YIKES! Fiery Megan Got A Time-Out From “Will & Grace”

Poor old gal. Dementia's setting in. Really tragic to watch.

More shows should do this.

Punish the FUCK out of DIVA behavior.

They should have done one season and left well enough alone.

Turn the tub around, Megs. You're too short for that gesture.

What was so horrible that a 61-year-old actress couldn't quietly accept millions of dollars to be chauffeured to a comfortable trailer to partake of catered food and drink and whatever perks she wanted, for maybe 15 hours of work a week — table read, rehearsal (which could honestly be covered by a stand-in at this point) and taping — for five months a year?

Bullshit - I just saw her last year and she uniformly said she loved the show and wanted to do it forever.

It's the National Enquirer - this article is total BS.

My guess, and it's a good one, is that Megan didn't want to be associated with Messing and McCormicks brave anti-Trump stances and continual protests and downgrade remarks on social media. Meghan wants to keep her lame singing career and strange but loving relationship with her Kanye with a beard independent husband. Deb and Eric won't shut up about Trump and white supremacy and collusion and impeachment and orange fucktard just because they are on a hit NBC show! Meghan liked doing the political jokes and jabs - especially since Karen is dumb, anti immigrant, pro rich and no names spoken = a lover of Trump! That's what the mess is about. She didn't come back to get backlash. Coward. She's only an actress.

The article is so poorly researched they got the studio wrong. Will & Grace isn’t produced by Warner Bros, it’s produced by NBCUNIVERSAL.

What's with that name Meg(h)an that brings out the worst in people?!

I was at the taking and Megan refused to pose with the rest of the cast. She stayed to the back of the set and just watched. Something is seriously wrong with her.

R8 you're an idiot. While not to the degree of Deb, Meg is anti Trump

Next she´ll be throwing salads on the floor and calling Sean Hayes "little homosexual boy."

Wow, Trump can kind of sing? It didn't seem too bad...

Her and her untalented spouse will have to live off that money the rest of their lives, so they better invest wisely.

I've seen them both in a string of 'quirky' low-budget films the last couple years that probably paid them $10,000 and all the Cheetos they can eat.

Gee, but you're dumb R12. I said that the character of Karen was pro Trump AND that Meghan the actress disapproves STRONGLY of Messing and McCormick's daily, very public and BRAVE remarks against Trump on social media. Mullally's only public statement of regret - about doing a Green Acres song with Trump doesn't isn't exactly radical criticism - considering how terrible it was and how one note her talent is. But yeah she should be ashamed. Not many actresses would have done that even then. Her husband is suspiciously conservative and Meghan is on the Dolly, Reba, shitty weak sister bandwagon of pretending not to notice that the sky is falling. Afraid of losing fans. A bitch and a coward. She's mad at her costars for SPEAKING up and OUT. Nobody asked anything of her but to read her lines. (rich, entitled, anti immigrant, pro wealth, insensitive to the poor funny lines!) Megan is a coward who is having a mental breakdown as a result of pressure from her husband and her strangely desperate fear of not working again after the holocaust. Just cuz she play's a faghag on TV doesn't mean she's yours R12. I reported the situation correctly the first time @ R8. I am as far from an idiot as you are familiar with R12. I pray that Jesus will visit peace upon your troubled mind tonight.

*Just cuz she plays a faghag on TV doesn't mean she's yours personally [R12].

Having seen where they live and Offerman's pricey woodworking hobby, I think they already are set.

Not constantly beating the drum doesn't mean she's not against the orange fuckface. I hate the guy as much as anybody but I don't talk about it 24/7.

R13 Indeed. She is developing all of Faye's psychotic attitude with only about a quarter of the talent to back it up.

I’ve long thought her husband is a cunt.

Megan does not want to do the show forever. For a while she was barely acknowledging and or promoting it on social media. Her costars all seem very happy to be there and truly grateful for the reboot and this last hurrah. They realize something like this doesn’t come along often. I knew Megan was the problem when the rest of her costars get along famously and seem to really like each other.

Megan did finally include Sean Hayes in an insta story the other day. But she can’t wait for it to be over. Good luck getting cast in anything after this Megan.

a) Are we believing National Enquirer this week?

b) Without Megan W&G would have been VERY lucky to get even a second season. Neither Eric nor Debra could carry the comedy without a Karen, and to a lesser degree a Jack.

r9, is it still filmed at CBS Studio Center on Radford ?

[quote]I was at the taking and Megan refused to pose with the rest of the cast. She stayed to the back of the set and just watched. Something is seriously wrong with her.

It's more than plausible that she's being iced out by the others, though. We saw how the SATC cast went after Kim Cattrall when all Kim wanted was to be left alone. If what we've heard is true then Megan simply didn't want to keep doing the show and the rest of the cast got angry about it.

We get people on these threads all the time acting as though Megan shouldn't have free will, she should be forced to do the show and if she doesn't then she's a cunt. You think her co-stars wouldn't be the same way? They want the money. Megan doesn't. That makes them sad and cranky and causes tension on the set.

The troll who keeps saying Megan is pro Trump is an idiot. This always happens on gossip forums, people dislike a celebrity and then try to retrofit old news into "theories" about why they are evil.

Sad, sad R26. Will and Grace is over in a few episodes. Meghan can go back to obscurity. Maybe you'll meet up there.

They are all stupid rich. The only one who doesn't seem to work a lot is Eric.

They have outgrown each other.

No BFD

I was always team Messing, so there.

Megan is probably the only one willing to call out the bad writing and inconsistent quality of the revival. It was nice to see them all back together again but they should have kept it a limited series. It's a shame, though, if it has ruined relationships because back when they first reunited they genuinely seemed to love each other and were excited to bring back the characters.

"...she was suffering from ‘emotional issues’ and needed time to rest!"

Don't we all.

[quote]Sad, sad [R26]. Will and Grace is over in a few episodes. Meghan can go back to obscurity. Maybe you'll meet up there.

OBSCURITY? Are you 12? She’s a 60-year old woman who’s on a successful show that’s still heavily syndicated. Not only that, she’s CONSTANTLY working outside of her main cash cow. Voice work, commercials. In fact, she works more than anybody in the cast.

What obscurity are you on about?

I know from following her on social media that Megan’s mother passed away over the summer. While her mother had been bed-ridden and sickly for quite some time, it could still have taken a toll on her. People process grief and loss differently and it can manifest itself in various ways.

Megan Mullally & Nick Offerman perform a ballad

If Megan was the one who made it end, you would think she’d try to defend herself a bit.

I used to follow Megan on Instagram but I had to unfollow after all of the incessant pimping of her husband, a minor talent at best, and their stupid relationship. We get it--you and your husband are still fucking well into your 50s. Who the fuck cares??

[quote]We get it--you and your husband are still fucking well into your 50s. Who the fuck cares??

Or it could just be an act to make a buck.

They should relegate her to a one minute phone call with the rest of the cast at the end of each episode.

I can do a great "bitchy fag hag". Would I have to audition?

Whoever would profit from such a hatchet job in a gossip rag?

Happier times at the workplace?

It's sad when friendships die.

It's amazing how high and mighty sitcom actresses get. Take the money and run. WTF else will you even be remembered for but for this show?

Typecasting and hating your cast mates sucks, but at least you are getting big bucks. I’m not bitter.

At least it's not a family sit-com.

