'Will & Grace' will air its final episode in two weeks, ending its eight-year run.
I don't care. Call it gay blasphemy, but it's true.
I get asked questions about the program a lot of late. I could write about how it did or did not open doors for more gay TV. I could opine about how the characters have become caricatures of gay caricatures. I could rant about how the show stopped being funny two years ago. I won't.
What bothers me most about 'Will and Grace' and makes me seriously doubt the supposed impact the show has had on our culture is this: Sean Hayes, aka Jack, still won't say if he's gay or straight.
That negates the weight of any good that the show has done in bringing gays into living rooms across America.
I'm specifically not outing Sean Hayes. While most people who care to think about it have their own opinion about his sexuality, it really doesn't matter what team he plays for. What matters is that the actor who portrays the most flaming gay guy on TV is not comfortable saying if he's gay or straight. He refuses to address it.
Don't lay arguments on me about his personal privacy. Sean Hayes' personal don't-ask, don't-tell policy says three very important things:
1) It's still not OK to be an openly gay actor in Hollywood. Name one BIG ACTOR who's out and on TV in a leading role. There aren't any.
2) Sissyphobia is alive and well. If Sean Hayes played Will -- a handsome, if vanilla, run-of-the-mill, Land Rover-driving, successful gay attorney who can't get laid -- I bet he might feel differently about being public about who he is in real life. But because Jack is a huge sissy, Hayes doesn't want to be forever branded one. Even though he will be.
3) Sorry to say it, but Sean Hayes is a coward, and has learned nothing from the very scripts he's memorized for eight years.
In the end, for me, the show failed in making people feel like it's OK to be who they are, made gays look ridiculous, and in later seasons I found myself laughing at them, not with them.
I won't miss it.
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50 comments:
gayest editor ever's (yeah I parsed it out and figured out who what you do), I have a slightly different take on why I don't care for Will & Grace. I do appreciate your take on Hayes' inability to identify himself as straight, bi or gay; understandable as it may be. You are right about there not being any out gay leading men in hollywood or television.
I've been dissappointed by the show's lack of courage ever since it debuted. Will is not just bland as a gay man, his life is full of whining about not having a man in his life and the scripts don't give him anything consistent. I'm thinking it could be due to his having to care for and attend to Grace. This is a high school relationship that never grew up. The Grace character did not move on due to the subliminal attraction obvious to me (I won't accuse anyone else of not seeing it). And the reverse is also written into the script. So the only gay thing this series could deal with was superficial, banal stereotypical behaviors that was safe for America's viewing audience.
I stopped watching it early in it's life and left it after every attempt to give it a second chance. A straight comedy could not survive one season with this cautionary approach to the essence of it's characters.
My opinion, for what it's worth.
Andy Fernandez
in my opinion this show should have been called the jack and karen show because they are by far two of the funniest people on tv. they are the ones that I will miss. has anyone suggested a spinoff. trust me I will be thier biggest fan
Thats just dumb! Its a great show. Im gay. Im out. Just live and let live. Have a good one.
You raise some good points, sextysomething. I agree with you about the fact they they just never dove deep enough. Thanks for the comment.
Will and Grace sucks. It shows that society could give a **** about anyone's
sexual preferences and that gays do not need our validation. You know what
you're doing is wrong so get over it.
Bbomb187
The show wasnt about actors "coming out". It was about comedy. It DID open doors. Maybe you don't remember 8 years ago. Who cares if Sean is gay or not?? Maybe you're the one having issues with "who is" and "who isn't". I'm gay, and I don't care if Joe Blow next door is or is not. Get beyond your "labeling" and enjoy the laughs.
Wow, how passionate you are in your feelings about this character in this show. Maybe you should do what I do... I doh't watch TV.
Who really cares if Sean Hayes is gay or not? I'm a gay man, but I don't wear my sexuality on my sleeve like alot of gay men think they have to. "Will & Grace" will be missed reguardless if he is or isn't gay, and it;s sad that someone would base there opinion on wether someone is gay or not. Shame on you!!!!!
That is all well and good if Sean Hayes is gay. What if he is strait? Than it is totaly understandable that he would not admit to being gay.
