‘Frasier’ star Kelsey Grammer on why his seven kids will get his inheritance

Kelsey Grammer plans to ensure that his seven children will inherit his fortune one day. 

In an interview with Fox News Digital, the 67-year-old actor shared his thoughts on the inheritance debate that has been swirling in Hollywood after Marie Osmond said that she will not be including her children in her will.

“My kids are going to get their inheritance,” the “Frasier” star asserted.

He continued, “If the United States has decided they don’t want to give it to them, we’ll go someplace else.”

Kelsey Grammer plans to ensure that his seven children will inherit his fortune one day. 
(Bryan Steffy/Getty Images for Keep Memory Alive)

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“But, you know, I got to make sure that they’re well cared for because that’s my job.”

Grammer, who has been married four times, shares his eldest child, daughter Spencer Grammer, 39, with his first wife Doreen Alderman. He is also father to daughter Greer Grammer, 30, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Barrie Buckner. 

The “Grand Isle” actor has daughter Mason Olivia, 21, and son Jude Gordon, 18, with his ex-wife Camille Grammer, 54. He married Kayte Walsh in 2011, two weeks after finalizing his divorce from Camille. Grammer and the U.K. native are parents to daughter Faith Evangeline, 10 and sons Kelsey Gabriel, 8, and Auden James, 6.

Grammer has an estimated net worth of $80 million as of 2022, according to Celebrity Net Worth. He reportedly amassed much of his fortune while starring on “Frasier” from 1993 to 2004. 

Kelsey Grammer, who has been married four times, shares his eldest child, daughter Spencer Grammer, 39, left, with his first wife Doreen Alderman.
(Photo by Michael Buckner/Getty Images For STARZ)

Kelsey Grammer is also father to daughter Greer Grammer, 30, right, whom he shares with his ex-girlfriend Barrie Buckner.
(Photo by Kevin Winter/Getty Images)

Though Grammer has never publicly disclosed his salary, he inked a record-breaking $75 million deal with the Paramount Network for the last two seasons of the hit sitcom in 2001, according to Variety. Grammer was the highest paid actor in TV history at the time, taking home $1.6 million per episode.

During his interview with Fox News Digital, Grammer opened up about the new Paramount+ “Frasier” revival series, in which he is reprising his role as the titular radio psychiatrist. 

On Monday, casting director Jeff Greenberg confirmed that the production was officially moving forward as he shared an image of the script for the revival’s pilot episode in a now-deleted tweet.

The first page of the script revealed the episode’s title “The Good Father,” which is an homage to the title of the original series’ 1993 pilot “The Good Son.” 

The "Grand Isle" actor has daughter Mason Olivia, 21, and son Jude Gordon, 18, with his ex-wife Camille Grammer, 54. 
(Photo by D Dipasupil/FilmMagic)

Kelsey Grammer married Kayte Walsh in 2011, two weeks after finalizing his divorce from Camille. Grammer and the U.K. native are parents to daughter Faith Evangeline, 10 and sons Kelsey Gabriel, 8, and Auden James, 6 (not pictured).
(Demis Maryannakis/Star Max/GC Images)

Executive producers Joe Christalli and Chris Harris were credited as writers while “Cheers” co-creator James Burrow, who helmed the original “Frasier” pilot and many episodes of the series, was listed as the director.

“And so it begins. Again,” Greenberg wrote.

Though the upcoming show, which is also titled “Frasier” has been billed as a reboot of the original show, which itself was a spinoff of “Cheers,” Grammer said that description was not exactly accurate.

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“It’s technically not really a reboot,” he told Fox News Digital.

“It’s another spinoff to a spinoff within a spinoff within a, you know, a mystery within an enigma,” Grammer added with a laugh.

He continued, “Technically it’s act four for Frasier because he went off to Chicago for 18 years, supposedly, and then had a life there that we don’t really know about. We’ll discover some of what happened there in the subsequent shows.”

The Broadway star and sitcom legend also told Fox News Digital his new "Frasier" show is not a reboot.
(Photo by: NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

“We are very excited about this new world that he’s stepping into and this new Frasier that he’s going to be carving out,” Grammer added. “And there will be some return visits from the legacy cast of the “Frasier” show. But it became clear that that was not going to be what we were going to do.”

“We weren’t going to do the same bunch in a similar place or whatever, because Frasier had already left there anyway, which I think is kind of important in terms of energizing the move to another place. And so there’s one more place in store, and that’s what we’re very excited about.”

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While longtime fans might be disappointed to learn that Frasier will not be returning to his old stomping grounds of Seattle, Grammer teased that nostalgic viewers will have much to look forward to with the revival.

“I can assure the audience that it will still be playing up to the audience,” he said. “That the old sort of indelible thing about our show was always we tried not to make contemporary culture too much a part of it so that it would date itself. “

“And also we always thought, you know, maybe we play like everybody is as smart as the smartest people we know, instead of sort of a medium-like average of a ten-year-old. And it seemed to bear some fruit for us in the past. So we’re we’re thrilled to mount the show again in that way with that frame of mind.”

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Grammer told Fox News Digital that he was not sure if he will sing the theme song for the revival as he did for the original series. The Juilliard-trained actor, who began singing at the age of 14, famously sang the theme “Tossed Salad and Scrambled Eggs,” at the end of every “Frasier” episode.

“We’re kicking it around,” he said. “I would love to still sing something, but it seems appropriate that maybe it would be retooled a little. You know, we haven’t quite nailed that down yet. I mean, somewhere between tomorrow when we do our first reading and when it finally airs, we’ll figure out what that’s going to be.”