She's super uncool. Why confuse her with her character? She's lucky to have made another 10 million dollars off the Will and Grace reboot. Megham can take her lousy singing voice and her truly weird Trump loving husband and try again to make it in country music or a talk show or Broadway or a cooking show or her own sitcom or maybe MILF porn.

Painful to watch Messing and her together tonight.

U guys are really just too dumb to believe this shit!

Nick Offerman is the only celebrity whose bare ass has been within 10 feet of my face.

[quote] Her husband is suspiciously conservative

Not really following Nick Offerman in any real sense (social media, celebrity news, etc), but is that really true? I would be really disappointed if it is because I always assumed he's a cool guy.

I mean this is what he said about the first year of Dump's presidency.

Offerman is clearly anti-Dump per the video at r51.

[quote]Nick Offerman is the only celebrity whose bare ass has been within 10 feet of my face.

You say it like it's a good thing.

r6 that's always my question when shit like this happens with diva actors. You're getting paid ungodly amounts of $$$ and treated like royalty, just STFU and do what's required of you! It's not like they're shoveling coal in a mine FFS.

Can we get some credible sources saying the same thing?

Offerman isn't a Republican, cut it out. He's had harsh words for Trump and the NRA many times.

I only watch W and G to see Karen Walker. MM's characterisation and delivery are admirable. Perhaps she is more like her character, perhaps she is genuinely in a bad place personally, mentally ill, I don't know, but I love her Karen Walker.

She seems to now be resigned to finishing out her contract and being generally well behaved.

People are confusing Offerman's Ron Swanson character with his real life persona.

Meg Mullaly needs to get over herself. She's good but not THAT good.

R54 let me translate for you... "Shut up and dribble!"

Friends went to a taping of W&G in Sept. at that time I had heard rumors here and of course at first I thought Deb was the culprit. They came back and said nope it’s Megan. They said she was having back, not interacting with the others, being odd and awkward while Eric and Sean were talking and joking with Debra and there was no tension between them. It was 3 vs 1. They also said the director James Burrows, who has directed the entire series, was interacting normally with Sean, Deb and Eric and only occasionally made his way over to Megan and it looked very professional and cold as opposed to the others who he was very informal and relaxed with.

I wouldn’t take the Enquirer as gospel but I also wouldn’t believe a thing from Megan either. I mean of course she was going to say she enjoyed being back in the show. What else was she going to say? Megan is clearly the one with the issue and the others are not backing her up, the question is what exactly caused the rift.

And yes a sitcom is a dream job. A list superstardom is timing and a lot of luck. Even William Morris don’t have the formula for A list movie stardom. So 99.999% of actors are not going to have that level of success come to them. A sitcom has perfect working hours, it’s not Macbeth, it’s in LA and the pay is great. Its hard to imagine getting so worked up over a little sitcom that’s paying you 10 million but c’est la vie. Instead of suspending her they should have sent her off to do a factory job for 2 weeks. She needs perspective on this.

^ Somelne mentioned her mom passing. That could be a contributing factor. I’ve had friends go a little crazy and make rash decisions while grieving - it’s a possibility,

I also think her husband is crazy and has given her ideas that she is better than W&G. Which she may be, but she signed a contract and her fans love her in the role. So quit being a diva and get along like the rest of the cast and crew. You know there is a problem when she can’t get along with Eric and Sean, two of the nicer people in show biz.

Nick Offerman is very polite, pro-women, pro-gay, and is deferential to Megan at all times.

And Megan is better than "Will and Grace." Without her, it would have been another "Ned and Stacey."

They’ve filmed/are filming the last episode and everyone involved with the show is posting pictures and memories except Megan. Not a word from her. Expected but as a longtime fan it’s sad. I wish they had just done 10 good episodes and left it at that (or never revived it at all)

Megan is the Kim Cattrall of NBC!

Bumping this because I’m really curious if there’s any new info out there about just what the hell happened with MM. I don’t see anything on her Instagram about the show, so I’m guessing she left with hard feelings.

Me too. I can't imagine having to work with Debra Messing, though.

Isn't Debra a crazy coke fiend? I don't have a dog in this race but MM and SH are the only talented ones in the cast.

Offerman's woodworking is museum level quality and excellence.

Well?

Is that bloated old piece of shit show done, now?

r63, why we could never imagine that happening.

R63 R73 Me neither!

I'm getting caught up. Man, Joel McHale. I would swing from him like Spiderman.

Pretty sure Megan and Husband are swingers...not just bc of the sling ads.

r76, I think you have something. Plus I don't buy that he's entirely straight. Strapping, good-looking younger men aren't really into the old vag... but plenty of gigolos are more into the other perks that come with it so long as they get their side cock.

The reboot has been uneven, but the original series was uneven as well. There have been two or three episodes in the reboot that were as good or better as anything they've ever done. That alone made the reboot worthwhile.

She's the reason I've never been a fan of the show. Even when it was new, in the '90s. I could never stand to watch her, and every time I tried, I lasted no more than a minute or so. That whiny voice. That awful character.

I realize it was a hit and millions of people loved her snappy comebacks. But not me.

Jim Burrows is getting up there. Maybe his heart wasn't in it anymore.

The only shocking thing about this is that Messing is only 51.

61? Wow. That means she was near 40 in the Grease revival.

She said on her podcast that she is being bullied at work. She said the bully had won others around and people were ganging up against her.

I was never a Will & Grace fan but in any fight with Deb Messing I am definitely Team Other Person.

Deb's a cunt. Deb's always been a cunt. Used to be that the DL knew that.

the reboot was terrible. they did not have any scripts or even ideas. You would think you need to have at least scripts for the season and a story board beyond that. What was the point? I think NBC was scared to make a political show like the west wing, and dropped the ball. They could have gotten better writers. Maybe Megan was the one who saw it.

The reboot was wildly uneven, but there were a few shows among them that were absolutely stellar. And there were many that were not. But, it was still worth it.

They really lost me when they started with the baby nonsense. Rosie’s funeral was up there with the best episodes they’ve ever done.

I can’t imagine why Deb chose this reboot to start bullying Megan and going to the trouble of icing her out of the group and making people think Megan was crazy. I also can’t imagine how the producers most of whom were from the original run fell for this and suspended Megan. I’m sure there’s more to the story but I do believe that Megan was bullied.

Anyone see the ads for their I Love Lucy tribute show? Wonder if there’s much interaction between Megan and Debra.

I'm with R84. Debra's had a rep since before Will & Grace. The podcast was so obvious she was referring to Debra. I'm just wondering why Sean, Eric, and everyone else would side with that b-list wannabe diva (Debra, you are no Mariah - she has talent and likability. Like Megan)

But I've heard Debra and Eric didn't get along in the final seasons. And Sean Hayes didn't have any scenes with Debra when he did her musical series. The only consistent friendship I've seen is between Eric and Sean, and Sean and Megan (before this).

My best guess is that these are people who worked for nine years together, and while the final seasons may have been tense, they were manageable. And now, it's ending because those tensions came back up, spilled over, and can't be cleaned up. I think it might be worse now, because Debra went all "woke" like Jameela Jamal, and started picking out feuds over stuff that's really petty and/or none of her business. Eric just became more political, and he's not picking feuds. I have rarely - or ever - seen Megan and Sean go off as political as either of them.

