The cast of Will & Grace in 1998.Photo:Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
Gary Null/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty
Twenty-five years ago, a sweet series calledWill & Gracepremiered on NBC, bringing to life friendships and relationships and putting a bigger spotlight on gay characters, just one year afterEllen DeGenerespublicly came out on her own show.Debra Messing,Eric McCormack,Sean HayesandMegan Mullallybecame instant household names, leading the series through nearly 200 episodes and a three-season revivalthat wrapped in 2020.“I like to think Ellen blew a hole in the wall and we marched right through it,” director James Burrows told PEOPLE in 2006. However, “we’d get notes from the network saying, ‘Too many [gay] jokes!’ That’s like telling ER, ‘No more patients!’ We ignored them.“Here, catch up with the cast, then and now.
Twenty-five years ago, a sweet series calledWill & Gracepremiered on NBC, bringing to life friendships and relationships and putting a bigger spotlight on gay characters, just one year afterEllen DeGenerespublicly came out on her own show.
Debra Messing,Eric McCormack,Sean HayesandMegan Mullallybecame instant household names, leading the series through nearly 200 episodes and a three-season revivalthat wrapped in 2020.
“I like to think Ellen blew a hole in the wall and we marched right through it,” director James Burrows told PEOPLE in 2006. However, “we’d get notes from the network saying, ‘Too many [gay] jokes!’ That’s like telling ER, ‘No more patients!’ We ignored them.”
Here, catch up with the cast, then and now.
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Debra Messing as Grace Adler
Debra Messing then and now.Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Jamie McCarthy/Getty
“I read the script and it was so great,” she recalled to PEOPLE in 2006. “Eric and I tested together and immediately made each other laugh.” Despite wanting a break after the heaviness of working onPrey,“I said to myself, ‘Maybe this can work.’ "
It did: she earned five Emmy nominations and one win (in 2003) for her work, in addition to a Screen Actors Guild Award with the whole cast.
Messing, 55, has one child, a son, with ex Daniel Zelman.
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Eric McCormack as Will Truman
Eric McCormack then and now.Bill Reitzel/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Jason Mendez/Getty
Bill Reitzel/NBCU Photo Bank via Getty; Jason Mendez/Getty
“I get a lot of letters from young gay men who consider Will a role model,” McCormack —who almost didn’t take the role— told PEOPLE in 2000. “I think he is: He’s a fully out and proud gay man who at the same time functions in straight society.”
McCormack won an Emmy for the part in 2001, and joined his castmates for the 2017 to 2020 revival in addition to hosting a rewatch podcast with Hayes (who had never watched!) in 2023.
McCormack, 60, has been married to Janet Holden since 1997; together they have one son.
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Sean Hayes as Jack McFarland
Sean Hayes then and now.Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Like his costars, Hayes had a handful of smaller roles under his belt when he joinedWill & Graceas struggling actor and friend to Will, Jack.
“I would say we educated America [about gay issues] without them knowing it and without us really knowing it,” Hayes told PEOPLE in 2006. “I am truly honored if I helped raise people’s consciousness.”
His work earned him a staggering seven consecutive Emmy nominations and one win, in addition to four Screen Actors Guild Awards.
In 2014, he wed music producer Scott Icenogle. “Took us 8 years but we did it!” the 53-year-oldcaptioned a photo from the day.
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Megan Mullally as Karen Walker
Megan Mullally then and now.Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Alice S. Hall/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Matt Baron/Shutterstock
Coming off runs onThe Ellen Burstyn ShowandRachel Gunn, R.N.,in addition to playing Marty in Broadway’sGrease,Mullally often stole scenes as the over-the-top Karen, a friend to Jack and assistant to Grace.
She actually first auditioned for the part of Grace; when she didn’t land the role, she took some time to come around to the thought of playing Karen.
“We told her she had to come and audition for the network the next morning, and she didn’t show up,” creator Max Mutchnick told PEOPLE. “We called to ask where she was, and she said, ‘I just made eggs. I don’t want to leave the house until I’ve had my eggs.’ " Eventually, she showed up and the rest — including her seven consecutive Emmy nominations and two wins — is history.
She also returned for theWill & Gracerevival and earned another Emmy nomination for her work. Next up, the 64-year-old features in the starryDicks: The Musical.
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Harry Connick Jr. as Leo Markus
Harry Connick Jr. then and now.Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Bruce Glikas/WireImage
Connick Jr.was already an established star — seeHope Floats, My Dog Skipor any of his musical albums — before he joined the cast in 2002 as Grace’s eventual husband, Dr. Leo Markus.