I NEVER LIKED THE SHOW. IT WAS WAY TOO SHALLOW FOR ME.
i agree that the show stopped being funny years ago. i never thought the "jack" character was good for gays...the sterotype thing. "karen", on the other hand, was the best thing that happened to that show. she made the whole show and made me come back week after week and now in the re-runs. it is that character i will miss. as far as sean hayes "dont ask, dont tell" policy, the fact that he wont say is actually his answer. i think we all know he is gay. it's sad that he will most likely never see another role in hollywood even if he does come clean simply because of the role he played on will and grace. i decided that i wont miss the show but i will miss KAREN and i hope she will go on to do some other sit com. as far as this show is concerned, it hasnt helped us come far at all.
signed: A PROUD GAY MAN!!!! donald e. czarnomski
Only saw the show in passing, but, -Karen -ANNOYING!!!
FIRST OF ALL HERE WILL AND GRACE HAVE KEPT ME IN LAUGHING AND NOW THEY ARE GOING AWAY AND THAT SUCKS.ONE OF THE 10 TOP SHOWS.EVER MADE
GEENA
sissyphobia?
lol were just A little tired of heterophobics shoving their agedena in our faces and lives.
society does not need to know about abberant lifestyles.
seek help and good luck in that.
ps dont waste your time with the" hater speech" to me because i beat you to it. you hate me and you will admit it in your response undoubtedly.
Contrary to what alot of people may think, "Will&Grace" has helped many young gays. Beleive me I KNOW. I'm gay and not even 19 yet but seeing the show gave me enough courage to admit that it was okay to be gay. Just knowing that people can accept the show, told me that mabey I could be accepted and soon after this realization, I did come out. I realize that life isn't how it is on t.v. but that's what t.v. is, a caricature, not a documentary of life. It's meant to be different. If it wasn't, why would we watch it? We might as well look out the window for an hour. It may open doors but we have to walk through that door, and we shouldn't expect for a t.v. show to be our shoes.
I am so with you on this. I have never liked the show, because of the way in which we are portrayed. I am a gay man who is typical in not being typically anything. I am out to everyone, and never really felt the need to scream or behave in a cartoonish way. Jack is a cartoon. I suppose that there are, indeed, people out there who behave in a stereotypically "gay" fashion. I just dont feel comfortable around them.
As for Will. Oh well, I won't miss him either.
the best show about gays i have ever seen. what the hell difference does it make if sean is gay or straight ? he is one fine actor, as is the rest of the crew ! i will miss them dearly.
FIRST AND FAR MOST. IF SEAN HAYES IS GAY OR NOT IS NO ONES BUSINESS BUT HIS OWN. NO ONE SHOULD BE FORCE INTO COMING OUT BECAUSE IT IS THE HARDEST THING TO DO. HIS PROFORMANCE ON THE SHOW WAS REMARKABLE. HE PLAY A (WHAT EVERYONE CALLS) TYPICAL GAY FLAMING MALE. THIS IS JOB AND WHAT HE DOES IN HIS SPARE TIME IS HIS OWN. AND NO ONE HAS THE RIGHT TO JUDGE HIM IN ANYWAY. WHAT HE DOES OFF THE SET IS NO ONES BUSINESS. SO TO THOSE WHO REALLY CARE AND IS SO INTO FINDING OUT WHAT HE IS OR ISN'T, GET A LIFE AND STAY OUT OF HIS.
JUST ENJOY THE RERUNS BECAUSE IT WAS THE FUNNIEST SIT COM ON THE AIR!
