On October 24, Hollywood said an emotional goodbye to Leslie Jordan, who died in a car crash at the age of 67. According to reports, the actor may have experienced a medical emergency behind the wheel. While his most recent role was playing head baker Phil on the sitcom Call Me Kat, fans are remembering him for his work on a different show.
More than two decades ago, in February 2001, Leslie made the first of 15 total appearances on the NBC series Will & Grace. He portrayed wealthy New York City socialite Beverley Leslie opposite Megan Mullally's character Karen Walker. Folks may remember him for uttering the now iconic line: "Karen Walker. I thought I smelled gin and regret."
While viewers always wished he would reunite with his Will & Grace castmates, NBC made their dreams come true before his death. In a September 6 video on Instagram, Leslie and Megan reunited to repeat their famous lines all over again. "Still frenemies 20 years later 💅," the show captioned the clip.
Despite the Instagram Reel being shared on social media a month ago, the snippet started making the rounds on social media again. Many took the opportunity to pay tribute to the actor and his comedic timing.
"😍👏👏👏 love you so much! And I miss you even more," one person wrote. "One of The ULTIMATE in dynamic comedy pairing! ♥️👏🏻," another follower noted. "I love this so much. Writing, delivery, all of it … Perfect!!!" a different fan added.
Fans weren't the only ones reminiscing about Leslie's work. The cast of Will & Grace paid their own tributes to the late actor, wit Megan being particularly poignant.
"My heart is breaking. I really can’t believe it," she wrote on Instagram. "Leslie Jordan was, hands down, one of the greats. People use that expression a lot, and I’m not sure it’s always applicable. There aren’t that many people who are truly great at anything. but Leslie was flawlessly funny, a virtuoso of comedy. His timing, his delivery, all apparently effortless. You can’t get any better than that."
She continued: "I was just with him last month. The Prestigious National Book Festival was showcasing Leslie and his best-selling book in Washington D.C., and he’d asked me to come interview him for his event ... Love you, Leslie. Miss you already. And one thing I know for sure… there will never ever be another you."
As the entertainment and news associate editor for Good Housekeeping, Adrianna (she/her) writes about everything TV, movies, music and pop culture. She graduated from Yeshiva University with a B.A. in journalism and a minor in business management. She covers shows like The Rookie, 9-1-1 and Grey's Anatomy, though when she’s not watching the latest show on Netflix, she’s taking martial arts or drinking way too much coffee.
