Kelsey Grammer has called Los Angeles home for four decades, yet he admits he never truly fell in love with the city.
In a candid interview with Fox News Digital, the 70-year-old actor said, “The minute I got here,” he knew LA was not exactly for him.
Despite that early impression, Grammer has stayed in the city since the early 1980s, when his breakthrough role as Dr. Frasier Crane in Cheers made him a household name.
“It’s an unlikely sort of love affair I have with this town,” Grammer explained. “I’m not crazy about it. But I also love it. So I’m doing my best to kind of lift my heart to take each day as the gift it is.”
He jokingly criticized the city’s leadership, saying, “It’s like we got nincompoops running things. It’s life, it’s the way it is.”
Grammer added that he and his family try to create a little sanctuary in the city. “I’m hoping that we find our corner in Los Angeles so we can keep our little garden, you know, growing and pristine. And we certainly have a family that sort of reflects that. I’m happy.”
Born in Saint Thomas, U.S. Virgin Islands, Grammer grew up mainly in New Jersey and Florida. He began his acting career in New York before moving permanently to LA after landing his iconic role in Cheers.
The Frasier star has often spoken about his concerns with the management of Los Angeles and California.
After the devastating LA fires in January, Grammer told Fox News Digital that he saw a shift in local politics, driven by what he believed was mismanagement of fire prevention.
“I’ve always been a little bit on the more conservative side of things politically around here,” he said. “So that shift seems to be unfolding because of… I guess you’d call it malfeasance in office.”
Grammer emphasized that accountability is important but uncertain. “Somebody took their eye off the ball, and there’s probably going to be some accountability for that. But you never know in California.”
He also shared that his home had “a house full of refugees” after the fires destroyed parts of Pacific Palisades and Altadena.
“I am devastated by the loss, the human loss, the loss of life,” Grammer said. “When you lose everything you have, and that’s happened to me a couple of times in my lifetime, it’s just [like], OK, that’s [when] you pick up, and you figure out what’s going to happen next, one foot in front of the other. That’s how it has to be.”
Despite the tragedy, Grammer highlighted the support from others. “There are a lot of people around who want to support those affected by the fires.”
He acknowledged that some residents may leave LA after losing everything. “For many, they’re going to want to find a new way to live, a new way forward, a new place to live. But I know a lot of people want to stay, and I wish them well with it. And I’m certainly going to do everything I can to help.”
Currently, Grammer stars in the new survival thriller Turbulence, playing Harry, a hot-air balloon operator.
The film follows Zach and Emmy, a couple on a romantic hot-air balloon ride that takes a terrifying turn when a third passenger, tied to Zach’s past, hijacks their journey.
As secrets unravel, the romantic retreat transforms into a brutal mental chess game and a high-stakes battle in the sky. The cast includes Hera Hilmar, Jeremy Irvine, and Olga Kurylenko.
Grammer explained why he was drawn to the role. “My initial reaction was basically, I think I figured I could do it. That’s what I usually would do. And have I done it before? Well, not exactly.”
He compared his character to a previous role in Down Periscope. “He’s a little like Captain Tom Dodge… a guy that’s running a boat, basically. He knows how to sail, understands the wind, the relationship between the environment and where he is in his vessel. He’s a good skipper.”
Grammer enjoyed the chance to play a character who is “avuncular and friendly, and you feel safe around him. That was something I haven’t played a lot. So it was fun to do.”
Turbulence is set to be released in theaters and on digital platforms on December 12, giving fans a chance to see Grammer in a completely different role from his iconic TV characters.
Even after 40 years in Los Angeles, Grammer’s reflections show a man who is realistic about the city’s chaos but committed to his family, work, and a small personal oasis in a sprawling, unpredictable metropolis.
His story is a reminder that even in a city of glitz, glamour, and constant motion, finding peace often comes from creating your own corner of calm amid the storm.
