From possible cast feuds to criminal charges - and everything in between - the stars of
this smash sitcom haven't exactly been yucking it up off the set.
Lurking behind the Emmys and other accolades, here are some of the dark secrets about the
cast of Will & Grace.
Death threats
When Will & Grace premiered in 1998, it was downright revolutionary that a major broadcast
network would air a primetime show in which two of its four main characters were openly
gay men.
It was a watershed moment in cultural representation, but not everybody thought that was a good
thing, and they weren't afraid to let the cast know it.
Sean Hayes told The Guardian in 2018,
"We would get death threats to the show and I was scared.
I didn't have the tools at such a young age to deal with the ramifications of coming out
as gay in a huge public way."
So Hayes stayed guarded about his personal life.
According to The Advocate, he didn't publicly come out as a gay man until 2010, four years
after Will & Grace wrapped its initial run.
Debra's marriage
In December 2011, People dropped a bombshell about Debra Messing's personal life.
Just eight days after announcing her separation from Daniel Zelman, her spouse of ten years,
a source who worked on the NBC drama Smash said that Messing was dating her co-star,
Will Chase.
The source told People that the couple had been an item for about six weeks.
In June 2012, Messing told Ladies Home Journal that the demise of her relationship with Zelman
was extremely difficult.
She explained,
"I think the idea of a partner for life is incredibly romantic.
But now we're living to 100.
A hundred years ago people were dying at age 37.
Till death do us part was a much different deal."
She went on to say that she was excited for, quote, "a new chapter in [her] personal life"
and that she felt "optimistic."
Nevertheless, Messing and Chase split in October 2014.
Megan's real voice
Megan Mullally didn't use her real voice for her Emmy-winning portrayal of Karen Walker,
instead adopting a high-pitched tone that suited the character.
"Am I drunk or did I just take a whole bottle of whipped cream and go like this: shhhhhhhh."
She didn't always use that voice for other roles - which is why she thinks she lost a
high-profile voice-acting gig, according to UPI.
On a 2004 episode of The Wayne Brady Show, Mullally said that Disney/Pixar approached
her for a role in Finding Nemo.
She accepted the gig, especially after studio reps told her she could speak however she
liked.
But when she hit the recording booth to lay down her lines, the filmmakers suggested she
speak, quote, "a little higher."
Mullally says she refused, and then she got the axe.
"I don't think I can go on, don't try to stop me!”
“Karen don't be ridiculous!”
“There we go, nice and cold."
Rosario's arrest
On April 23, 2003, Shelley Morrison - who portrayed Karen's maid Rosario - was arrested
for shoplifting $446 in costume jewelry from a department store.
Her defense?
She didn't remember it happening.
Morrison told People,
"I remember going to the store and the next thing I remember is being surrounded by security
guards outside and being taken to their office."
That's when security officers discovered, in her words,
"This horrible jewelry I would have never bought for myself or given as a gift."
Ultimately, Morrison was arrested and released after posting a $20,000 bond.
The experience shook Morrison to the core - she reported losing her "spiritual core"
and lost 30 pounds over the summer of 2003, shortly after pleading no contest and paying
a $300 fine.
Cast fight?
The Will & Grace reboot was a full-fledged hit for NBC.
High ratings earned it a second season, then an expansion of that season, and then a third
season.
Then came some weird news in July 2019 - the upcoming batch of Will & Grace episodes would
be the last ones.
So what happened?
An off-screen feud between Messing and Mullally could be to blame.
In August 2019, the Daily Mail reported that they had unfollowed each other on Instagram.
Mullally later wrote - and then deleted - a mysterious post that read,
"One of the best feelings is finally losing your attachment to somebody who isn't good
for you!"
She could be talking about Messing, who a few weeks prior posted an Instagram call-to-action
asking Emmy voters to consider their show.
At the time, she tagged Will and Grace cast and creators - but left out Mullally.
According to Radar Online, Messing shading Mullally is nothing new.
Back in August 2017 - before the reboot premiered - the gossip site reported claims from a show
insider that Messing was upset because she believed that Mullally and Hayes were, quote,
"hogging the spotlight."
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