Sean Hayes was a beloved television fixture for many, many years as Jack on Will & Grace. The creators of the ground-breaking sit-com made Will kinda dull so he wouldn’t be the threatening gay man to people in flyover states. They let all the actual gays they knew live through Jack, so he was shallow and self-involved and slender. Along with Megan Mullaley (aka the boozy-ass Karen Walker), he was the heart of that show. I wasn’t the only person who thought it should have been the Jack and Karen show. With Will and that whiny Grace relegated to minor character status.
Sean, whose homosexuality was an open secret during the show’s run, didn’t officially come out of the closet until the show had ended and when he did, he was kinda….cunty about it? You might remember these quotes from his coming-out interview in The Advocate.
“I believe that nobody owes anything to anybody,” Hayes says, so worked up that he repeats the line. “Nobody owes anything to anybody. You are your authentic self to whom and when you choose to be, and if you don’t know somebody, then why would you explain to them how you live your life?”
Finally, Hayes gets to his true point: “I feel like I’ve contributed monumentally to the success of the gay movement in America, and if anyone wants to argue that, I’m open to it. You’re welcome, Advocate.”
That sarcasm and anger cover up years of genuinely hurt feelings. “Why would you go down that path with somebody who’s done so much to contribute to the gay community?” he asks. “That was my beef about it. What more do you want me to do? Do you want me to stand on a float? And then what? It’s never enough.”
In his defense, the magazine had previously run a page of quotes from him in past interviews that gave off the impression that he wasn’t aware everyone knew he was gay. And celebs who are gay and not out out (so to speak) often find themselves pressured to come out.
But it looks like his feelings over coming out hasn’t affected his willingness to play gay roles. He’s got a new sitcom coming to NBC, Sean Saves The World, in which he plays a newly out gay dad. There’s a clip below. It looks alright. He’s still got that charisma going on even if he’s basically playing the Will part now. And there’s bear jokes! The bear community has come so far.
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he wasn’t cunty about it – it’s his life to manage any way he pleases. Once again, mediocrity in media has to make disparraging remarks to create sensationalsim. I don’t buy it.
I totally agree with you, had you not said it,I was about to. Again no gay person owes anything to ayone ,but themselves, to be who they are or want to be.
I say it gets cancelled not long after it starts. It doesn’t seem very funny.
Looks like it will be a fun series!
Just Jack!