Drugs, Booze & Abuse! Behind-The-Scenes Secrets & Scandals Of 'Fraiser' Revealed
One of the most successful sitcoms in television history, Frasier, kept millions laughing for 11 years. But the tight-knit cast hid dark secrets and scandals.
In this special behind-the-scenes report, RadarOnline.com reveals who was a battered husband, the drugs and booze abuse, the star who gave up sex and the loveless beauty who lived like a nun.
Shockingly, the NBC blockbuster, which ran from 1993 to 2004, almost didn't happen!
Kelsey Grammer, who'd just finished eight seasons playing pompous shrink Dr. Frasier Crane on Cheers, didn't want a spin-off.
"My initial feelings were that Frasier should die with 'Cheers,'" confesses the actor.
Thankfully, he relented.
But Kelsey, 62, hid deadly drug and alcohol demons, triggered after the brutal murders of his estranged father in 1968, and 18-year-old sister, Karen, in 1975. Two half-brothers, Stephen and Billy, died in a 1980 scuba accident.
He plunged into a two-decade downward spiral that was halted after his castmates staged a secret life-saving intervention.
Production shut down for a month while he checked into the Betty Ford Clinic.
"A very special small group of people came to me in a very dark time in my life and told me there was a way out. Thank you," says Kelsey.
Unknown to viewers, his personal life exploded again in 1993 after he wed second wife, Leigh-Anne Csuhany.
David Hyde Pierce, 58, who played Frasier's neurotic brother, Niles, hid his true sexuality with two ex-wives on the show.
But three years after the series ended, David came out as gay at the 2007 Emmys, publicly thanking his longtime partner, TV producer-writer, Brian Hargrove.
John Mahoney, Frasier's gruff ex-detective dad, Marty Crane, gave up sex!
Romantic life, he has said, "doesn't exist for me anymore."
- Nastiest Bravo Breakups in 12 Clicks: From Lala Kent and Randall Emmett to Yolanda Hadid and David Foster
- Kelsey Grammer's Low-Budget 'Frasier' Reboot Lacks 'Lavish Sets' & 'Beloved Faces Fans Held Dear'
- ‘He Overplayed His Hand And Lost’: David Hyde Pierce Accused Of Being ‘Greedy’ During Frasier Reboot Negotiations Which Led To Producers Retooling Show
He shockingly revealed in 2008 that he battled colon cancer in the mid-80s and had to have major surgery.
"I have a colostomy," said John, now 77. "I really couldn't have sex after that."
The show's success meant British actress Jane Leeves, who played Marty Crane's nurse, Daphne Moon, "lived like a nun and had no sex," either!
At 35, having given up hope of meeting Mr. Right, she considered adopting a child.
But Mahoney stopped her. He said, "Don't do it. I swear you will be married within two years." And he was right!
Jane, now 56, wed studio exec Marshall Coben in 1996, and has two children.
Peri Gilpin, also 56, wasn't the first actress cast to play Roz Doyle, the straight-shooting producer of Frasier's radio talk show.
Lisa Kudrow — who went on to "Friends" fame the next year — was dumped just a few days into shooting because she was a bit "daffy."
Peri and Kelsey struggled to work together early on.
Things got so bad, Kelsey told her, "Ugh, I wish Kirstie Alley, his Cheers co-star was here!"
Dan Butler's role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe, Frasier and Roz's super-macho co-worker, hid the truth — he was gay!
Now an activist for LGBTQ rights, Dan, 62, lives with his husband, director Richard Waterhouse, in Vermont.
We pay for juicy info! Do you have a story for RadarOnline.com? Email us at tips@radaronline.com, or call us at (866) ON-RADAR (667-2327) any time, day or night.