I've been mostly checked out of Will & Grace for about a year. I agree that the quality greatly varies from episode to episode of both the original and revival. Season two of the original seemed to be its best for me. I rage quit when they did the episode where Will & Jack got high, and thought they were soulmates (I always shipped them together, to be a dysfunctional couple). Even worse when Jack got married and Will got engaged. Matt Bomer's character should have been the one-off it was originally supposed to be. Jack settling down was poorly done - it seemed sudden, forced, and out of character. Plus, his husband is a basic walking stereotype. Since then, I've only watched Demi Lovato's debut and the I Love Lucy tribute. I'll see the reactions to the finale before I decide if I want to watch it. Otherwise, I'm with Megan - this reboot (or at least the second & third seasons of it) has been a mistake.

Bitch is 61, Sophia Petrillo age.

Exactly what other roles does she think she's going to get for the rest of her life?

That said, maybe she has fuck-you money now. And if there are cunty co-workers who need to be told to fuck off, I support that.

Debra gets along great with both Sean and Eric. This is apparent if you follow her instagram. There were many fun moments showing them interacting behind the scenes as they taped the final season last fall. She also seemed genuinely sad about the show ending.

Meanwhile, Megan Mullaly phoned in her performance all season (well, except for the episodes where she was "sick"). i think Megan is clearly the difficult one since even Sean and Eric seemed to want nothing to do with her in the final season. My theory is that Megan became increasingly difficult in season two and decided she didn't want to sign on beyond season 3 of revival. This put the rest of the cast and crew out of work and I think that is why Debra was so pissed at her. Megan's husband is also a bad influence on her - just like Bill Hudson's rotten career advice to Cindy Williams prompted her exit from L&S.

The second and third season had terrible ratings - that's why it got cancelled.

This thread is WILD

R90 Megan’s reasoning for that is that her bully (Deb we assume) worked on the cast and crew to win them over to her side and isolate Megan. The issue I have with that reasoning is that Sean was so close to Megan, they really were the only 2 who remained in touch over the years and its unlikely that he would be so quick to jump ship and take the bullies side. Long time showbiz pros who’ve been on dozens of sets like their director James Burrows also lost patience with Megan while staying very friendly with Deb. I just have a hard time believing that Deb is so charming and conniving that she could win over so many people to her side. To be much a successful bully you’d have to be a sociopath and while Deb never seemed like Ms Warmth I don’t see that in her either.

Megan also went out promoting her book when she was “sick” which was a giant middle finger to the W&G people after giving them a letter from her shrink that said she was having such emotional issues that she couldn’t work.

With all the gossips in Hollywood, social media, etc., I am so surprised that nothing about this season's feud among the cast members has leaked. Yes,, we have lots of speculation about Deb and Meg, Meg and everyone else, etc., but the real reason--or more precisely, what really happened with the cast members has simply not emerged. It's a wonder they were able to keep the reason for the trouble a secret and nothing beyond speculation.

We were the acting pioneers of social distancing. Soon it will no longer matter if the cast of a show get along with one another or not. Welcome to the new normal!

[quote]Long time showbiz pros who’ve been on dozens of sets like their director James Burrows also lost patience with Megan while staying very friendly with Deb. I just have a hard time believing that Deb is so charming and conniving that she could win over so many people to her side.

There's no evidence Burrows had a falling-out with Megan. The gossip about this has been almost entirely invented, because no one is saying anything, as several have pointed out already.

There's no reason to think that everyone is on Debra's side, and even if they were, that doesn't mean she's either completely innocent and 100% right OR a conniving, charming sociopath. We've all worked at jobs where people started to hate each other because of a misunderstanding or sideways comment that got blown out of proportion, and in this case, all we have as actual evidence is a comment from Megan sounding like she no longer trusted Debra (or maybe even Sean), and reports that she took two episodes off for mental health reasons but still promoted her book during that time.

Neither thing is even remotely scandalous by Hollywood standards. It's weird how this has blown up, especially on DL, into a big "Mullally has mental health issues and is an evil bitch who will never work in television again."

I’m surprised so many of you are believing this obviously slanted article from national enquirer and throwing Megan under the bus .. if anyone is an insufferable, self indulgent diva folk

I was at a taping last September and Megan was isolated from the cast. She did the bare minimum, only interacted with Sean briefly between takes and and one point James Burrows and the writers were huddled with Eric, Debra and Sean while Megan disappeared. When she came back she was handed a piece of paper with new lines I assume and nodded, walk away alone and then came back to do the scene with no interaction with anyone.

She also confirmed on her podcast that she felt that her bully had turned everyone against her. That’s her take. When I saw the show it looked more like Megan was the one with the problem who was avoiding everyone but it’s impossible to tell from the outside.

She is correct that the reboot ruined the show’s legacy. I used to occasionally bump into a rerun and find myself laughing and thinking, “I had no idea Will and Grace was SO funny compared with other sitcoms! What a brilliant cast!” With almost every new episode, the general impression is, “Oh. No. Yikes. This is embarrassing.” At best, it’s, “Ha! OK, they’re not *that* bad. That moment, that line, that was kind of funny...relative to how embarrassing most of this has been. I should really watch an old episode because these were funny people once.”

Oh, for some reason I thought she'd avoided talking about this on her podcast, I'll have to give it a listen.

I think a lot of people would isolate from everyone if they felt people were siding with their bully. In my experience, troublemakers who have a problem with everyone else don't isolate themselves and quietly take direction from someone else without even a little of their own input. They would speak up, say something, let people know that they had a problem.

That sounds like someone who is just trying to get through the day, honestly. But I think the fact that you saw someone isolated and decided they must be the problem while the group must be the good guys says a LOT about how people tend to view interpersonal conflict.

When Max Mutchnik and James Burrows we’re friendly with the other stars of the show / that tells you that Megan was the difficult one. She’ll never work on another series. Not that she needs to.

I thought this was resolved a while back. Either way, it's older than a confirmed bachelor.

Megan was actually unprofessional, but Debra was and is still a cunt.

My girlfriend and I flew thousands of miles to see the show taped last fall and we had the same experience. Here was our impression as audience members - Debra looked in her element like she was enjoying every second on set, Eric was professional but looked like someone punching the clock he was the only one who spoke to the audience, Sean was very reserved and kept going to the writers to talk. He is nothing like Jack and the one least like his character. Sean's husband was on set but I'm not sure if he works on the show or if he was just there to support Sean. Megan looked totally checked out and done with the show. She wasn't interacting with anyone, she never smiled, she was frosty with the crew and they were keeping their distance from her. She was barely in the episode we saw and didn't come out at the end. As superfans we both were sorry we went. I think we were at the last taping before her suspension but they didn't air them in the same order they shot them this time around the way they did in the old days.

She might be a diva or "crazy" or whatever, but she's sucking on that Offerman cock every chance she gets so she's doing something right.

Didn't Megan get fired from a Broadway show too?

She quit Lips Together Teeth Apart because Patton Oswalt was boffing his lines, she didn't get fired. But the production went on hiatus when she quit instead of just recasting or using an understudy, so there was a lot of talk that the problems with Oswalt must have been true.

She WAS fired from Finding Nemo because she wouldn't do the Karen voice for the movie.

Megan had become too big headed. She's good but she's not THAT good. Hayes, McCormick, and Messing seem easygoing. Mullally has republican Stepford wife bitch face. It's just a certain look and she has it.

Messing does NOT seem easygoing, come on now.

What part did she have in Finding Nemo ?

I have no idea what happened.

I was a fan of Seasons 3 - 5.

