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Greer and her famous father were estranged after his split from her mother, Barrie Buckner, when she was four years old until they reconnected when she was 16.
Her dad Kelsey Grammer may have had one of the most famous faces on television, but Greer Grammer grew up mostly without his presence in her life. In a recent podcast appearance, the Awkward alum claimed that if had his way, she'd have grown up without something else, too.
The actress, now 33, opened up on the Pretty Basic podcast about her evolving relationship with Grammer, who was largely absent from her life after his divorce from her mother, Barrie Buckner, when she was just four years old. The pair would not reconnect for more than a decade, until Greer was 16.
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View StoryShe said that it was three years after that she learned a shocking request her father made to her mother about her name. "I guess my dad did ask my mom -- he told me this later -- but he was like, 'I told your mom ... I said it might be better for you to not have my last name. It would be easier for you growing up,'"
The then 19-year-old "started sobbing, because to me that was like the meanest thing you could ever say to somebody," Greer recalled, "like... 'I knew I wasn't gonna be in your life, so I told my mom it would probably be easier for you to not have my last name.'"
At the same time, she also had to admit "he's not wrong" in his assessment that growing up with his moniker -- and perhaps because she was also growing up without him -- would be harder. So as hard as it was for her young ears to her, she says it was a "fair" request.
Greer recalled when they reconnected, as it was her father who initiated contact -- though chance may have also played a role. According to Greer, she was doing volunteer work at a Christmas tree lot as part of her Miss Teen Malibu community service when Kelsey approached her.
"He came up to me and said, 'Are you Greer?' And I said, 'Yes, I am,'" she said. "Then he went, 'I'm --." And I was like, 'I know who you are. Duh.'" You can read all about that awkward encounter here.
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View StoryKelsey, who was already remarried at the time to Camille Grammer, with whom he shares children Mason, 24, and Jude, 21, left the door open to reconnect, and Greer admitted she was eager to kick it down.
"It took a couple of days to call him, because my mom was like, 'Give them some time.' I was ready to call him that day, like, 'Let's do this thing. I got a dad now, woohoo!'" Greer recalled. "She was kind of like, 'Take some time to think about it over the weekend. Let them process it as a family and then call.'"
Ultimately, Greer said that it was about a week later that she and Kelsey reconnected over lunch and that they've since gone on to "have a good relationship." She said that her father did step up in a huge way to pay for her college, but beyond that, she said she does not have a trust fund, quipping, "I wish."
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View StoryShe also said that while he covered tuition, "Anything extra, I had to pay for on my own. So housing, books, sorority, like all that stuff. So thank God I was on Awkward."
People spoke with Grammer, who has five additional children, about his relationships with them. Aside from Greer and his children with Camille, Kelsey is father to Spencer, 42, from his first marriage to Doreen Alderman, and Faith, 12, Gabriel, 10, James, 8, and newborn Christopher with his current wife Kayte Walsh.
He admitted to the magazine that he "neglected a couple of the kids in my life, especially the first two," referring to Spencer and Greer. "I'm trying to make up for a little of it now. I'm still their dad, so you can always have [a] chance to show up."
