'Frasier' Star Kelsey Grammer Has Never Shied Away From Sharing His Political Beliefs

The Gist:

• Kelsey Grammer is partially responsible for one of television's most beloved characters: Frasier.
• Unlike his lovable psychiatrist counterpart, Kelsey leans far more conservative in his personal life.
• He has been an outspoken supporter of Donald Trump for years.

Actor Kelsey Grammer has been a household name since his beloved psychiatrist character Dr. Frasier Crane was a regular on Cheers. The five-time Emmy winner would of course go on to star in the hit spinoff Frasier, which ran for 11 seasons before wrapping up in 2004. The show received the reboot treatment in 2023 when Paramount Plus brought it back.

When Frasier initially ended, George W. Bush was president which one can see echoes of in the series. The character of Frasier appeared to be socially liberal but fiscally conservative, but what about Kelsey himself? How much of the actor embodies Frasier Crane and will we see a reflection of the 2023 times in the reboot? Here's what we know about Kelsey Grammer's politics.

Kelsey has been known as a long-time Republican in Hollywood. When Piers Morgan asked him in 2011 if he identified with the Tea Party, Kelsey said that while he had "been told that they’re lunatics," he did agree with some of their principles: “I think smaller government is a good idea, always have. I think lower taxes are a good idea, always have. That’s what I know they talk about,” he said.

His views shifted away from those typically held by fellow Republicans when it came to the topic of gay marriage. "I guess I'm more libertarian in that way. I think marriage is up to two people that love each other, and if you find a church that you want to get married in, you go right ahead," he shared with Piers. His stance here may not be surprising if you consider all the pioneering aspects of Frasier.

As The Independent noted in 2021, "Though its core characters were all straight, it was also a quintessentially gay show – featuring gay writers, gay actors (including Pierce and Dan Butler, who played Bob “Bulldog” Briscoe) and plotlines which either jokingly or codedly tackled gay issues." As such, the outlet explains, the audience tended to be left-leaning — which is why some of Grammer's pro-Trump comments don't really mesh well with the reboot.

Kelsey has been open about his feelings on Donald Trump. For instance, in an interview with BBC Radio in 2019 (per the Belfast Telegraph), the actor explained: “In terms of policy, I don’t have a lot of problems with what [Trump] is doing." “He’s a bit of a brat, I guess you could say, and that is astounding for people, especially (those) who come from the more liberal side of politics – they’re used to being the brats and so they’ve never had anybody come back at them the same way," Kelsey added.

In December 2023, Kelsey was being interviewed on BBC Radio 4’s Today show when host Justin Webb asked the actor if he still supported former President Donald Trump. "I am,” said Kelsey. "And I’ll let that be the end of it." However, it was not Kelsey's choice to end things there. In a clip shared by Mediaite, Justin revealed that it was Paramount Plus who cut the interview short. "I have to say, actually, Kelsey Grammer himself was perfectly happy to go on talking about it," said Justin.

In a perfect world, Kelsey Grammer ended the interview with something a little more Frasier-esque. On his fictional radio show, Dr. Crane often closed his show with a short but hopeful, "'Till [insert day of this week], this is Dr. Frasier Crane signing off." We always knew he would return.