I've watched various episodes of the three new seasons (mainly the ones with Leslie Jordan and Molly Shannon, because I love them both), and they are all pretty cringe, much in the way of the latter seasons of the old show.

I find it easier to buy Megan's side of things, partly because I've met Stephanie Gibson. Stephanie is the sweetest thing ever. Will Chase left her for Debra. Not a good lewk! And, as much as I don't like Susan Sarandon's politics, she has come across looking "better" IMO in the Debra vs. Susan Twitter wars. I've convinced myself it was a Kim Cattrall situation.

I could be totally wrong.

Well, Mullally’s by far the most talented member of the cast. So I say, anything goes.

[quote] very public and BRAVE remarks against Trump on social media.

Is it really BRAVE for someone in Hollywood to be publicly against Trump? It is like declaring yourself a Catholic in the middle of Vatican City.

R112 I'm very anti-Trump but I agree with you

The first episode of the Will & Grace revival was explicitly an anti-Trump “resistance” story. I definitely wouldn’t call the actors making anti-Trump statements on social media brave. Laudable, yes.

This is a gossip thread about Debra and Megan. Stop trying to talk about your "disdain" for the cast's politics or outspokenness on the matter.

It's my favorite TV show of all time. The only one I've bought every season of on DVD. I was depressed when it ended.

News of the reboot was incredible, except I work 2nd shift and Thursday nights. I've only been able to watch it by renting the previous season from the Library.

Bad W&G is still better than the best of any other sitcom produced since.

The little skit they made for the election (that got the renewal greenlit) was far better than the first episode or any other attempt they’re made at politics since. The plot line involving Karen and Beverly buying a piece of the wall was very funny at first but then turned to cheap soap opera sentiment. At their peak with Rosario in the cast they would have made great subtle jokes about Trump’s view on immigration.

R116 If you ever get a chunk of time for a big binge watch you can get a free Hulu trial and watch this season before the trial expires. I agree, the reboot has disappointed me, but I still watch because it’s better than than most of the other shows on the air.

Patton Oswalt's actually a very good actor from what I've seen him do on other shows. Word was that Megan got him fired from that show; I don't recall the reason, but the show was shelved at that point. Interesting that he ended up playing scenes with her in multiple episodes of W&G, though from the ones I've seen their characters don't seem like to one another, which makes it easier, given their past history.

R110, what's wrong with you if you think Susan Sarandon is better than Debra Messing? Messing didn't want Trump to win.

r64, if she's better than the show....then why has her career been otherwise lackluster?

Patton Oswalt was very good in a Charlize Theron vehicle called "Young Adult".

Megan is the regular who has gotten nominated for an Emmy the most times (eight). She has the most Emmy wins out of the regulars (two). She was the first (along with Hayes) and last to win. She was the only one to be nominated for the reboot.

She has the most SAG wins out of the regulars (three individual + one ensemble). And she is tied with Sean for most SAG nominations.

She is certainly the best of the show. According to the industry.

R116 needs to get out more. The original series had a stale final season and ending, this one looks like it will be RIPE

Megan is the best in show, she’s had the longest career and I’d argue she has the most talent. Eric is a very talented actor too and I’d love to see him in a great dramatic role. The reason she hasn’t had a better career is that the business is very, very hard without connections. She didn’t get lucky when she was younger and get a hit show out of school like Debra did, she was 40 when she got W&G. To get an 8 year gig, a house up in the Bird Streets and probably 20 million + in the bank is an incredible success story in the business and you won’t find a working actor in the world who wouldn’t cut off his right nut for a career like that. Mega movie stardom is really a lottery. When the stars line up and someone achieves it nobody can explain it or replicate it again. That person’s university/acting coach/first agent will most likely never again get a student/client into A list movie stardom. Seinfeld couldn’t replicate “Seinfeld”, the “Friends” creators couldn’t hit gold a second time. You get the idea.

I agree that Megan is very talented and literally steals many of the early episodes - but they were also a strong ensemble who could play off each other. The fact that Megan became such a success at 40 is amazing, and good for her. But shouldn't that make her grateful for the show and the breathrough it gave her? If she didn't want to do the reboot, she could have pulled a Kim Cattrall and I would have respected that. But she signed on for the reboot after a few years out of the limelight (more so than her castmaates) and she all she needed to do was get along with her cast and crew and promote the show so it could be as successful as the first run. Instead, she seemed bored and bothered to be there, and eventually this affected her relationships with the producers and principals. You don't have to be best friends with cast mates - it's rare to find that. You do have to be a professional, and with her midseason Suzanne Somers move, she showed a real lack of gratitude and came off as petty. Most actors would kill to be in a long running hit sitcom AND have a second chance with it. So regardless of what Debra is like IRL, she more than fulfilled what she was there to do - respected by the rest of the cast and crew, gracious to her fans, and truly grateful and happy to get three more seasons to play a character she loves. Team Debra.

This I know - Megan has gotten the best face lift (and other work) done that I've seen - she's 61 and looks amazing - a friend saw her in person in Colorado and confirmed how youthful she looked in person.

Debra Messing, on the other hand, doesn't look particularly on the reboot- given her age and her money. Debra seems to be struggling with her weight - and her face can look good in some scenes but in others her cheeks and neck look heavy.

Messing face has also developed a kind of immobility - maybe from excessive botox or a bad face lift procedure that severed nerves - her face sometimes has that sort of paralyzed after-stroke quality that reminds me of Tinsley's mom Dale on RHONY

Megan seems to be putting a lot of energy into her new podcast "In Bed with Nick and Megan", which I really enjoy. Give it a listen - they're thoughtful, bright people with interesting guests...

And Megan talks a lot about her singing duo "Nancy and Beth" - performing and touring...

Megan's mother did died recently - she talks about it on the podcast; she does seem over the W&G reboot; and she's ready to move forward with her life and career....

Whatever may have happened on the reboot

She played one of the whores in Risky Business.

I didn't know she was that old!

Andy Richter said Megan Mullaly is so Irish her middle name should be "Potato"

Poor Deb had to resort to wearing mumu's because of her weight gain. 20 years of fabric for each outfit. She can't be THAT fat, can she? It must be hard for her since she was such a twig during the first run of the show.

Leslie Jordan adores her.

Messing has had her own problems and bad reputation in the biz...

She was reportedly obnoxious and overbearing - and hated by the entire crew - on the set on "Ned and Stacey"...even Thomas Hayden Church has talked openly how difficult she was

She was straight-out of film school and apparently thought she knew everything, which is kind of the same impression I get from her on Twitter

Part of my problem with Debra, is like with the recent I Love Lucy tribute, she really thinks she is the new Lucy and she isn't. Some of the other women during W&G's first go around in the late 1990s/early 2000s were much more Lucy like in talent, Fran Drescher on The Nanny, Reba on Reba, Patricia Heaton on Everybody Loves Raymond, Leah Remini on The King of Queens, etc... they were all better than Debra Messing and more worthy of being compared to the great Lucille Ball. Even Megan is more Lucy than Debra could ever hope to be. The only thing Debra has in common with Lucy is that she likes to boss people around, however Lucy earned the right and Debra hasn't.

[quote] I've only been able to watch it by renting the previous season from the Library.

You may want to start a thread and ask for technology help. Times have changed since the 1970s.

