Kelsey Grammer Says Democrats Made California 'Impossible' and Hollywood Has 'Closeted' Conservatives

Kelsey Grammer has claimed that Democrats have made California 'impossible' to live in, and that Hollywood is still home to conservatives who stay 'in the closet' about their politics to protect their careers.

The remarks came during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, hosted by conservative commentator Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller. The six-time Emmy winner, 71, used the conversation to set out his frustrations with the state where he built his career, and with an industry he says has sidelined those who share his views.

Asked about life in California, Grammer said Democratic policies had made the state unaffordable. Doing well there, he argued, came at 'a ridiculous price', and his own family had opted out of its public schools entirely.

'Our kids are all homeschooled,' he said, adding that the family avoids the school system 'because it's not good.'

'I think the Democrats have made it very impossible to live in California,' Grammer said.

He linked the decline of film production in the state to the same policies, saying California 'doesn't really support the film industry anymore' and that shooting abroad had become 'much more attractive'. He recalled being told on a recent shoot in England that the crew had not filmed in Los Angeles for three years and had no plans to go back.

Grammer has lived and worked in California for much of his career. He did not cite figures to back his criticism of the state's schools, saying only that his own children learn at home rather than in the classroom.

Why Kelsey Grammer Says Hollywood Keeps Conservatives 'Closeted'

Grammer also addressed the political climate inside the entertainment industry. 'There's several of us in the closet,' he said. 'There's several of us who aren't in the closet.' Some, he added, had 'left the acting profession entirely.'

He pointed to fellow actor James Woods as one example, recalling a dinner at which Woods, he said, was now 'happily out of it,' writing music and gambling.

Grammer, who has never hidden his own views, said he had 'been a conservative in Hollywood for 40 years' and had 'declared early'. He described himself as 'on the fringe' of the industry, though he suggested colleagues had grown used to it.

He suspects the stance may have cost him work. Asked whether he had ever lost a role over his politics, Grammer replied, 'I have no idea.' He continued, 'I suspect I may have, but I suspect I may be, you know, in that category where they just don't even think about me.'

He imagined the reasoning as, 'Oh, we wouldn't work with him. He's a conservative.' He added, 'I hope that's not the case because I'm actually pretty good at what I do.'

He argued that politics had entered decisions that should rest on merit alone, including who wins the industry's biggest honours. 'It shouldn't be politics,' he said. 'It should be performance.'

Kelsey Grammer Eyes History Project and a Possible Political Run

The interview lands as Grammer, best known for playing Dr Frasier Crane across the sitcoms Cheers and Frasier, has thrown himself into political and cultural causes. In the conversation, he said he had co-founded The American Revelation, a civics-led education project built around the 250th anniversary of the United States, which pairs a mobile app, a daily video series, and a book.

Grammer is set to host 250 short episodes, each covering a single year of American history.

The project grew out of a claim he has made repeatedly in recent months that American schools teach children to feel ashamed of their country. He has aired the same argument at public appearances through the summer, framing it as the reason he took up the cause.

He has also flirted with public office. Grammer said last month that he would 'consider' a run, casting it as a form of service he felt he still owed his country.

Grammer has won six Emmy Awards, three Golden Globes, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and a Tony Award over a career spanning more than four decades. Two seasons of a Frasier revival have aired on Paramount+ since 2023.