The 56-year-old has continued making music in the years since, in addition to making an appearance on theWill & Gracerevival andplaying Daddy Warbucksin 2021’sAnnie Live!Like his costars, he’s spent time on Broadway, earning Tony nominations forThe Pajama GameandThou Shalt Not.
He and wife Jill Goodacre,who have three daughters together, have been married for almost 30 years.
06of 08
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; Jason Mendez/Getty
Cannavale joined the cast in 2004, after wrapping runs onThird WatchandTrinity,stepping in as police officer Vince, Will’s on-again, off-again love interest.
He’s appeared on everything fromBoardwalk Empire(for which he won another Emmy) andSex and the Cityto more recent miniseries includingNine Perfect StrangersandThe Watcher.He’s also starred in five Broadway plays, earning Tony nominations for two:MauritiusandThe Motherf—er with the Hat.
Cannavale, 53, has been with actress Rose Byrne since 2012; together they have two young sons. He also has an adult son, Jake, from a previous relationship.
07of 08Shelley Morrison as Rosario SalazarShelley Morrison then and in 2014.Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; John M. Heller/GettyMorrison had a lengthy television career — notably onThe Flying Nun —prior toWill & Grace,on which she played Karen’s beleaguered but hilarious housekeeper, Rosario.“Everybody in Hollywood wanted to be on that show because it said something,“Morrison said in a 2013 interview withET.“It was lightning in a bottle. And we all had each other’s back.“Outside of lending her voice toHandy Manny,she didn’t act much followingWill & Grace,and retired prior to the series' revival.Morrison died on Dec. 1, 2019, at 83 years old.“Shelley’s greatest pride as an actress was in playing the indomitable Rosario, in a comedy series that furthered the cause of social equity and fairness for LGBTQ people,” her longtime husband Walter Dominguez said in a statement when sharing the news of her death. “She also took pride in portraying a strong, loving yet feisty Latina character. She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy.”
07of 08
Shelley Morrison as Rosario Salazar
Shelley Morrison then and in 2014.Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; John M. Heller/Getty
Chris Haston/NBCU Photo Bank/Getty; John M. Heller/Getty
Morrison had a lengthy television career — notably onThe Flying Nun —prior toWill & Grace,on which she played Karen’s beleaguered but hilarious housekeeper, Rosario.
“Everybody in Hollywood wanted to be on that show because it said something,“Morrison said in a 2013 interview withET.“It was lightning in a bottle. And we all had each other’s back.”
Outside of lending her voice toHandy Manny,she didn’t act much followingWill & Grace,and retired prior to the series' revival.
Morrison died on Dec. 1, 2019, at 83 years old.
“Shelley’s greatest pride as an actress was in playing the indomitable Rosario, in a comedy series that furthered the cause of social equity and fairness for LGBTQ people,” her longtime husband Walter Dominguez said in a statement when sharing the news of her death. “She also took pride in portraying a strong, loving yet feisty Latina character. She believed that the best way to change hearts and minds was through comedy.”
08of 08Leslie Jordan as Beverley LeslieLeslie Jordan then and in 2019.Getty (2)Jordan, too, had been working in television for years on series includingBodies of Evidence, Hearts AfireandReasonable Doubtsbefore signing on toWill & Gracein 2001 as Karen’s devious rival.“They didn’t even audition me,“he recalled toTodayin 2022. “They go, ‘Yep. That’s it. You’re it.' “He won an Emmy for his guest role, and came back for a few episodes of the revival, also picking up parts onAmerican Horror Story, The Cool KidsandCall Me Kat. Hefound a new followingamid the COVID-19 pandemic for his hilarious Instagram posts, too.In October 2022, Jordandied in a car crashin Hollywood after an apparent medical emergency.He was 67 years old.
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Leslie Jordan as Beverley Leslie
Leslie Jordan then and in 2019.Getty (2)
Getty (2)
Jordan, too, had been working in television for years on series includingBodies of Evidence, Hearts AfireandReasonable Doubtsbefore signing on toWill & Gracein 2001 as Karen’s devious rival.
“They didn’t even audition me,“he recalled toTodayin 2022. “They go, ‘Yep. That’s it. You’re it.' "
He won an Emmy for his guest role, and came back for a few episodes of the revival, also picking up parts onAmerican Horror Story, The Cool KidsandCall Me Kat. Hefound a new followingamid the COVID-19 pandemic for his hilarious Instagram posts, too.
In October 2022, Jordandied in a car crashin Hollywood after an apparent medical emergency.He was 67 years old.
source: people.com
