Greer Grammer Opens Up About Reconnecting With Her Father Kelsey Grammer After Years Apart

Actress and former MTV star Greer Grammer, 33, has spoken candidly about growing up with periods of separation from her father, Frasier star Kelsey Grammer, 70. In a heartfelt conversation on the podcast Pretty Basic with hosts Alisha Marie and Remi Cruz, Greer revealed the story of how she reunited with her father at age 16 after more than a decade of limited contact.

Childhood Memories, Separation and a Chance Reunion

Greer’s parents — Kelsey Grammer and Barrie Buckner — met in 1991 and welcomed Greer in 1992. Though the actor remained in her early life, Greer explained:

“My dad left when I was 4, and then I didn’t meet him again until I was 16.”
Technically she recalls seeing him once at age 11, at a blockbuster event, but she said she “ran” from the meeting. Then, in what she described as a “Christmas-tree-lot” moment, the pair reconnected at age 16:
“He came up to me and said, ‘Are you Greer?’ … And I said, ‘Yes, I am.’ And then he went, ‘I’m –’ And I was like, ‘I know who you are. Duh.’”

Greer shared that her father gave her a phone number on that day, and soon after they met for lunch — marking the start of a renewed relationship.

Kelsey Grammer and his daughter, Mason, at Universal Studios Hollywood in Universal City, California, on May 17, 2008.

Early Memories and The Gap in Between

Despite years of absence, Greer said she retains vivid early memories of her father:

“I remember going to ‘Frasier’ at one point and wondering why the girls in the back kept redoing the scene.”
She also recalled her father attending her pre-school production of The Wizard of Oz.
But beyond those memories she said: “After that, I don’t know” — highlighting the emotional blank in her early teenage years.

It wasn’t until therapy that Greer confronted the impact of the separation on her psyche. She shared how her psychologist asked if Greer’s mother had ever explained to her when her father “wasn’t a part of your life anymore”. The question prompted a difficult realisation:

“I don’t think so … I think my brain’s probably blocking it out for a reason

Rekindled Relationship and Family Expansion

The father-daughter duo have since reconnected, with Greer even appearing alongside Kelsey in Season 2 of the Frasier reboot last year. Kelsey himself has addressed the improved family dynamics: speaking to People magazine in early November, he welcomed youngest child Christopher with his wife Kayte Walsh and said the entire family is “closer than we’ve ever been.”

Kelsey’s family is large: besides Greer and her older half-sister Spencer (43) with his first wife Doreen Alderman, he has Mason (24) and Jude (21) with third wife Camille Meyer, and children Faith (13), Kelsey Gabriel (11), and James (9) with Walsh — plus newborn Christopher.

Why This Story Resonates

Greer’s honesty touches on themes of absence, identity and reconciliation. Her public discussion of a father-daughter gap speaks to many families’ experiences of estrangement, especially among children of high-profile parents.
The fact that she chose to speak openly on a podcast underscores the growing willingness of celebrities to discuss mental-health and relational trauma.

What to Watch Going Forward

• Will Greer and her father share more collaborative work (beyond Frasier) as their relationship strengthens?

• How will Greer continue to address the emotional legacy of her childhood separation — through activism, storytelling or roles?

• In what ways will the actor Kelsey Grammer show his evolving role as father of eight children in the public eye, now that the family says its unity is stronger than ever?