Will & Grace star Leslie Jordan has given his take on the apparent feud between actors Megan Mullally and Debra Messing. (Screen capture via YouTube)
Leslie Jordan has weighed in on the alleged fiery feud between Will & Grace co-stars Megan Mullally and Debra Messing.
Tension reportedly mired the NBC show’s final season, with rumours of a falling out between Debra Messing (Grace) and Megan Mullally (Karen) stealing focus from the show’s enduring legacy.
Leslie Jordan was a recurring guest star throughout the sitcom’s original run and its recent reboot. He told Watch What Happens Live! host Andy Cohen that when it comes to these rumoured sparring matches between Mullan and Messing, he’s not the guy to ask.
The Will & Grace star explained that his last stint on the show was on episode 16 of season 11, “We Love Lucy” – a tribute to the beloved I Love Lucy sitcom. In the episode, Mullally and Jordan recreated the scene where Lucy was taught how to stomp grapes by an old Italian woman.
Leslie Jordan says he didn’t witness any feuding on Will & Grace set.
Asked by Cohen whether he felt any “tension” on-set, he replied: “I didn’t. I wish I could spill all of the [details].
“Megan and I were in a big tub of grapes, and the grapes didn’t mush properly, so there was a lot going on.”
“If there was any tension I didn’t witness it,” Jordan continued, joking that he tends to steer clear of drama so would have “run away” if he witnessed any.
Are Megan Mullally and Debra Messing feuding?
The actors have reportedly sparring since late 2019, with Mullally missing two episodes of Will & Grace’s final season amid intensifying rumours.
Co-creator Max Mutchnick alluded to the feud in April, admitting to EW that “it was not an easy year” filming the last block of episodes.
In January, Mullally opened up to husband Nick Offerman on her podcast In Bed with Nick and Megan about being “bullied” on-set – without naming any names.
“I’ve been bullied,” she said, “I’m 60 and I’m being bullied right now, so you know it’s a very insidious and dangerous thing and I never want to lose that happy and innocent part of myself but it’s almost like you have to kill that.
“But I never will, it’s part of who I am, it’s intrinsic to my nature.”
“You think it’s your fault, they’re good at making you feel like it’s you and that you brought this on yourself.”
She added: “Because the person, the bully, it just lit a fire under that person where they just tripled their efforts and it can get very dangerous.”