OUT AND PROUD TONDAVE
I agree that Sean Hayes' sexuality is no one's concern. You don't see Debra Messing shouting to the rooftops that shes straight, no one does that. Being gay is just like being straight in the sense that its not something you should announce to the world b/c honestly, who cares. And yea Jack may be a stereotypical homosexual and you may feel that hes a joke but what are stereotypes built on? Reality. Reality is that there are many feminine homosexuals just as there are many manly homosexuals as portrayed in Will's character. So stop trying to bash the show its been on for 8 years for a reason. However, i do agree with you in the sense that yes, despite the success of Will and Grace it is not ok to come out, TRUST me i know, but one show isn't going to fix what we've been fighting for centuries. I mean coming out is becoming more accepted now, and not even. You cant expect for 2 characters in 1 show to change years of discrimination. Come on now let's not be so ignorant. How are we supposed to get anywhere if we're working against each other. I don't think Sean Hayes should answer b/c no one goes around asking other famous ppl if they are straight, so who cares. Either way he has a brought a smile to my face and helped me feel a little better about being a lesbian, he's taught me to embrace it! We will find out his sexuality the day he unites his life with some1 else, i'm sure it will become public. In the meanwhile, lay off of the guy he was just trying to open the doors to those of us who even our own families have shut on us.
damn, it was a comedy, so lighten up, it was in prime time, what do you expect!
Sean Hayes does portray a cartoon, and as such, he's harmless. All he's doing is parroting Scott Thompson's Buddy Cole character, except with Buddy, Scott was making an important point about the gay community. Hayes is just taking gayness to the highest slapstick level he can. I think there are other places where the acceptance of gay culture in the mainstream media is more evident than in a formulaic sit-com designed to cash in on the growing acceptance of homosexuality in our culture.
-Paul
http://journals.aol.ca/plittle/AuroraWalkingVacation/
well as for me i will miss will and grace i dont give a hoot who is straight or who is gay bottom line these four people made me laugh everyday and thats what is all about my hats of to all of you you are all very fine actors excellent performers keep up the good work goodluck on all of your journey where ever the road takes you all in life and hopefully i can see a renionion in the future godbless .lucy from dallas tx
Have to disagree with you there, bud, because it seems like you aren't watching television for what it is, entertainment. The fact that these characters are not real has not crossed your path, has it? I was 18 when this show started and it helped me come out of the closet. Do you know why? Because I saw two completely different types of gay men. I saw Will, who was masculine and average. And then there was Jack, who was over the top flamboyant. I was relieved that there were two and I identified with Will, not with Jack, who I could care less might be played by a gay man. The CHARACTER Will, not the straight, married actor portraying him. The show provided plenty of laughs, it lashed out at many who have mocked the gay lifestyle, and it gave us plenty of gay icon apppearences to treasure. (my personal favorites were Madonna and Britney, more Britney, as she has always been my token gay icon. And regardless of what Sean Hayes may be, he was loved by a large straight audience. Would it have mattered if he was gay in real life? Maybe, but we'll never know. Sean wasn't a huge Hollywood star, neither was the rest of the cast. So instead of blasting him for not opening the door wider to gay acceptance, maybe you should thank him for cracking it open.
I feel totally let down by the series. It will be interesting to see where Hayes ends up after this
I have to agree, it was good for a laugh, but don't expect any biting social commentary. It's sort of like that "throwing a bone to gay people episode" on girlfriends. They want to aknowledge that we are there, but to actually really honestly give us voices, would scare their pants off.
Personally I believe that if we really really want comedy that has humor and life....watch the BBC because the USA is going to be long in coming with that.
well i have'nt been watching the show only for the past year and i might add that i like the show if they want to be gay are straight that's on them and their show is strahgt funny i like all of them karen will grace jack and will i even liked gracies husband leon are what ever his name was i was tripping like heck nole the show isn't playing on life time any more shoot i just started watching the show and you mean to tell me that it's to it's end i can't believe this
well i have'nt been watching the show only for the past year and i might add that i like the show if they want to be gay are straight that's on them and their show is strahgt funny i like all of them karen will grace jack and will i even liked gracies husband leon are what ever his name was i was tripping like heck nole the show isn't playing on life time any more shoot i just started watching the show and you mean to tell me that it's to it's end i can't believe this
well i have'nt been watching the show only for the past year and i might add that i like the show if they want to be gay are straight that's on them and their show is strahgt funny i like all of them karen will grace jack and will i even liked gracies husband leon are what ever his name was i was tripping like heck nole the show isn't playing on life time any more shoot i just started watching the show and you mean to tell me that it's to it's end i can't believe this
I could never see why he will not address it one way or another.
In the episode with the gay choir..Jack says he is gay..
