Did Bill Maher Out Kelsey Grammer on The Tonight Show?

Posted by Kevin Farrell on Feb 16, 2012 in Television | 21 comments

Bill Maher’s recent stop on The Tonight Show is making gay blog news today for Maher’s scathing critique of Rick Santorum – “He thinks life begins at erection.” But it’s Maher’s sly dig at Kelsey Grammer that made our ears perk up.

“Thing have changed. It’s not 2004. Americans are a lot more comfortable with gay because of TV. Because of Glee and Will & Grace and Frasier – all of these gay shows.”

Rumors of Kelsey Grammer’s sexuality have long dogged the actor. A frequent target of blind item gossip sites, Grammer is known almost as well for a fondness for wearing women’s clothing as he is for his contributions to primetime. Ex-wife Camille and the other gals have cackled at Grammer’s erectile dysfunction and penchant for wearing women’s underwear and high heels on multiple episodes of The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills.

So what do you think? Is Maher taking a jab at Kelsey here or alluding to some other gay Frasier subtext?

http://twitter.com/gotNIEM Tom Carlson

Well, David Hyde Pierce is gay, right?

http://twitter.com/jeffstarke James Starke

Yeah. That’s what I was thinking when I heard this.

http://www.facebook.com/people/Christian-Rodriguez/100000391864244 Christian Rodriguez

He also said that on his own HBO show last week…
http://twitter.com/jimbear jimbear

Actually, at least three of the principal male actors are homosexual – not even considering Kelsey’s sexuality.
Lonny Parr

Yeah, I’m pretty sure that he was referring to David Hyde Pierce… Though Kelsey would make for a surprising Out.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1321673512 Eric Smith

I dunno, I still think people are WAY too sensitive and WAY too over-reactive.
http://www.facebook.com/XwhyterabbitX Anthony Powers

i think he was just referring to how freakin gay Frasier was. and then there was DHP.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Erica-Cook/100000628613592 Erica Cook

I think its none of our business unless he brings it up.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1321673512 Eric Smith

I Keep going back over the joke…I dont see anything wrong with it. I dont see how anyone who isnt paranoid or self involved could see how he outed Kelsey Grammar. He didnt. Kelsey Grammar’s name wasnt even mentioned.

This whole over sensitivity crap is really giving me the heebie jeebies. This has really just gone too far being critical about a joke…Bill Maher is one of the biggest supporters of gay rights in this country.
Conincidentally, David Hyde Pierce wasnt the only gay Actor on Frasier…the guy who played “bulldog”, Dan Butler is also gay in Real life.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jonah-Falcon/525044162 Jonah Falcon

Four of the principal actors on the show are gay: David Hyde Pierce (Niles), John Mahoney (Martin), Dan Butler (Bulldog), Edward Hibbert (Gil Chesterton). In addition, several of the writers are gay.

In addition, Frasier potrayed gay characters in a positive light, such as episodes “Out With Dad” “The Matchmaker”, and the Patrick Stewart episode. The show won a GLAAD Award for “The Matchmaker.”

http://twitter.com/jeffstarke James Starke

Is John Mahoney actually gay? I know that he’s very gay-friendly, but I didn’t think that he was gay himself.

Anonymous

My first point is that you can wear underwear as a kink in the bedroom. It doesn’t make you gay, or trans. You can be a man and enjoy anal sex with your FEMALE lover ‘topping’, and still be 100% straight. I am a lesbian who ‘tops’ submissive men as a kinky, it doesn’t make me bisexual or straight. Given the choice of saving one of my wives or the guy I have on the weekends if they were in a tent on fire? I’d save them both, but I’d go for my wives first. Yes I said wives, because we’re poly-amorous. Let Kelsey have his thing, it’s no one else’s business. Isn’t this what we’re fighting for? To be treated equally? Why are we singling out Kelsey when he’s not done anything against us(so far as I know.)
http://www.facebook.com/davidtran123 David Tran

This blog needs to do it’s research. The first thing you should think of are the writers, or Pierce and Mahoney. Why would this blog think of Kelsey Grammar of all the people involved on Frasier?
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=38423830 William N. Cate III

Why does this news post even exist? Since when is it any of our business? I would like to think that the LGBT community would prefer to respect the wishes of anyone who prefers not to come out.
http://www.facebook.com/MonsieurGrat Alban-Paul Schellekens

More to the point, being a crossdresser in most cases is not equal to being gay, the majority of crossdressers is in fact very straight indeed….
Anonymous

It matters because Grammer has devoted a great deal of his fortune to subsidizing the Tea Party and other homophobic organizations. If he really is gay, it shows a schizoid mind.
http://www.facebook.com/people/John-Preis/1539841525 John Preis

Anyone watching this video/reference and finding anything really that scandalous is *reaching*: Bill is simply referring to “Frasier” as being among a list of “x” shows that either have an overt gay theme (a la’ Will & Grace), or have (as “Frasier” does) a subtext of humor/tone that appeals to a gay sensibility; there have been episodes of the show that even poke fun at this subtext, in-narrative. This latter reference has been made (both about Frasier, the character, and “Frasier”, the series) by numerous people at numerous times over the past three decades — nothing Bill said in any way, shape, or form is a directed attack against *Kelsey*, as a person/actor. This is simply drumming scandal where there really is none…
http://www.facebook.com/dbocock David Bocock

The show had several gay characters besides David Hyde Pierce. It had that guy who played Bulldog and it had John Mahoney, the dad in the show, who is also gay. I hadn’t heard about Kelsey though. How interestingly funny it would be if that turns out to be true.
Anonymous

pierce and another cast older member are gay. i never watched the show, hate grammer, so don’t know the cast. the straights can keep grammer, PLEASE!
Anonymous

nahh i just think Frasier is a gay show, like he said. If Kelsey were gay, i’d do him. love that hairy chest of his. screw the housewives.
http://twitter.com/Derrick_Dover Derrick Dover

They were just flamboyant on the show, not gay. I believe this is what hes was jabbing at.

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