R124, she's had the longest career because she's the oldest. She's 10+ years older than Sean and Debra

She also has more to show for it, R135. Megan has worked on Broadway (pre and post-W&G), sung at the Lincoln Centre with her band, and worked with David Lynch. She did all of that before the age Debra is now.

No one had ever even heard of her before she got the Will and Grace gig.

Many great performers never get to be house-hold names or achieve the level of success Megan and the rest of the cast of Will & Grace have....

so that's not really a good metric

Anybody have spoilers from the finale?

Bygones.

Here’s the thing. There are a sprinkling if A listers and household names in the business. However, there are a lot of people who earn an upper middle class income every year without getting a big fat hit that makes them a household name. There are writers driving about in Bentleys and living in real nice homes in Toluca Lake and the Palisades who have nothing worth talking about on their IMDb page but they have sold movies and shows that go nowhere even though they get the check. Leslie Jordan is blowing up now and people are going “he’s just the guy from W&G” Leslie has been out there for about 40 years! He had 3 national TV commercials on the air at one point I n the early 80s. 3 national commercials can put an actors kid through college. Voice over work is extremely lucrative but means nothing to the public. If you tell the folks back home you’re going voiceover they’ll think “ah bless” even though that actor can make 6 figures that year.

Megan was natural before the reboot. She still looked great and much younger than her years but she had a little sagging the neck. Then she went and got a lot of work done. Fillers, a neck lift, a little eye work maybe. She actually looks great and looks exactly how a Karen Walker would look at 60. Deb’s problem is the weight. Usually a little extra weight makes an older woman look much better and need less radical surgery - think Fran Drescher - but Deb can look very thick around the neck and matronly. She posted a picture showing them freezing fat from her upper arms. She needs to exercise and eat less or just stop caring.

Debra Messing has been a total cunt for years and years.

R131 That is so sweet! It made my heart pitter patter.

Sean still texts with Megan per his appearance on The Talk a few weeks ago.

Of course he is going to say that. Both Sean and Eric tried to stay out of the fray.

r142 = Sue Sarandon. Still cheerleading for Trump?

[quote]She was straight-out of film school and apparently thought she knew everything, which is kind of the same impression I get from her on Twitter

Why did she go to film school? Was she planning on a directing career?

What Mullally doesn't get credit for is how great she is on stage. When she co-starred with Mathew Broderick in "How To Succeed" she was absolutely sensational. She's really gifted as a musical theatre performer, and once W&G became huge, she was offered everything. Well before Bette, there was talk of a 'Dolly' revival starring her, and she and Herman met, and he allegedly called the producers and said "You finally found the right one. Do it."

She’d be a great Vera but I suspect she wouldn’t do it as it’s too similar to Karen Walker.

Eric seems like such an ordinary guy. He lives a quiet suburban life, same wife all these years, not a hint of scandal, never heard a bad word about him from coworkers.

Sean is sort of odd. He was on Dax Shepard’s podcast, they are very good friends, and he sounded very neurotic and like someone who had an emptiness despite his success. Will and Grace made him a bundle of money and his production company has also been very successful but he downplayed his success, downplayed how well he’s done financially, he said he didn’t like to travel, he didn’t have an hobbies, he’s a workaholic ....I wanted to him to slow down and smell the roses a bit.

Deb Messing was treated very badly on Ned and Stacy and she loathed Thomas Hayden Church. I think she even challenged him about his behavior in a interview after she got W&G, might have been interview magazine and he acknowledged it. I wonder if it’s such a coincidence that both of her shows have had tension and bad blood on set. I wonder what THC’s side of the story is.

Sean does seem odd, but I admire what I’ve learned about him. He took forever to come out publicly, in 2010, which is insanely weird given that he played Jack and was in fact gay. I don’t know what would possess a closeted man to take on a super-flamboyant character while also not being open about his sexuality.

But as it turns out, he is very talented and in pretty diverse ways. He’s a pianist, at one time a professional classical one. He was co-executive producer of the shows Grimm and Hot in Cleveland and creator and executive producer of Hollywood Game Night. Jack is a memorable character and I assume Hayes worked out the characterization largely by himself, which also makes him a gifted comic actor. I was really surprised to learn about his other facets. He is kind of the opposite of faux-multihyphenate Jack McFarland.

She didn’t participate in this little video about the finale. The clip that they used of her speaking is from the interview she gave when the show came back on the air.

This article was obviously paid for by Debra’s publicist - horribly slanted. If anything, I’ve heard Messing is the bitch and had soured in Megan because her character and Jack had gotten so popular. Meghan seems like a stone cold bitch as well, don’t get me wrong, but Debrah ain’t no saint. Plus she gets a big stroke against her for The Mysteries of Laura existing

R150 Yes Sean, you’re amazing. We all agree.

Megan did an interview on set for the Lucy episode. It was as if forced at gunpoint. Totally unprofessional - the show and fans made her a star and this is how she treats them? Bye Megan.

R154 in her defense that episode was garbage

It’s amazing how hair can change a woman. I had been thinking that Megan is now as old/older than the ladies on GG when it started. Then I saw her in the Ethel wig and it aged her 20 years.

Megan obviously thinks everyone involved with the show has turned on her so she’s giving them all a giant middle figure and refusing to save their embarrassment by not doing press and not mentioning the show. I hope when we do find out the truth it’s worth it and all this hasn’t been some silly school kid spat blown out of all proportion.

How likely is it that an entire cast and crew of professional actors, writers, and craftsmen would have turned on Megan? Ridiculous and paranoid. Yes she must have had a terrible disagreement with Debra. Who cares? Bea hated Betty White but she remained professional. It’s a bigger fuck you to her fans who love her in the role.

Megan's attitude > the writing.

It’s one thing to hate your costar and request as many scenes as possible without her but to refuse to even be interviewed about the end of the show and the end of the character you won two Emmys for is so unprofessional and disrespectful to the crew and the fans. My guess is the suspension really pissed her off and she’s been doing the absolute bare minimum since.

The crew probably hate Megan more now - unless Debra is a total raging bitch on set but she’s kept it professional and stayed enthusiastic about the show so I don’t think she was terrorizing the whole place. Actually if Megan is correct about Debra being a sneaky bully who can manipulate people to her side the crew probably adore her. I wonder if the losing her mom sent Megan off the deep end, this all started around the time her mom passed. Before that her husband had guest starred on the show and she was doing live videos from the set.

That thought crossed my mind as well, R160. Losing your mother can change things for a person in major ways, even if they had lived full lives. Lots of people just see life differently, especially those who never had children, for better or worse. And the mourning can go on for years, if not the rest of one's life.

I listen to a podcast about W&G and the hosts went to see a taping last November. They raved about Debra and said she was dancing and telling jokes and engaging with the audience. They are super fangirls so they would be biased anyway lol but it seems like Debra is way more enthusiastic during the reboot so maybe the power dynamic has shifted more. Maybe Megan thought she had more power than she really did and she expected the producers to back her and give her whatever she wanted rather than suspend her!

Leslie Jordan on Sean Hayes

JORDAN: You know, Sean, I would never put him down in any way, but Sean and I never really had a real conversation. He was like that person you work with and you’re always friendly, “Good morning,” and so on, but never once do I remember having a real conversation with him. Somebody asked me about him once in an interview and I said, “Yeah, like anybody’s gonna blow her cover.” It got printed and, I don’t know. I remember we were sitting right next to him at the Emmys and my mother even noticed it. She said, “He hasn’t said much.” I said, “Well, he’s gonna be on stage, he’s nervous.” But to answer your question, I never really knew him that well. He’s a lovely boy. … People think we just bond so much on those sets, but it’s not like that. You go to work and do your thing. We had a lot of fun. … The only one I really keep up with now is Megan. I’m not going to do it anymore, but people have sometimes asked me to ask her for something, you know, like a charity thing or something. And she’s done it, but I feel bad — people ask them for so much all the time.

