‘Cheers’ Cast Recalls Odd Gift They Gave Kirstie Alley When She Joined the Sitcom: “We Bought Her a Freakin’ Shotgun”

Some people get flowers when they join a new workplace. Others organize a happy hour. But when Kirstie Alley joined Cheers during its sixth season in 1987, the late actress was gifted a shotgun, according to her fellow castmates.

Stars of the show reunited at the ATX TV Festival in Austin, TX, where they reflected on how the oddball gift came to be. Alley, who died at age 71 in December, was remembered for joining the cast as Rebecca Howe, a role she played for nearly 150 episodes.

When she first became a member of the cast, Alley's new co-stars George Wendt — who played Norm Peterson — and John Ratzenberger — who played Cliff Clavin — were tasked with picking out a welcome gift for her.

"We were having dinner right before the show, and we said, ‘Oh jeez, we should have got her something, right?’ And ‘Yeah, like some flowers or something,'" Wendt said, per People.

After Ted Danson said, "I can't, I got a thing I got to do," and Rhea Perlman simply said "No," Wendt and Ratzenberger were left to do the shopping as they recalled driving around a "trendy area" in Hollywood before they came up with the idea.

"Going past all these places and we go past Big 5 Sporting Goods and John goes, ‘You wanna buy her a shotgun?'" Wendt said, as the audience erupted in laughter, per People.

He continued, "And, like you, I laughed for about five minutes. And then immediately pulled into the parking lot, and we bought her a freakin’ shotgun," before Ratzenberger revealed the cheeky message they wrote on the card.

"I think you even wrote on the card, ‘You’re gonna have to shoot your way out,'" he remembered, while Wendt quipped, "John and I were never tasked with the gifts again."

During Alley's time on the show, she won the Golden Globe for best actress and an Emmy for outstanding lead actress.

Following news of her death last winter, several of Alley's co-stars from the sitcom penned messages mourning her loss including Danson, who told Deadline, "I am so sad and so grateful for all the times she made me laugh."

Perlman, who played Carla Torelli on the sitcom, referred to Alley as a "unique and wonderful person and friend." She added, "Her joy of being was boundless. We became friends almost instantly when she joined the cast of Cheers."