Frasier star Toks Olagundoye was convinced that she would be fired off the Paramount+ sitcom revival last year after telling showrunners that she had to undergo a double mastectomy midway through production on the first season.
According to Daily Mail, the Nigerian 49-year-old had attempted to keep her stage 1 triple-negative breast cancer battle a secret, quietly undergoing three surgeries before starting chemotherapy just two weeks before season one started shooting.
In regards to this, Toks recalled on The Kelly Clarkson Show last Wednesday, “I said, ‘Listen, if you have to fire me, I’ve only been on three episodes so far, make me a guest star or whatever.’ I am sure I’m being fired any second.”
Soon after, Olagundoye received an unexpected phone call from Frasier executive producer-star Kelsey Grammer, who sounded “very emotional.”
The Discovering Dad actress explained, “He didn’t realize what I was going through and I just remember him so vividly saying, ‘You’re going to be so happy after this. Everything is going to be okay.’”
Moreover, Toks, who had her first lumpectomy in 2022, marveled, “I’ve never had a TV family quite like the Frasier cast. They’re really amazing human beings, so to be around them was really nice,” as per the publication.
Additionally, the 42-year-old talk show host then surprised Olagundoye with a pre-recorded video message from the 69-year-old Emmy winner in which Kelsey gushed, “I’m really proud of you for being on this show and I salute your efforts to raise awareness and money for breast cancer.”
Furthermore, he added, “And we’ve always loved you and loved being with you when you were going through your stint, and congratulations on coming out the other side. I’m deeply, personally grateful that you did.”
It is worth mentioning that Frasier is the continuation of the original NBC sitcom of the same name, which aired for 11 seasons spanning 1994-2004.