Kathryn Joosten would have told Sean Hayes to blow it out his ass. Lady!

Do you mean Fiery Crotchery Megan?

Casting Kathryn Joosten and Leslie Jordan in a comedy-drama about crimefighting siblings was a grave missed opportunity.

Jess Cagle had an interview with the cast... except for Megan. I guess she probably would have torn down Debra through the TV screen.

Gee where is Megan? She must be working...oh yeah Hollywood is shut down.

[quote]Gee where is Megan? She must be working...oh yeah Hollywood is shut down.

Maybe, she's just over it and ready to move on. Would you rather her be like Sarah Jessica Parker who cannot let "Sex and the City" go?

^^^Before I get an "oh, dear," "her" should be "she." OOPS

r170 And Kim K. should be Kim C., n'est-ce pas?

I stop to consider that it would hard to turn down the reboot even if one of them was over it. Do you want to be the bad guy who denies the audience what they’re looking for and deprives writers and other creatives (and recurring actors) a paycheck?

R172 Yes, you do.

Maybe Rafe will disappear with David.

But Kim made the sacrifice of doing a couple of shitty movies before pulling out.

I'm not buying the theory about sneaky Debra and pure as snow Megan. I think it's telling that Megan seems to have a problem with everyone. If anyone is sneaky it's Mullally, who's ego appears to be the size of the grand canyon. If Mullally didn't wish to be involved in the W and G re boot, that was perfectly understandable . But don't agree to be involved and then do the prissy diva routine. Her job pays a lot and it isn't THAT difficult.

R176 didn't the issues only come up in the last year or so?

R177 This is the first I've heard of them, but who knows, maybe it was building for a while.

I was bullied at work and then terminated. I was the one who looked like the bad guy from every angle but my own and my union rep.

R173 But, is the audience really calling for more Sex and the City?

The body language!

I still believe that everything was ok during the first two seasons of the reboot. When discussions came up for extending the contracts of the main cast over the summer hiatus to secure participation in case NBC renewed it again, I believe Megan just said no, I’m done - she was bored with it. Debra seemed to be really enjoying it and I can see her getting really angry that Megan made her decision without consideration or discussion with her cast mates. I think that created a lot of bad blood. They stopped following each other on social media in August and shortly after they announced this was the final season.

Why can’t Debra launch Season 3 of SMASH?

We’re ready!

How can she do that while she's launching season three of "The Mysteries of Laura?" The woman has to sleep!

Screw that. I want The Debra Messing Variety Hour. I want ice skating opening numbers followed by a wacky comedy skit, a musical medley, a poetry reading, a dance segment and, to close, some one-woman stand up. Give Messing the showcase she deserves, and ensure that each show ends with that Ethiopian woman saying, "Let me tell you about Debra Messing... *

[quote]Screw that. I want The Debra Messing Variety Hour.

I'm available. In case you forgot, my resume includes "The Brady Bunch Variety Hour."

I rather have a cup of coffee with Messing than Mullally anyway.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

n January, the Willl & Grace actor Megan Mullally, best known for her role as acid-tongued boozehound Karen Walker on the long-running sitcom, alleged that she was being bullied at work. “I’ve had a recent situation that I can’t be specific about,” she said on the podcast she presents with her husband, the Parks & Recreation actor Nick Offerman. “I did try to stand up for myself in certain ways, and that made it a thousand times worse. Because the person, the bully – it just lit a fire under that person, where they just tripled their efforts ... This was in a work situation for me ... I’m pretty much on my own in this situation because the bully has recruited many of my allies to their side, so that they’re not my allies anymore.”

Mullally’s claim trailed months of speculation about turmoil on the Will & Grace set. The queer, quippy comedy ran for eight seasons from 1998 until 2006 and earned a legion of fans in the process, before returning for new episodes in 2017. Yet its return has been rife with rumours of friction between the cast. Eagle-eyed devotees spotted that Mullally and co-star Debra Messing had unfollowed one another on Instagram, then later that Mullally had also unfollowed Sean Hayes, who plays her on-screen BFF.

On her podcast, Mullally spoke eloquently and with palpable sadness about the strangeness of being bullied as an adult. “I’m 60 and I’m being bullied right now,” she said with a degree of astonishment. She spoke of being deliberately frozen out by the mystery co-worker in question, as well as being ignored and refused eye contact. She claimed the person was attempting to “ruin” her, and confessed that she was “disappointed” in herself as it had happened with the same person before.

She explained: “This whole new thing has come up again with a person that I’ve had an experience of this with years ago … I’ve had two experiences with the person who I’m having a thing with. The ‘trouble...’ It makes me mad at myself.”

“The bullies that I’ve known as an adult are people who spend a lot of time trying to paint a picture of themselves as just opposite of that,” she continued. “The person that I’m talking about ... they spend a lot of time trying to put forward an image of themselves as a wonderful, caring person who cares the most, [and] cares more about justice on the planet than any other person ever has, and they want everyone to know it. That’s interesting, you know? To almost create a persona they reflect out to the public... or to people who they don’t know.”

Oh just spill it.

R190 Interesting that she points out Messing's performative wokeness. I guess we will never know what happened behind the scenes between them, although they will both have their version of things.

I do agree with Megan that bullies will make it look like YOU are the antagonist and paint themselves to be the opposite of that.

I've had jobs where, when I gave notice I was quitting, they tried to guilt me into staying. Nothing, though, on the level of a network show with hundreds of jobs on the line. Sounds like Debra tried to guilt Megan into continuing, but Megan wasn't having any of it. Therefore, Debra started showing the true side of her face.

[post redacted because independent.co.uk thinks that links to their ridiculous rag are a bad thing. Somebody might want to tell them how the internet works. Or not. We don't really care. They do suck though. Our advice is that you should not click on the link and whatever you do, don't read their truly terrible articles.]

R193 there's nothing wrong with Megan, in between Seasons 2.2 and 3.2, saying "hey, next year is my last. I'm done." That gives people a YEAR to find new work/make plans. If she had said, after 2.2, "fuck this, I'm out" then yeah she'd be a monster.

The series finale is tonight at 9. Followed by a retrospective episode at 9:30.

Do we know when Megan decided she wasn’t coming back? Could it have been after the bullying started? The numbers weren’t good and the quality was tanking so do we even know that the cancellation was because Megan didn’t sign on?

I think Mullally would definitely help her case if she got into the specifics. Perhaps she is waiting for the entire series to be over.

Is salary a factor in the discord?

Perhaps the actors who portray the title characters earn more. But this is an ensemble show, and the two second bananas are more interesting and more popular than the leads.

The post-finale retrospective shows the cast reuniting at the beginning of the reboot. They all looked so happy to see each other again.

[quote]I rather have a cup of coffee with Messing than Mullally anyway.

And I'd rather have a martini with Mullally.

R168 I hate that ALL the guest hosts were "amazing" and "super-talented" and "so fun."

You know that isn't true.

It certainly looks like Eric McCormack and Matt Bomer shot their scene separately.

