Kelsey Grammer Reportedly Cut Off During BBC Interview, Sparks Controversy Over Trump Support
Kelsey Grammer made headlines after he was reportedly cut off during a recent interview with BBC Radio 4, after the actor acknowledged that he supports former President Donald Trump. The 68-year-old actor appeared on the national radio station’s Today program to discuss his new “Frasier” reboot. According to the show’s host, Justin Webb, it was Paramount, the studio behind the show, that pulled the plug on the conversation after Grammer acknowledged his support of Trump.
“I am and I’ll let that be the end of it,” said Grammer. As reported from Yahoo UK, Webb divulged what went on behind the scenes—that the “Frasier” star was “perfectly happy to go on talking” about his support for Trump with the Paramount+ UK PR team seeming not so pleased. “The Paramount+ PR people [were] less happy that he talked about it at some length so we … They decided we’d had plenty of time for our interview,” Webb said.
After 20 years off the air, “Frasier” was rebooted by Paramount+ two months ago. Grammer is reprising his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane of the acclaimed NBC sitcom, which ran from 1993 to 2004. Critics have given the sequel/revival good reviews. This version features a new cast including English actor Nicholas Lyndhurst, star of the British TV sitcom “Only Fools and Horses.”
During the BBC interview, Grammer mainly talked about bringing the show back, specifically mentioning Roseanne Barr’s comeback six years ago. He said that had inspired him, and he went on to discuss the definable characteristics of the Frasier character. He also spoke about how he met co-star Lyndhurst four years ago and how the two have related to each other’s family tragedies. Lyndhurst’s son Archie died from a brain hemorrhage in September 2020 at age 19. Among other tragedies in his life, Grammer’s sister Karen was murdered in 1975.
“It was Nic who reminded me that it was only three or four years ago, Archie was standing right next to Nic when I said, ‘I think you should be part of the next Frasier,'” Grammer said. “So we’ve always sensed that this was something that was right for us to be together.” The Emmy-winning actor also said he hoped that the book he just wrote about the experience of losing his sister might help others who have experienced a similar kind of death in their family.
Grammer’s comment about Trump comes at the very end of the six-minute radio segment and only because he was asked directly about it by Webb, who mentioned that Barr was also a Trump supporter. Mainstream media outlets focused mainly on Grammer’s support of Trump. As reported by Deadline, “Grammer has previously expressed support for Trump—a relatively rare position for a TV and movie star to take—and he also used his BBC interview to back Roseanne.” In the past, the “Frasier” star hasn’t been reticent about supporting conservative candidates, including President Trump.
In 2019, the actor reiterated his support, saying that President Trump’s disruption of politics as usual “is a good thing.” The interview’s abrupt end prompted fans to speculate on social media about whether Grammer’s Trump support played a part in the decision to cut the interview short. While some praised Grammer for standing firm in his beliefs, others questioned whether his personal opinions were relevant to a discussion of his work. The controversy is likely to continue as Grammer’s support of Trump dominates headlines.
