your Enthusiasm. But he has changed his mind. Last year, he told Grammer he’d be open to joining the revival if asked. “I not only owed it to him, but I wanted to,” he said.