17 Things ‘Cheers’ Fans Never Knew

4. “It’s brutal, I have to kiss Rhea Perlman”

Famous last words and two seconds later Jay Thomas was a “dead Cheers actor” walking. Thomas played “Eddie LeBec,” Carla’s boyfriend and later husband on the show. However, after his less than pleasant comments on a radio show he was hosting, he was quickly dismissed from the Cheers cast. It’s rumored that Perlman heard those radio comments and soon after Thomas’ character had a fatal accident (run over by a Zamboni, no less), was found out to be a polygamist and ultimately, the rest is history. Perlman denies this was the reason Thomas wasn’t asked back.

5. Pregnant Ladies Shouldn’t Drink

“Diane Chambers,” the smart but uptight waitress played by actress Shelley Long, hid her growing baby bump during season 3 under her aprons and behind the bar. Two seasons after her pregnancy, Long decided she didn’t want to become “old and stale” as she felt like she was continuously repeating the same episode. The actress left the show after season 5 to spend more quality time with her daughter. Unfortunately, her career kind of faltered after that move.

6. Cliff Loved to Improvise

If you were always wondering where “Cliff Clavin,” the annoyingly talkative mail carrier got his false facts, look no further than the actor himself. John Ratzenberger was the mind behind many of these know-it-all additions to the bar’s conversation, as the show’s writers soon realized that instead of having Ratzenberger mess up his lines, it was easier to just let him have at it. The off-the-cuff results were often hilarious.