Agree with this comment totally: In the end, for me, the show failed in making people feel like it's OK to be who they are, made gays look ridiculous, and in later seasons I found myself laughing at them, not with them. Thanks for speaking up.
I have seen bits of this show by seeing the ads showing what is coming up. My summation is they are trying to show how "normal" it is to be gay; an alcoholic; a sex addict; and dysfunctional in just about every area of life. This is not normal nor is it what anyone I know is really like in life. Sadly, this is how people outside of the US think of American's. No wonder they don't like us. I am glad to see it off the air and think the idea of gay marriage is ridiculous. It needs to be called what it is: SIN. Nothing new under the sun.
What about Ian McKellen? Or am I the only one that believes he's a 'BIG' star?
I was just wondering if the author of this piece ever stopped to think that...
Sean Hayes is not "AKA Jack"? Sean Hayes is his own individual person. He is an ACTOR. He didn't write his scripts, nor did he write his character. The definition of an actor is someone who PERFORMS A ROLE. The characters an actor play have no bearing on who they are outside of that role, and they have no one to answer to but themselves.
Take Karen. The voice is fake, the lushness of the character is fake, the idiocy and bitchiness is fake. You don't see AA meetings revolving around whether or not the person who plays her is gay, do you?
You have a problem with the show, fine, so be it. It's your own opinion, but dragging an actor's personal life and battling it against his character's personal life is childish and proves that you may need to find better ways to channel your energy and time.
Oh, and as for Jack's character, YOU might not feel that he correctly portrays the "gay community", but the fact of the matter is that no two people are alike. No two straight people. No two gay people. No two Jewish people. Everyone is just who they are, and they could've made his "gay character" any way they wanted to and people would bitch because it doesn't "portray the gay community". Which I'm wondering if that's a stereotype on your part, because two characters on TV can not portray or encompass the whole of the gay community. I know gay people like Will. I know gay people like Jack. I know gay people like neither. Does it really fucking matter?
Excuse me. Apparently in my excitement, I mentioned the actress who plays Karen being talked about in AA meetings and people wondering if she was gay.
Haha. Oops on my part. I meant whether or not she is really an alcoholic.
YOU CAN SAY THAT AGAIN, BUSTER!
for my purposes, you're all reading into this show way way way too deep. will and jack are characters. they are not meant to define what a gay person is; they are not meant to play into or defy stereotypes. jack's purpose on the show is to be jack, not to be the homosexual population of america. it is impossible and naive to expect one show to cover the diversity that is gay people. the show is not meant to speak out for gay people; it is meant only to entertain (which it does quite well). stop trying to make it into something it's not.
REGARDING THE COMMENTS OF MISSCAVALIERX AND REALITYCHECK000:
i truly think you're missing the point of GAYESTEDITOREVER (who, btw, i just trashed for his ridiculous comments about American Idol, above)...
he is stating that Sean Hayes, the GAY actor, who already portrays a GAY man on television, still won't declare that he is indeed GAY...
it isn't even a case of a GAY actor being unwilling to portray a GAY character for fear of having attention drawn to his homosexuality, or being typecast...
and yes, i do know...i've been in social situations with Sean Hayes on more than one occasion...he is GAY...GAY, GAY...GAY, GAY, GAY...UNMISTAKABLY, GAY!!!!!
I guess you havent seen every episode But Jack has said on the show he is Gay in the episode when he came out to his mother. Guess you missed that show
I HONESTLY DON'T THINK IT MATTERS WHETER SEAN HAYES IS GAY OR NOT I THINK HE'S DOING THE RIGHT THING HE'S NOT OFFENDING ANYONE HE'S PLAYING IT SAFE I THINK COMING OUT CAN BE A BLESSING AND A CURSE YEAH YOU'RE FREE FROM THE GUILT BUT, THE PEOPLE WHO LOVED YOU (WHEN THEY THOUGHT YOU WERE STRAIGHT) NOW DESPISE YOU. YOU LOST FRIENDS FAMILY AND OTHERS I HONESTLY THINK IT'S BRAVE NOT TO TAKE SIDES AND JUST BE IN THE MIDDLE I HAVE A QUESTION WHAT'S IT TO YOU WHETER OR NOT SEAN HAYES IS GAY?
