Meeting one of your favorite celebrities can sound exciting in theory, but sometimes, the experience just doesn’t live up to people’s expectations. Kevin Smith, who directed indie comedy Clerks but is also known for his celebrity interviews and behind-the-scenes clips, definitely knows what’s that like. He has interacted with tons of stars over the years (and mostly enjoyed the experience), but one encounter in particular really disappointed him.
On a recent episode of Jay & Silent Bob Are In The Hizzouse, Kevin revealed that beloved Cheers star Kelsey Grammer stands out to him as one of the rudest celebrities he’s ever met.
Kevin tried talking to Kelsey, but he came across as very cold.
At the time, he was filming short comedy bits for The Tonight Show. He would get a few minutes of lighthearted, comedic footage featuring celebrities. Kelsey was participating, but did not actually seem happy about it, according to Kevin. It’s not clear why Kelsey acted the way he did when Kevin tried to talk to him for one of these segments. To be fair, some people are more reserved than others. Even if they’re known for their acting, they might not always enjoy participating in interviews or comedy bits. And celebrities can have bad days just like the rest of us.
But it was obviously a memorable experience for Kevin, and not in a good way. According to Kevin, Kelsey actually “just sounded like a bully.”
Before the uncomfortable interaction took place, he was actually excited to talk to him.
During the podcast episode, Kevin made it clear that he’s a big fan of Cheers and Frasier. Naturally, he thought filming a quick, lighthearted interaction with Kelsey would be a positive experience. But in reality? Kevin felt like Kelsey was a “d—.” Kevin described approaching Kelsey in a professional and respectful way, as he’s a “comedy legend” that he had been watching on TV for years at that point.
But Kelsey did not seem interested in the slightest. The fact that Kelsey seemed totally uncooperative and unfriendly might make more sense in some contexts. After all, not everyone is interested in participating in filming this kind of content. But the way Kelsey acted bothered Kevin even more because he thinks he’s “meant to be in the comedy business” and they were at “a f—ing comedy festival.”
Kevin added that Kelsey “almost came off like Frasier except he didn’t have Frasier tones.” He elaborated: “Like Frasier sounds smart. This guy didn’t sound smart. He just sounded like a bully.”
He shared a few more details about how Kelsey acted.
Apparently, after Kelsey understood what the purpose of the segment would be, he allegedly said something like, “And that’s funny why?”
Kevin made it sound like Kelsey was acting miserable and super critical of the concept throughout the entire interaction. “It would not stop,” Kevin recalled. “Like, to the point where it’s like, ‘buddy, just say no.'”
The way Kelsey acted made it seem like the network pushed him to participate in the interview, and Kevin felt like the actor “took it out on” him.
And at the end of the unpleasant interaction, they walked away with footage that couldn’t really be used. “We got nothing out of it,” Kevin said. “If you go back and watch the bit, I think we’ve got like 12 seconds with him. The only usable piece, where I say something, and I think he like reacts or whatever…He wasn’t game. He didn’t want to play.”