Grammer is also executive producing the revival, which was picked up for a full first season in October, according to Deadline.

When asked if there was any fun fact that longtime fans would be surprised to learn about his beloved character, Grammer admitted that he had “never really thought about it.”

“He pretty much wears his heart on his sleeve,” Grammer explained. “He’s been an honest, open, tortured, you know, staggering, onward, rejoicing, human being for a long time.”

Kelsey Grammer told Fox News Digital that he was not sure if he will sing the theme song for the revival as he did for the original series. 
(Getty Images)

The four-time Emmy Award winner continued, “He’s been an inspiration to me on some level, because he no matter how hard you knock them down, he still bounces up like one of those funny clowns, you know, sort of weighted on the bottom.”

“He comes in for another lick,” he added. “I think what’s remarkable about him — I think what they may be surprised about is how still timely it will be that Frasier is still continuing his odyssey through this emotional landscape and through his dreams of becoming the best version of himself he can be. That’s kind of been his motivation all this time. And to do the work.”

The U.S. Virgin Islands native also reflected on how the landscape of television had changed in the 30 years since “Frasier” debuted.

“In the end, this is what’s funny about it, the stuff that works still works,” Grammer said. “The stuff that always worked still works.”

He continued, “You know, it’s got to be funny and relevant and connected to the human heart. If it doesn’t have any real connection to the human heart, there’s no point in doing it.”

Grammer went on to say, “That’s something that is arguably not in practice as much as it used to be, I think. But in this medium, in this particular style of show, if you don’t have that connection, it’s not going to fly. The comedy is not going to fly.” 

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“So it’s got to be rooted in something important, which is us. It’s us, our life, our experience, the things we go through. And whether or not we are sort of obedient to the decorative manias of society, that’s not as important as long as we maintain our rudder about playing up to the audience and being connected to the human heart, I think we’re going to be fine.”

“Everybody’s looking for love. Everybody’s looking to be appreciated. Everybody’s looking to mean something. I don’t think that’s changed for thousands of years.”

While Grammer said that he was excited to introduce “Frasier” to a new generation of viewers during a time that has been widely regarded as the “Golden Age of Television,” he admitted that he does not watch much TV himself. He told Fox News Digital that he prefers to watch classic movies when he is not busy working.

“I’m woefully inadequate as an audience member. I really do stink at it,” he said with a laugh. “I have a whole bunch of children who pretty much have me watching really crazy stuff that is, you know, in their wheelhouse right now.”

“And I’m glad I’m there because my hands are full, just sort of trying to make sure it doesn’t turn into a runaway train in terms of the things they’re watching. And some of them are pretty crazy. It’s a new world out there.”

Kelsey Grammer explained that he and his family have been dividing their time between Los Angeles and the U.K., where he recently purchased a home in the town of Portishead, near the city of Bristol.
(Getty)

The actor explained that he and his family have been dividing their time between Los Angeles and the U.K., where he recently purchased a home in the town of Portishead, near the city of Bristol. Grammer’s wife Kayte is the daughter of Alan Walsh, a former professional soccer player for the Bristol City team and the coach of the Bristol Rovers football club.

“My wife’s English,” he said. “And we have some production development going on over there for the company and for Channel 4 over there. So, yeah, we go back and forth for a couple of reasons. We have some good friends in England still but we have family.”

He continued, “My wife’s family is there and there have been – some things came up the last year or so we just thought, my wife said that she wanted to be a little closer to home so I’ll do what I can to facilitate that.”

In addition to the “Frasier” revival, Grammer said that he is very excited about his new partnership with the on-demand performing arts streaming platform Stage Access. Grammer recently announced that he was collaborating with Stage Access and will be serving as a presenter and host for select major programs.

In addition to the "Frasier" revival, Kelsey Grammer said that he is very excited about his new partnership with the on-demand performing arts streaming platform Stage Access. 
(Photo by Slaven Vlasic/Getty Images)

The platform is dedicated to streaming productions of opera, classical music, ballet and performing arts. Grammer recently introduced Giacomo Puccini’s opera “Tosca” and John Neumeier and the Hamberg Ballet’s production of William Shakespeare’s “A Midsummer Night’s Dream, which are both available to stream now on Stage Access.

“It’s an idea that I love,” Grammer said of Stage Access. “The classics are very, very important to me personally. But also, I think they contribute to the human experience.”

He continued, “If you only open your eyes and sort of, you know, allow yourself to embrace it, there’s a sort of refinement of entertainment and an elevation of connection that is capable of cutting across all spectrums, all classes, all influences, all derivations or the places we come from.”

“Any culture can embrace most of what is embraced in the classics. And so I think it is a neglected part of our experience and I think one that actually the more mainstream we can get it, the better off we’re all going to be.”

The “Boss” alum also shared what he hopes Stage Access viewers will take away from the experience.

“Just the scope and size and the majesty of what the great composers, the great choreographers, the great artists have done in time,” he said.

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Grammer continued, “There’s extraordinary stuff. I mean, serious music, classical entertainment has been woefully neglected, especially the last couple of years, because, of course, we locked everything down as well.”

“So some of these wonderful institutions around the world that actually just specialize in that haven’t had audiences. Their stages have been closed, their doors have been shut. And so they are sort of behind the eight-ball. But this reintroduces the idea that it might be a revenue stream that they can actually participate in, but also show their works.”

“There is an audience that’s available. If we do a good enough job and acquainting people who are like surfing around and going like, well, you know, ‘I can take an hour off for this,’ it would be fantastic because I think it will enhance the quality of their lives.”

“And I think that’s what great entertainment does,” he concluded.

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