Did Kelsey Grammer Really Dump Two Babies From Frasier?

Look, like a whole generation of 90s kids, I love Kelsey Grammer as Frasier Crane. Over the course of four decades, the actor has demonstrated a remarkable talent for portraying a character who is at once warm and friendly, but also insufferably pompous. Grammer never missed a step when playing Dr.Crane, even in the game not the remarkable yet disappointing “Frasier” revival series currently streaming on Paramount+. From his debut on “Cheers” to his current exploits in the streaming era, Frasier has been a joy to watch portrayed by Grammer.

But the actor's role as the beloved psychiatrist has not been without some questionable moments. Take, for example, the time he became one upset with his “Frasier” co-star that he lightly chided her for “nonsense” and attracting “so much attention.” At first his comments seemed like the tongue-in-cheek tongue-twist of a sitcom star, but then his 1995 memoir came out and the tone became more serious. “The only trouble I have is when people start believing he's an actor,” Grammer wrote of his colleague. “Activation to me is a craft, not a reflex. It takes years to learn, and while it has its merits, the reward I seek is not a hot dog.” What is Grammer so upset about? Dog.

Moose the dog played Eddie in the original sitcom (alongside his son Enzo) and apparently wasn't Grammer's favorite actor. You'd think the man was being inconsistent in trying to transfer some comedy from his illustrious comedy career. But that's not entirely clear from his memoirs, which continue: “The moose does the tricks; I memorize the lines, say the words, even walk and the like. But I don't need a trainer standing off-camera, gesticulating wildly and waving around a piece of meat to would know where I should look.”

The history of witty Grammer quotes continued with him not a very modest statement that his character alone was the key to the success of “Frasier”. — which is clearly “silly” considering that the original series featured one of the best ensembles ever assembled for the small screen. Now, further evidence in favor of Grammer's own “nonsense” may have surfaced, although much like his dog's wheezing, it's still unclear just how serious the man is.

If you're wondering if Kelsey Grammer could turn his anger from dogs to the other actors in the group being warned not to work with children, he absolutely can… I think so. Talking to LA TimesGrammer and Jack Cutmore-Scott (who plays Dr. Crane's son Freddy in the “Frasier” reboot) discussed the children used in the original sitcom. The writer asks Cutmore-Scott, “Other people played Freddy on 'Frasier'. Did you put a lot of thought into how to incorporate those performances into your part?” But instead of Freddy the actor answering, we get another inscrutable interjection from Grammer, who seems to be trying to get the kids out of his comedy. “There were a few. I let one go,” the star said, adding:

“I said to one kid, 'Are you tired? And he said, “No.” And I said, “I think you need to go take a nap.” And he said, “No, I don't need to take a nap.” And I said, “Well, I'll tell you what, you're going to take a break anyway, because I'm not sure if that's your future.” I just thought that kid wasn't going to make it.”

It's hard to tell after a written interview, but it's not entirely clear that Grammer is joking here. If not, which Freddy actor did he fire? Was he really that upset about a kid doing what kids do and refusing to take a nap? It would seem funny if it were true, wouldn't it? Well, this is not the only person who agreed created a casino heist with the “Money Plane” movie Beast of the day is being called “the dumbest movie of 2020,” but wait until you hear what else he did.

Did Fraser really fire the kid for not napping? Before we can even begin to analyze Kelsey Grammer's comments on this, he dropped another bombshell on us, telling the LA Times that he also fired the two little girls who played Rose's (Peri Gilpin) daughter Alice on the show. “I fired a couple of babies once,” Grammer says. “Pink baby: We had twins for that. They just didn't cooperate. So I said, 'Go enjoy your new career as babies.'”

Now I am convinced that working with children can be as difficult as they say, especially babies. Nor is it that Hollywood is famous for its grace and sensitivity towards actors. But would you really openly admit to letting go of two babies when you weren't even asked? This has to be a joke…right? Meanwhile Alice is played by Grammer's own daughter Greer in the “Frasier” revival seriesand if I were her, I'd be a little worried about being unceremoniously discharged if the babies didn't make it to the table.

Not that any of this takes away from Grammer's performances, but surely any “Frasier” fan and follower of the man's career would be interested to know what really happened. Unfortunately, it looks like this is yet another public statement from an actor that will remain frustratingly opaque — not as frustrating as having your canine co-star called an “actor,” but frustrating nonetheless.