Kelsey Grammer says U.S. schools amount to 'child abuse' in podcast clip
Kelsey Grammer told Katie Miller he believes teachers’ criticism of America can harm children, then pointed to his own history-video project.
By Poppy Nakagawa · Culture Writer
2 min read
Kelsey Grammer schools child abuse remarks are stirring a new education fight after the actor told Katie Miller on her podcast that he believes the American education system can be abusive to children because, in his view, teachers criticize the United States too much.
TMZ reported that Grammer laid out the claim during an appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast, where he argued that educators who present the country in a negative light are doing damage to students.
What did Kelsey Grammer say about schools?
According to TMZ, Grammer said children hear teachers describe the U.S. as a bad country and may then question whether they are bad, too. He characterized that dynamic as “child abuse,” TMZ reported.
The report said Grammer also appeared to suggest there could be a broader conspiracy behind the way American history and patriotism are discussed in classrooms. TMZ did not detail the full allegation, instead pointing viewers to the podcast clip.
Grammer’s comments put the longtime TV star into one of the country’s loudest political arguments: what children should be taught about U.S. history, civic identity and the country’s failures. The actor’s position, as described by TMZ, is that criticism of America in classrooms can cross a line when it affects how children see themselves.
How is Kelsey Grammer getting involved in education?
TMZ reported that Grammer is working with the American Revelation Foundation, an education project tied to U.S. history videos.
According to the program’s website, Grammer appears in daily educational videos, with each installment covering one year of American history. The site describes the project as a year-by-year approach to teaching the country’s past.
Grammer is best known to many viewers for playing Frasier Crane, the fictional psychiatrist from Cheers and Frasier. His latest public remarks, however, land far from sitcom territory and squarely in a political debate over schools.
Katie Miller hosted the podcast conversation, according to TMZ. The report did not include a response from education groups, teachers or the American Revelation Foundation to Grammer’s comments.
The clip gives Grammer’s critics and supporters a clear new line to argue over: whether harsh classroom criticism of the United States is a necessary part of teaching history or, as Grammer claims, something harmful to children.
This story draws on original reporting from TMZ.