Morning Wire Podcast Summary

Episode: "Kelsey Grammer on Honoring Veterans and the Meaning of Christmas"

Date: December 26, 2025
Hosts: John Bickley (Daily Wire Executive Editor), Georgia Howe
Guest: Kelsey Grammer

Overview

This special episode of Morning Wire features veteran actor Kelsey Grammer discussing his new film The Christmas Ring, the significant role veterans played in its production, and the deep influence of his Christian faith on his life and choices in Hollywood. The conversation is warm, candid, and filled with reflections on honoring service members, grappling with faith in the entertainment industry, and the enduring power of Christmas and redemption.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Christmas Ring: A Salute to Veterans

• [02:27] Kelsey Grammer discusses how the film incorporated real veterans and active service members:
  • Large scene featured “about a hundred actual veterans and service members.”
  • Emphasized honoring their sacrifice, especially relevant around Veterans Day.
  • Noted the story is built around a WWII D-Day event, commemorating ongoing service and sacrifice.
  • Quote:

    "It was just an opportunity to salute the troops... It commemorates their sacrifice a little bit and the continuing sacrifice of service members." – Kelsey Grammer [02:43]

• [03:20] Gary Sinise Foundation’s involvement:
  • John notes their help in recruiting veterans; Kelsey’s connection to Gary as a friend but surprise at his involvement.

2. Faith and Role Selection in Hollywood

• [03:53] Alignment of roles with faith:
  • Kelsey describes receiving the script for Jesus Revolution after a period of loneliness and seeking meaning:

    “I just want to do something that means something that has some meaning... And the next morning that script came.” – Kelsey Grammer [04:19]

• Grammer doesn’t specifically seek “faith-based” roles, but values stories of redemption, love, forgiveness, and transformation.
• He credits his openness about his faith as drawing him into more faith-oriented projects, while still playing a diverse range of characters:

  "I would never deny Christ. I would never deny him. And so that brought me into the... faith based film production world. I don't do just those movies, but... yeah, I like this guy." [04:57]

• Discusses the importance of real, flawed characters:

  "The lives of the real people that it's based on were messy. They lived messy lives." – John Bickley [05:45]
  "Well, that's what Jesus is for, you know, that's why I came along... The world was a mess." – Kelsey Grammer [06:00]

3. Reflections on the Meaning of Christmas

• [06:00] Grammer beautifully articulates the “Christmas story”:
  • Notes how God chose to enter “mayhem” via innocence; the story’s continuous relevance.

  • "Into this mayhem, the beauty of a new life, of a redemptive life is such a gift. And we get to watch it every year at Christmas... it's our story." [06:33]

4. Portraying Both Light and Dark Characters

• [07:16] – [08:51] Grammer explains why he takes on a variety of roles, even negative ones:
  • He’s about to play a “shyster” and has played dark characters like Macbeth.
  • The importance lies in portraying the range of authentic human experience.
  • The act of “loaning the truth of what we know about experience to the characters” for authenticity.
  • Connects themes from superhero movies (like playing Beast in Avengers) to the “Jesus story”—redemption against impossible odds.

5. Hollywood’s Shifting Landscape on Faith

• [09:23] John and Kelsey discuss increasing space for faith-focused films:
  • Some skeptics in Hollywood still remain, but recognition is increasing that there’s an audience (and profit) for such content.
  • Expresses that most Americans still value faith, family, and everyday goodness.

  • "Most of the people in America actually still really like God, Jesus and all that sort of stuff... these are corny values, but still, there they are." – Kelsey Grammer [09:35]

• Critiques over-reliance on government to solve social problems:

  “I always believed that social programs were society’s business and not the government’s...” [10:26]

6. Upcoming Projects & Variety in Career

• [10:58] – [11:58] Grammer shares about new roles:
  • Upcoming “shyster” role
  • Turbulence – Ballooning mishap over Alps
  • A film involving sharks (“haven’t fought a shark before”)
  • Claws – Action in Malibu featuring a rogue mountain lion
  • Embraces range in roles, both dramatic and adventurous:

    “Everything together they throw at me. I'm going to take it on.” [11:58]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the real meaning of Christmas:

  "God chose to send a baby to save the world. A baby that would need other people to save him. It's pretty fascinating... Into this mayhem, the beauty of a new life, of a redemptive life is such a gift." – Kelsey Grammer [06:22]

• On faith and authenticity:

  "I don't go around proselytizing or speaking the born again lingo very well. But I would never deny Christ. I would never deny him." – Kelsey Grammer [04:53]

• On audience values:

  "Most of the people in America actually still really like God, Jesus and all that sort of stuff... these are corny values, but still, there they are." – Kelsey Grammer [09:38]

• On career variety:

  “Everything together they throw at me. I'm going to take it on.” – Kelsey Grammer [11:58]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [02:27] – Veterans’ involvement in The Christmas Ring
• [03:53] – Role of faith in choosing parts
• [06:00] – Reflection on Christmas, redemption, and the broken world
• [09:35] – Changing faith dynamics in Hollywood + American values
• [10:58] – Upcoming roles and projects

Tone & Language

The episode is conversational, reflective, and earnest—balancing reverence for faith and respect for service members with light touches of humor and insider Hollywood anecdotes. Grammer is forthright about his convictions but avoids preachiness, emphasizing authenticity and the universality of storytelling.

Summary Takeaway

Kelsey Grammer uses his platform to honor veterans, celebrate faith’s redemptive power, and champion down-to-earth values—both on screen and off. His eclectic career, from sitcom royalty to faith-based dramas to action-packed new roles, is driven by a search for authenticity, meaning, and opportunities to tell stories that matter. This episode is a heartening celebration of the enduring hope found in Christmas, the importance of honoring service, and the possibility of goodness and redemption—both in fiction and in life.