I think the second half hour was boring, self-congratulatory, and unnecessary. Like one of the phone calls when neither person knows how to hang up first.

R203 yeah there was some weird digital effect like Matt was on a green screen.

Is Grace’s caftan a shoutout to DL?

Ex-cuuuuse me, ex-cuuuuse me!!! I was feuding with most of the entire cast and producers during my last season of Designing Women and we still managed to put out 24 quality episodes!!!

Now that I remember, after the show went off the air, didn't she also have a feud with Shelly Morrison, the actress who played Rosario? I think that the actress had accidentally let it slip that Megan was planning to get married. And perhaps she was then banned from the wedding?

Just watching the end of it now. Hadn't seen it in 8-10 years, and all I can say it was a huge mistake. They're all too old for their parts. McCormack looks especially aged, especially wearing the same shirts he wore 15-20 years ago.

Even the laugh track didn't like it.

[quote]yeah there was some weird digital effect like Matt was on a green screen.

He booked a lead on another TV show part way into the season, ditched the show and couldn't return to guest in more episodes although he was supposed to originally.

So they shot two different versions of that scene before he left months ago, they picked one and then threw it in there.

Megan may have had a feud with Shelley. Shelley did the 2016 YouTube skit, but refused to come back for the reboot, so who knows what that was about. It could have been her health, though. Megan along with the other three actors paid tribute to Shelley Morrison on her passing last fall on her IG account and had a lot of kind words for her.

Jesus, that was the

Worst.

Finale.

EVER!!

Total fucking bullshit and a waste of 30 minutes. I got through about half of the sucky post-finale episode and turned it off.

Good goddamn riddance.

[quote]So they shot two different versions of that scene before he left months ago, they picked one and then threw it in there.

That maybe be true, but they weren't on the same stage at the same time.

I think Eric still looks great in the wardrobe but he is too thin and that ages him.

Did anyone else think the studio audience sounded off during the rerun? Most of the attendees would be mega fans so you’d expect a very lively audience and big reactions but in a lot of the episodes it sounds like they brought in 20 tourists who never saw the show before.

R211 When they reunited originally they were interviewed on one of those morning shows, and the host (Hoda or someone) kept saying "the fab 4 is back!" and Mullally made a special point of mentioning that they were also missing their 5th cast member, Shelley Morrison, who she said had retired from the business.

Fair enough given she was so old and was in the very last years of her life. But I don't recall there being any animosity.

There was briefly when Shelley announced Meg and Nick had married on the E Red Carpet show. Megan had not told anyone and the E people started congratulating her live on air and she was livid. They had patched that up long before the show was over though.

R211 I remember an interview with Megan talking about other characters on W&G and she spoke very highly of Shelley saying how professional she was, yet really genuinely funny and fun.

R216 My sister and I used to sleep in the living room and have a little party on award show nights. We had E! channel and the red carpet was from midnight to 2am here. I remember watching Shelley say that Megan had married Nick. I think I have it on VHS in my parents attic, I taped them all. It is also how I was introduced to Joan Rivers and Kathy Griffin. Anyway, I had always just assumed Shelley was told but they never said it’s a secret so why hold a terrible grudge.

Shelley M was on Twitter until the day before she died and she was very political and often retweeted W&G posts. I can see why she wanted to support Clinton and do the election video but she was in a wheelchair and in poor health so doing full episodes would have been too much. Megan was supportive to the minor character actors like Shelley and Leslie Jordan. The others not so much but then I cannot imagine the divide and hierarchy that must happen when you earn a half million a week and acquire the fame and homes and cars and lifestyle. Not many would take the time to bond with an actor working for scale.

Yes most regulars do not pay much attention to (non famous) guest actors. I’ve heard some actors say that guesting is like the first day of school because the regulars have their routines and dynamic established and you’re just blowing through. On movies and single camera shows some stars won’t even stay to act with you when the camera is on you. Shelley was probably on scale or a little more for most of the run too. Same happened to Estelle a parsons on Roseanne and Renee Taylor on The Nanny.

R218 having been a guest actor on a fair number of shows I will say that all the regular casts treated me professionally. Some actors were more friendly than others but it's like being a temp in an office. You're only there for a brief period and your role is to be good, get the job done and not cause any delays. There is no reason for the regular cast to invest much in the relationship, it totally makes sense.

I have no doubt that Megan had a problem with Messing.

But the fact that the two other costars did those interviews with Messing makes me think that Megan was the problem, not Messing. It also appears probably that one of the conditions of doing the group interview was that Megan's name could not be mentioned.

Calling a work conflict "bullying" is a red flag. It may have been bullying, but, more likely, it was just a personality clash. And calling it "bullying" makes it seem less petty.

Reese Witherspoon was said to have a very chilly reception when she guested on Friends.

It was said that Aniston didn't like a bigger female star taking laughs and focus. She was THE STAR of the show.

R222 So fucking what. The cast of 6 was known to freeze out anyone who wasn't part of their clique.

It must not have bothered Reese too much as she worked with Aniston again.

I met Debra a few years ago and Megan last year. Debra was fake nice for show and Megan was weird but seemed genuinely nice.

Megan’s opinion is that Debra purposely went and convinced Megan’s allies that Megan was the problem and they turned against her and became team Debra. Megan brought a letter to work from her therapist because she was feeling so bullied and victimised. That’s her side.

Really rich actor's problems.

There was an article that came out for the anniversary of Friends with some of the guest stars through the years, and they pretty much uniformly said the core six were VERY cliquey and didn't really talk to them, and that the vibe on the set was very serious, especially during the later years when they started to make the big bucks. The actors weren't mean or anything, but there was a bit of an 'Us vs Them' mentality.

Jennifer Coolidge, Kathleen Turner, Aisha Tyler, and several others have confirmed this, I remember Coolidge being surprised because she had been in comedy groups with Kudrow.

I wouldn't be surprised if it's the same sort of thing on W&G and other big sitcoms with the core cast who are making millions per week, and the peasants who come in to steal a scene here or there and get out.

R228 We know this. It has been said many times before and on this thread.

Anyone else catch that in the scene in the cab, Lorraine says 'why do women have to tear each other down?'

R229: Fuck off. We don't need you policing relevant comments, you controlling cunt.

So Will & Grace went their way together and Jack and Karen went their way together? You know Jack and Karen would never go to the country to see them and what about when Bomer gets back in the picture, would he want to live with Grace too?

R231 OK. Stupid cunt that just repeats everything that's already been said.

R233? That's been said before and on this thread. Now fuck off.

She seems to still get along perfectly fine with Sean, at least. The final table read video seems upbeat/fun.

Used to follow Megan on IG, her labored drollness got old quickly.

The SHADE

"Perhaps most mind-bogglingly of all, the revival’s final-season premiere last fall found Grace going on a trip, having unprotected sex, and becoming pregnant accidentally—just as she did in the show’s first final season, back in 2006. This plotline was plausible 15 years ago, when Grace was in her early 30s. Now, though, Grace is supposed to be 48—and based on what we know about her horrible diet and aversion to exercise, she probably has the body of a sexagenarian."

R237. Vanity Fair is wrong. W&G was a great show. It had some challenges in the reboot season three. The first two seasons of the reboot were fine and funny. Several times it wasn't as hilarious as the first go-round, but it was good. As much as season three had its problems, they were still four characters about whom we cared. And the final episode despite the unfortunate baby story line, very well done, funny, poignant and a satisfying ending. Bring it back again. I'll watch!

