Jane Leeves, who gained international fame for her role as Daphne Moon in the 1990s sitcom Frasier, has voiced regret over her character's storylines that focused on weight gain and "fat jokes." Leeves, 65, played the physical therapist and housekeeper to Frasier Crane, portrayed by Kelsey Grammer, from 1993 to 2004. The role earned her multiple award nominations and a significant per-episode salary.
"Fat Camp" Storyline
During season eight in 2001, producers incorporated Leeves' real-life pregnancy into the show. The storyline saw Daphne sent to a "fat camp" after producers used her pregnancy as an excuse for her character's supposed overeating, with Leeves wearing a fat suit. Following the birth of her daughter, Daphne returned to her pre-pregnancy weight, with the show noting she lost "9 pounds and 12 ounces" – the exact weight of Leeves' baby.
Leeves, who details the experience in her memoir, Daphne & Me, told The Independent that she felt complicit in the humor, stating, "I think I became a little part of the problem back then, with all these fat jokes. I was somehow too comfortable sliding into that, and it wasn’t right."
She expanded on this sentiment, reflecting on the societal pressures women face regarding their appearance. "Thinking that my daughter may have to go through something like that, where she’s torn apart for the way she looks, for her body – it hit me hard," Leeves said. "And I think as women, we just suddenly went, 'Wait a minute. Enough.'"
Career Since Frasier
While Leeves did not participate in the 2023 Frasier reboot, she has continued her acting career. After the original show concluded, she starred as Joy Scroggs in the TV Land comedy Hot in Cleveland from 2010 to 2015. More recently, she played orthopedic surgeon Kit Voss in the Fox medical drama The Resident from its premiere in 2018 until its conclusion in 2023.
Leeves met her husband, Marshall Coben, an executive at Paramount, through Frasier, describing their meeting at a Christmas party as "love at first sight."