NATHAN LANE IS A OPENLY GAY LEADING ACTOR IN HOLLYWOOD AND BROADWAY
HE STARED IN MOUSE HUNT
HE STARED IN THE PRODUCERS
OPRAH
i don't think sean hayes'non-admission of his sexual preference "negates (at) all the weight of any good that the show has done in bringing gays into the living rooms across america."
the show has still done a lot of good no matter that sean refuses to admit his sexual poreference. personally, i don't think it's his responsibility anymore to admit his preference in the service of affirming the good that the show has brough to all homosexuals all over america.
i think that the show got made at all and lasted a good 8 years, the last 2 it not being funny notwithstanding, is its greatest acheivement and has ushered in homosexuals in mainstream media.
need we ask the question? what show pre-will & grace featured homosexuals in the lead and supporting roles?
I will miss Will and Grace. Will and Grace was a ground breaking television series. Brokeback Mountain was a ground breaking Movie. If you loved Brokeback then check out www.brokebackmountainvermont.com The very cool and gay friendly state of Vermont would love your support. They want to honor this wonderful movie. Please check out www.brokebackmountainvermont.com Ask som friends to do the same.
In the beginning, I thought that "Will & Grace" was ground breaking. Being a gay male, it was the one show I could identify with. When I was growing up, there was no MTV, no Bravo and no "Will & Grace" and/or "Ellen" for that matter. I believe "Will & Grace" over the years...has transformed itself from a good comedy to a weekly "who can be more neurotic." I use to care about the characters and I feel now that they have become ""characters" of the themselves (who play characters). It is hard to believe that in 8 years Will never had a long term relationship. I've had plenty of close girlfriends, but they didn't stop me from dating. I needed companionship! It was unrealistic. The one person he dated for any length of time was Bobby Canavali (he plays the cop) (which I was thrilled about coming back in the last few episodes). Why do the writers feel that they need "all of the drama" for a comedy. The past few episodes are appalling with Will's father dying and him & Grace at odds raising a child (didn't they do all of this prior to her meeting Harry Conick Jr.?) The writers are grasping at straws. The last episode will be two hours in length. My hope is that all these conflicts can be resolved and Grace will be reunited with her husband and Will will finally set-up house with the cop. Shame on the writers that they didn't take the initiative a couple years ago to have these subplots happen. Then the past two years...could have been a lot more interesting and who knows...maybe they would ready for a 9th season. I wish the cast much success. They are all talented. My hope is that they'll end up in projects with better writers that are willing to take risks!
Exactly!!! Will and Grace was nothing but a farce. They misled America about the "gay life" it is anything but that. Jack McFarland was a joke. These characters only exist in women's minds because all fag hags want a gay guy to hang around with to feel "pretty" because they are so sensitive!!!!!! PLEASE!!!!
Will and Grace both succeeded and got old because they protrayed a lot of the "in" jokes of the gay subculture. When they first came out, there was no such thing as a show portraying the complexities of daily life for gay people and their accepting friends.
The very fact of the dilemnas of life in the closet made this show funny--they threw open the closet with good humor. It was familiar to gays, and reaffirming. It was new to people who had no admission into with the social lives of gays--funny, human, likeable, and educational. It accomplished a lot to have become old stuff to the whole country.
They probably could have given the show years more by dealing with Will and Grace both getting appropriate partners and continuing their friendships and their stories. But since they stalled at that transition the show both stagnates and becomes unbelievable. Maybe they didn't have the payroll for a bigger cast? It seems like a lot of popular shows with high paid actors are being dumped for reality shows and cartoons.
I loved Jack and Karen and all my friends and I would love to see a series with only them .They were the funniest and all I can say is they are fantastic please take a vote and see what other people think. I am sure a lot of fans feel the same way S. T. from Florida
Lighten up, please!
Good lord, a little harsh, don't you think? I don't care if Sean Hayes has come out or not, he's a great actor and HAS made an impact on society. Look at how far homosexuals have come in the public eye and I think that this show, whether it was big or not, did make a difference in that.
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