Kelsey Grammer explains how differences with Cheers costar Ted Danson got "blown out of proportion" into a 30-year feud

Kelsey Grammer recently revealed the reason behind his 30-year estrangement from Cheers co-star Ted Danson. The two actors, who worked together on the iconic sitcom, did not speak for three decades due to an incident Grammer now claims was "blown out of proportion."

Their fallout stemmed from a conversation on set, but Grammer insists there was never a dramatic argument. The matter resurfaced last October when Danson publicly apologized to Grammer on the Where Everybody Knows Your Name podcast on October 23, 2024.

While promoting his new movie, Wish You Were Here, Grammer told the New York Post on January 31:

"It got a little blown out of proportion. There really wasn't an argument. It was at a time in my life when I was actually going through a lot of self-doubt, self-loathing, honestly. It was when I was drinking a lot."

Kelsey Grammer explained that the tension began when Danson approached him with a grievance about his work ethic.

"Ted had just come up and said, 'You know, I’m kind of mad at you that sometimes you don’t show up ready to go,' and I said, 'Okay, I respect that.' And that actually was sort of it."

At the time, Grammer did not realize this conversation would impact their friendship. However, it led to a long period of silence between the two actors. Kelsey Grammer suggested that Ted Danson may have distanced himself from a stronger friendship, possibly to protect himself. He added that he was unsure of the reasons but expressed gratitude, stating that they were fine with the situation.

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Kelsey Grammer and Ted Danson's decades-long silence and reconciliation

Kelsey Grammer and Ted Danson starred together on Cheers for years, with Grammer joining the show in season 3 as Dr. Frasier Crane and becoming a series regular in season 5. Danson, the show's lead as Sam Malone, remained on the series until its conclusion in 1993.

Following Cheers, Grammer continued playing Frasier Crane in the long-running spinoff Frasier, which was revived last year with its second season premiering last month on Paramount+.

Despite working together for years, the brief conflict resulted in a 30-year gap in their friendship. It wasn't until 2024 that Danson publicly addressed the situation and took responsibility.

Grammer appeared on the October 2024 episode of Danson and Woody Harrelson's podcast, Where Everybody Knows Your Name, to promote his latest movie. Danson took this opportunity to acknowledge his role in the extended silence between them.

"I feel like I got stuck a little bit with you during the Cheers years," Danson admitted. "I have a memory of getting angry at you once, and it stuck in both of our memories. But I feel like... F---, I don't know, I missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer."

Ted Danson expressed regret over the situation and said he felt responsible for their distance.

"I feel like it's my bad, my doing, and I almost feel like apologizing to you," he continued. "No, I don't feel like, I apologize to you and me that I sat back and didn't, and I really do apologize."

Kelsey Grammer immediately accepted Danson's apology. He responded by thanking Danson and said:

"I wish we'd spent some more time together."

He further emphasized that he held no ill feelings toward Danson despite their long separation, stating that his affection for him had always been effortless, comparing it to the ease of the sunrise.