U.K. Channel Responds to Trump Tariffs With Threat to Cut ‘Frasier’ Episodes
The Trump administration’s controversial, dubiously-calculated new global tariffs have tanked the stock market, led to mass layoffs and sparked concerns over rising inflation. But the big question is: Will it also impact people’s ability to enjoy reruns of ‘90s sitcoms?
This week’s announcement from the White House included a new 10-percent tariff on “nearly all” U.K. goods imported into the U.S., which is bad news for any Americans who just can’t get enough Marmite. And while the U.K. government is preparing to hit back with their own retaliatory tariffs, as reported by Metro, the U.K.’s Channel 4 quickly announced their own action plan.
“As retaliation for the Tariffs we will now be showing any American made TV show without the last five minutes,” the channel posted on social media, adding, “Good luck finding out how Frasier got out of that one.”
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The company, which also broadcasts reruns of other American shows, such as Cheers, The West Wing and Everybody Loves Raymond — but not The Simpsons — was clearly joking. Yet a lot of people somehow still took the post at face value and proceeded to express their outrage online.
After all, disrupting the global economy is one thing, but messing with the televised exploits of Dr. Frasier Crane is clearly over the line. How could anyone enjoy this show if every episode ends with no resolution to all the farcical chaos?
“Unm this actually does nothing to the U.S., and pisses off the British viewer,” one person wrote. “You rendered the whole series unwatchable with one petty threat,” another chimed in. “Even more scrambled eggs all over our faces,” someone else joked.
People also suggested that the channel should instead sacrifice every single episode of Ray Romano’s sitcom in order to preserve Frasier. “Leave Frasier alone — please cancel Raymond instead,” an angry viewer urged. Another told Channel 4: “I think a perfect retaliation would be if you destroyed all episodes of Everybody Loves Raymond — because frankly no one does.”
It’s unclear why Channel 4 singled out Frasier specifically. Perhaps, it’s because the show is so popular, or maybe it was just the first show that popped into the head of whichever intern posted the joke. But it’s also possible that they name-checked Frasier because its star, Kelsey Grammer, has been a vocal supporter of the mastermind guy behind the tariffs. And Grammer reportedly makes $13 million each year off of Frasier reruns.
Regardless of what happens with the tariffs, the country might start scaling back their Frasier imports anyways if Grammer keeps threatening to destroy historic English buildings.
