Following the Cheers reunion, which took place on stage during the 2024 Emmy Awards, actress Shelley Long was spotted in Los Angeles the day after the gathering.
Fox News reports that Long, who played student-turned-waitress Diane Chambers on Cheers, was out walking with her Chihuahua near her home in Pacific Palisades, California. Long was noticeably absent while her former castmates were at the Emmys the night before.
‘Cheers’ star Shelley Long spotted in Los Angeles after skipping Emmys reunion https://t.co/bNfRsmMsqk
— Fox News (@FoxNews) January 23, 2024
As previously reported, Cheers castmates Ted Danson, Kelsey Grammer, Rhea Perlman, John Ratzenberger, and George Wendt reunited on the Emmy Awards stage to present the award for outstanding directing for a comedy series.
Ratzenberger declared during the event that a reunion of the iconic TV series is “long overdue.”
Grammer then said, “Being together brings back memories of a show that we are all very proud of.”
Along with Long, Woody Harrelson didn’t appear for the Cheers reunion. However, Emmys executive producers Jesse Collins and Jeannae Rouzan-Clay revealed the exact reason why Harrelson missed the special gathering.
“Woody Harrelson couldn’t make Cheers because he’s in a play [Ulster American in London],” the producers explained. “So there were a few people where there were just logistical challenges. But we were lucky to get so many people who were willing to participate.”
The Emmy Awards also paid tribute to fellow Cheers star, Kirstie Alley, who died after battling cancer in Dec. 2022.
Long starred on Cheers from 1982 to 1987 before departing after the fifth season. She did return in 1993 for the series finale and reprised her role on the Cheers spinoff, Frasier.
Shelley Long Said Her ‘Cheers’ Storylines Became Repetitive
While appearing on the Australian TV show Where Are They Now in 2007, Shelley Long spoke about why she left Cheers. She noted that her storylines had become repetitive.
“I didn’t want to keep doing the same episode over and over again and the same story,” she explained. “It had been such a fresh and vital experience for me. I didn’t want it to become old and stale.”
During her time on Cheers, Long received five Emmy nominations and won once in 1983. She has won Golden Globe Awards for her performance in 1982 and 1983. Long was also nominated for an Emmy for outstanding guest actress in a comedy series while appearing in the Frasier episode, The Show Where Diane Comes Back.
Grammer also spoke about wanting Long to reprise her role in the Fraiser revival. “I would like to see Diane come back,” he told Kelly Clarkson. “Just for one of those reasons, for Fraiser to be able to put something to bed to end up with a nice thing between them.”