Why Cheers Costars Kelsey Grammer & Ted Danson Were In A Decades-Long Feud

The neighborhood "Cheers" pub may have been where everybody knew your name, but it apparently wasn't where everybody was friends. The always-crowded mahogany bar that housed our favorite "Cheers" characters isn't quite a testament to what the cast is doing today. Ted Danson, who played a former pitcher for the Red Sox and bar owner Sam Malone, and Kelsey Grammer, who played the beer-loving psychiatrist Frasier Crane, reportedly had a falling out that resulted in them not speaking for over three decades.

Grammer and Danson finally discussed their gripe on an October 2024 podcast episode of "Where Everybody Knows Your Name," which is co-hosted by Danson and fellow "Cheers" alum Woody Harrelson. "I feel like I got stuck a little bit with you during the 'Cheers' years," Danson began. "I have a memory of getting angry at you once." According to both actors, after a disagreement on set, they hung on to the resentment for the three decades that followed. 

They didn't go into detail on the podcast, but Grammer gave an explanation of what happened between them to the New York Post in January 2025. The "Frasier" star said that their feud was blown out of proportion. "There really wasn't an argument," he explained. "It was at a time in my life when I was actually going through a lot of self-doubt, self-loathing, honestly." Their dispute, according to Grammer, had something to do with his ill-preparedness for the show, which Grammer admitted was due to his drinking at the time. Not much occurred between them after that, resulting in a lost friendship for the greater half of their careers.

Since reconciling, Ted Danson feels contrite about losing all those years of what could've been a post-"Cheers" bond with Kelsey Grammer. "I missed out on the last 30 years of Kelsey Grammer, and I feel like it's my bad, my doing, and I almost feel like apologizing to you," Danson said on his podcast. Fortunately, their friendship seems just as easy to pick back up as it was to let go; Grammer said, "My love for you has always been as easy as the day."

Danson noted that their unparalleled experience on "Cheers" has always kept them close in memory. The hit show was a transformative experience for the actors. Grammer's tragic life story turned to a new and exciting chapter when he got the role of Frasier on the sitcom. He was quite the hit, going on to star in the spinoff "Frasier," which ran for 11 seasons. 

Grammer revived his titular character in 2023 for the reboot of "Frasier," which only lasted two seasons — and only included some of the original cast. Before its cancellation, Grammer mused to The New York Times that the show, and subsequently Frasier, "could last another decade." Now that he and Danson have made amends, maybe it's the dawn of a new "Cheers" reboot.