Renowned actor Kelsey Grammer — best known for portraying psychiatrist Frasier Crane on the legendary sitcom Cheers before reprising the character for the 90s spinoff, Frasier — celebrates his 70th year in 2025. After more than four decades in theater, television, and film, Grammar continues to delight fans, most recently working on the upcoming Marvel film, Avengers: Doomsday.
Despite his success, Grammer’s life and career have been marred by tragedy and controversy, and the celebrated comedian recently opened up to fans about the most traumatic event of his early life — the 1975 murder of his younger sister, Karen. In his new book, Karen: A Brother Remembers, released on May 6, he sheds new light on the tragedy, sharing chilling details about his sister’s last moments.
The grief that overcame Grammer after Karen’s departure was compounded by the subsequent untimely deaths of his father and brothers. In the wake of these familial tragedies, the actor grappled off and on with substance dependence while also navigating the complexities of a high-profile Hollywood career as one of television’s best-known sitcom actors.
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Now, after almost 45 years of acting, a heart attack, four marriages, and three books, fans are wondering just how much the multi-hyphenate actor, director, and author is worth.
Here’s a look at Kelsey Grammer’s net worth and earnings from his biggest roles as one of television’s highest-paid stars.
Kelsey Grammer speaks during a memorial for actor James Earl Jones in 2025.
What is Kelsey Grammer’s net worth in 2025?
As of mid-2025, most sources — including Yahoo, CelebrityNetWorth, Parade, and Nine — estimate Grammer’s net worth to be around $80 million.
Interestingly, Ted Danson, Grammer’s Cheers co-star and television royalty in his own right, is estimated to be worth about $80 million as well. Danson, born in 1947, is about seven years Grammer’s senior.
Woody Harrelson, another of Grammer’s Cheers costars, is estimated to be worth around $70 million. He is about seven years Grammer’s junior.
Related: Will Ferrell’s net worth: How much money does the “SNL” star have in 2025?
Grammar’s new book: Karen: A Brother Remembers
Karen: A Brother Remembers is Grammer’s latest book, released on May 6, 2025. The work of nonfiction details Grammer’s sister’s tragic and brutal kidnapping, sexual assault, and murder in Colorado Springs at the young age of 18. Grammer was just 20 at the time of his sister’s death, and the traumatic event affected him deeply at a time when he was just beginning his career in acting.
Oprah named the book one of her most anticipated literary releases of 2025. It can be purchased online at Amazon as a physical copy, e-book, or audiobook and can also be found at most major booksellers.
How much did Kelsey Grammer make from Frasier?
Kelsey Grammer’s compensation for playing Frasier’s lovably pretentious namesake protagonist varied over the course of the show’s 11 seasons, which aired from 1993 to 2004.
During the show’s final two seasons, when Grammer’s salary was at its peak, he famously earned $1.6 million per episode, which comes out to $38.4 million per season or $76.8 million combined. Adjusted for inflation, $1.6 million in 2003 would be equivalent to almost $2.8 million in 2025.
How much Grammer earned for the show’s first nine seasons isn’t known, but his compensation likely increased over the course of the program’s tenure as its popularity grew. Overall, it wouldn’t be unreasonable to assume that he may have been paid hundreds of millions for his role on the show across its 11 seasons.
His earnings didn’t stop when the show ended, though.
How much does Kelsey Grammer make in royalties from Frasier?
Multiple online sources, including Audacy, report that Grammer makes about $13 million annually in royalties from Frasier. That being said, it’s unclear where this figure came from originally, and the actual amount likely varies year to year depending on syndicated rerun volume on traditional TV networks as well as online streaming volume.
As of this article’s last update, all seasons of the original Frasier series are available via streaming on Hulu to paying subscribers. Two seasons — 5 and 6 — are available for free on Pluto TV’s streaming service. Reruns of the show air daily on the Hallmark Channel.
A revival of Frasier starring Kelsey Grammer aired for two seasons on Paramount+ beginning in 2023.
How much did Kelsey Grammer make from the Frasier reboot?
In 2023, a revival of Frasier (also simply called Frasier) debuted on Paramount+. It ran for two seasons before being discontinued by the streaming service.
An anonymous insider source told Closer Weekly in 2024 that Grammer made $2 million per episode of the rebooted series, which comes out to $20 million per season or $40 million total.
$2 million per episode lands Grammer at the very highest end of the pay spectrum for television actors. Other actors who make this much include John Krasinski (for Jack Ryan) and Jennifer Aniston (for The Morning Show), but the list is short.
Related: Demi Moore’s net worth after Oscars loss
How much did Kelsey Grammer make from Cheers?
Grammar’s salary for his role on Cheers isn’t publicly known, but it was likely significantly less than what he was paid for his role in Frasier, especially at the beginning.
Cheers, a Boston bar sitcom starring Ted Danson, had a larger cast and more central characters than Frasier. Grammar didn’t join the cast until the show’s third season, and his character was only supposed to appear in six episodes.
Grammar parlayed his temporary side-character role as the snobby academic outsider into a permanent one that eventually cemented him as a permanent fixture on the show as one of the bar’s regular patrons.
During the show’s last three seasons, Ted Danson earned a reported $450,000 per episode playing Sam Malone, the show’s primary protagonist, so it’s safe to assume that Grammer made significantly less than that.
Nevertheless, Grammer was clearly a fan favorite, as he was the only actor from Cheers to land a starring role reprising his character in a subsequent spinoff.
Related: Val Kilmer’s net worth: Building a fortune through triumph and tragedy
How much did Grammer’s ex-wife Camille Meyer get in their divorce settlement?
Grammer has been married to his current spouse, Kayte Walsh, since 2011, the same year he and his most famous wife divorced.
Camille Meyer is the most famous of Grammer’s ex-wives, as she used to star in The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, a popular reality television series. The two did not sign a prenuptial agreement, so when it came time for their divorce, Grammer’s notable wealth was taken into consideration.
When the divorce was finalized, Meyer received a reported $30 million payout, which now accounts for the majority of her reported $50 million net worth. As part of the settlement, Meyer was awarded 50% of Grammer’s 401(k) account from 1997 to 2011, according to court documents obtained by People Magazine.
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