What We Know About Kelsey Grammer's Political Views

Kelsey Grammer is best known for his long-running role as Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcoms "Cheers" and "Frasier," but he couldn't be more different than the TV character he has played for nearly 40 years. When viewers first met Grammer's character at the "Cheers" bar in 1984, his political views weren't purposely revealed, but by the time he scored his "Frasier" spinoff, the radio psychologist appeared to be a liberal Democrat. He even recorded a commercial spot for a liberal congressional candidate, Phil Patterson, in the 1994 episode "The Candidate."

But in real life, Grammer, 68, wouldn't endorse Patterson for Congress because Grammer himself is a stanch Republican. In 2008, the actor even hit the road to support Republican Senator John McCain at a campaign rally, per The New York Post.

In 2017, Grammer revealed that he voted for Donald Trump for president. And while he has not hidden the fact that he leans right, Grammer told BBC Radio's "Desert Island Discs" that his political leanings make him a target in Hollywood. "I'm respected in the industry; I am probably reviled in some of the back channels," he said in 2017.

Kelsey Grammer has made no secret of his political preferences, although he has stopped short of praising how the government has been run by previous senators in office. "I'm a conservative. I have been for a long time. I'm just not a big government guy," he once said, per CNN.

In a 2019 interview with PBS' Christine Amanpour (per USA Today), Grammer said that Donald Trump's presidency was a good thing for the United States, and he went so far as to add that the White House –- and the country — needed the shake-up. "I don't think Washington did us any favors for the last 50, 60 years. I think they've all been sort of the same party, the same bunch of clowns, the same bunch of really unpleasant people. And I don't think they've been helping anybody but themselves," he said at the time. Of the divide in the country over politics, the actor said the U.S. has been through much worse in the past.

Grammer himself previously teased a future run for office in New York. "I have had a great career and extraordinary opportunities," he told The New York Post in 2011. "I look at my political aspirations as that last piece of my life — where I hope to do something good for people and pay back a little."

Kelsey Grammer is not the only outspoken celebrity in Hollywood. Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Woods, and Jon Voight are all loyal to the Republican Party. And while they've all found great success in showbusiness, Grammer has stated that he thinks his political leanings may have cost him an Emmy nomination for his drama series "Boss," in which he played Chicago Mayor Tom Kane. In 2012, Grammer appeared on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno," where he speculated on why he earned a Golden Globe Award for the Starz drama series but not even a nod from the Television Academy. "It's hard to figure," he told Leno of the snub, per The Hollywood Reporter. "It may have to do with several things... I'm a declared out-of-the-closet Republican in Hollywood."

Grammer went on to say that it is possible that an Emmy voter could discriminate against him based on politics. "Do I believe it's possible that some young person, young voting actor — or even older voting member for the Emmys — would sit there and go, 'Yeah, that's a great performance, but ooh, I just hate everything he stands for?'" he said, hinting that he does believe it could happen and probably did.

Grammer also noted that he hadn't won an Emmy since publicly talking about his conservative stance. The actor has won five Emmy Awards since 1994, but his last one was for a "Simpsons" episode in 2006.