In a heartfelt moment on his SiriusXM podcast, veteran actor Ted Danson extended a long-overdue apology to his former “Cheers” co-star Kelsey Grammer for letting a decades-old disagreement get in the way of their friendship.
During the episode of “Where Everybody Knows Your Name with Ted Danson and Woody Harrelson (sometimes),” the 76-year-old Danson candidly reflected on the strain in his relationship with Grammer, who played psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the beloved sitcom.
“This isn’t self-deprecating, but I wish—II feel like I got stuck a little bit with you during the Cheers years,” Danson told Grammer, 69. “I remember getting angry at you once.”
Grammer acknowledged the incident, saying, “Yeah, you came and told me that one day.”
But Danson expressed regret over allowing that moment to define their relationship, lamenting, “I feel like, f—, I don’t know. 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.”
“I apologize to you and me that I sat back, you know, and didn’t,” Danson said with sincerity. I really do apologize.”
Grammer graciously accepted the apology, sharing how Danson had once offered him wise words of advice that he still cherishes to this day.
“When I turned 40, you came up and said, ‘You know what it means, don’t you? Now that you’re 40, it means you’re finally worth having a conversation with.’ That was f-ing brilliant,” Grammer recalled. “I always loved that. I thought about it and repeated it. My love for you has always been as simple as the day. You know, it’s as simple as the dawn.
Danson replied simply, “Mine too.”
The two actors, who rose to fame together on the iconic sitcom that ran from 1982 to 1993, acknowledged that, despite spending so much time working side-by-side, they often went their separate ways after the cameras stopped rolling. However, their bond on the set of “Cheers” remained strong.
Their recent reunion on stage at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards, where they appeared alongside other “Cheers” cast members, seemed to reignite their fondness for one another and the show that cemented their legacies.
As Danson and Grammer reflect on the “Cheers” days and their missed opportunities for deeper friendship, their candid conversation serves as a poignant reminder that it’s never too late to mend broken bridges and celebrate the bonds that once brought such joy.