[QUOTE]W&G was a great show

I disagree. The W&G show was good, but it wasn't great.

Great is Seinfeld. Great is The Golden Girls. Great is Cheers. Great is Mary Tyler Moore. Great is Bewitched. Hell, in its prime, even Roseanne (the show, and sometimes her) was great (Seasons 2 - 5, but especially seasons 3 - 4).

W&G doesn't hold a candle to those series, even in its finest hours (Seasons 3 - 5 IMO).

My thoughts on the dispute among cast members is that Megan felt she was being bullied, left out, not respected, didn't like her story line and thought the writing or plot lines were not up to par ...call it what you will. It was not about a contract dispute. After the first season of the reboot, the ratings were fairly good, and the show was renewed for two more season right then--they didn't have to wait to get renewed for season three. They got their renewal quite early. If the cast and producers thought the ratings would hold up for season two and three, they were wrong. The acting was still quite good, but the writing and plot lines suffered. As a result, the ratings suffered. I still liked the show, but the story lines were not the hilarity and cutting edge they once were.

I think it still worked bringing the show back, but they weren't the new kids on the block any longer. I didn't, but the general public lost interest. I watch so much news all the time, which I enjoy, but as a result, W&G was still a weekly treat for me. I would watch the cast read the phone book. But nonetheless, the cast had committed to season two and three right after season one. They were locked in. But the scripts had diminished, and perhaps it wasn't as much fun for all of them, specifically Megan. Tensions rose, disagreements ensued and didn't heal. They were no longer on a big hit show. Now they were on a show where ratings had declined, and Megan wanted out. But she couldn't get out because they all had agreed to do seasons two and three. The cast didn't decide to end the show. NBC did. To the network, it wasn't worth going for season four it if the public wasn't going to watch as they once did or even as they did in season one. If the show were going gangbusters, I could see the cast being unhappy or "bullying" Megan for not wanting to continue. But NBC decided the show was not going to continue. So for the final season, no matter how much Megan was getting paid, she lost interest, and the Debra Messing probably resented it because of all of them Debra likes her role as the lead actress even though the show takes all four of them--and Debra is funny. She's good at her job. They all are.

Megan probably wasn't all the mad with Sean and Eric, but they may have sort of sided with Debra because they enjoyed their jobs and with a big steady paycheck. Megan took that as they did not support her. The dispute was not about Sean and Eric against Megan because men don't argue like women do. I know it sounds sexist, but gay or straight, men don't get as concerned about things they consider not worth it. I'm not saying that men don't argue, but they probably weren't affected by a dispute between the women. Megan wanted their support. They didn't offer it or were silent about giving it. As a result, Megan felt left out and outnumbered. In the end, the dispute may have been resolved, but it probably didn't fully heal. The closeness and the bond among all of them was lost. It's too bad because the four of them were pure chemistry for so long.

R239. I feel the W&G was great more seasons than it was just good. Personally, I wasn't all that wild about Golden Girls. Just wasn't my thing. I liked Designing Women much, much better, But like Designing Women, Will & Grace eventually suffered because despite how good or great they were, invariably the writing falters and/or cast members have disputes, and when that happens, the magic is gone and it's very difficult to get it back. Mary Tyler Moore was my all-time favorite, but there were probably disputes on that show too, but we didn't hear about it because the media has changed so much and social media wasn't even a thing. Not everything was reported. but now everyone has a say in the matter. We know when someone "unfollows" another colleague. What? No one ever even heard of that until 10 years ago. The mystique is gone when we know too much.

I think W&G should rank right up there with some of the other great shows you mentioned. At its best, W&G has some of the best writing and acting on television, and the show was groundbreaking in many ways. "Friends" had more longevity than almost any other show, but it wasn't great at all. It was consistent and familiar and suited the times I guess. W&G wasn't the first gay show, but they were the first consistently out gay show unapologetically. And it worked. The public, the writers and society in general were ready for it. W&G took it and ran with it in a way other shows hadn't or couldn't. The next gay show will take it even further if it hasn't already with shows like "Queer as Folk," and "Looking" breaking their own ground. No one has to be groundbreaking any longer. It's all out there for all to see. But shows like that were bound to happen because society was ready. Maybe I'll concede to say that we toss around the word "great" too much. Maybe instead, theses shows were memorable, changed the world a little bit and had a pretty big affect on us all--like MTM did. I'll agree that Seinfeld was great, but it certainly didn't the affect me the way Will & Grace did. And not one of the characters in Seinfeld made me laugh the way Karen did on W&G. I guess all these shows had there certain magic that made them well worth watching.

It's just a show.

Nah, W&G became a great show in S3 IMO and had a good run until about S7.

I lost interest in the rebooted Will&Grace after a few episodes in Season 1. It was not possible to make the show relevant again. What were the issues or points of interest? Zero. I never liked Messing and a straight guy like McCormack playing gay is just offensive like blackface. There is no reason for straights to be gay for pay anymore. I only watched for Jack&Karen in the original series, in the reboot Hayes is way too old for these stories and his physical comedy was flat and unfunny.

Men will fight in the workplace. My father was transferred because he got into a messy feud with some other guys at work. It was an all male workplace. My uncle also works in an all male environment - airline maintenance plant - and they have guys go out sick over bullying and there’s constant friction. But men don’t seem to fight with women or over the same things that women fight over. So, it didn’t surprise me to see that Eric would still hug Megan and Sean still sits beside her. It also doesn’t surprise me that she feels they don’t support her because for women support is a more emotional thing and I can’t see Eric or Sean jepordizing their careers to be an “ally” in the way most women would interpret that.

Also I don’t believe gay actors have to play gay characters. It stung in 1998 because there were so few opportunities for out gay actors but today if you insist gay characters must be played by gay actors you risk the industry following through and only casting gay men as gay characters and straight men and straight characters. That leaves a lot of gay actors out of work because there will never be enough gay characters to keep actors working and send more actors back into the closet.

R222 that seems unlikely since Aniston and Witherspoon have subsequently worked together and are good friends.

The creators have admitted that there were problems on set but it’s a Daily Fail article so I won’t link it.

"It's just about the work. And so if we stay true to that, then we just keep you guys out of whatever happened on the set this year because it would have done nothing but get in the way of the stories that we wanted to tell."

He expanded, “It was not an easy year, but the permanent legacy of the show is much more important to us than any temporary squabble that would take place on the stage.”

It was a show with 17 producers, yet they found it difficult to produce any logical plots or any real laughter.

[quote]Men will fight in the workplace. My father was transferred because he got into a messy feud with some other guys at work.

Poor people's problems.

^Still bitter about that.

[quote]a straight guy like McCormack playing gay is just offensive like blackface.

I agree. Only astrophysicists should be allowed to play astrophysicists in movies. That's what acting is all about: playing you!

I have speculated that the problem among the actors may have been in part due to the different life stages they are in as well. Eric and Debra still have kids at home or at least in college. Even though they are millionaires (or should have invested and saved enough to be), they may still be driven to bring in lots of cash. Didn’t Debra have to pay alimony to her ex-husband? That wasn’t cheap. I don’t know what Sean’s partner situation is, but he is the youngest of the bunch. Eric’s on the same wife as he has always been, but she probably hasn’t needed to work in decades due to the series. Megan undoubtedly got some inheritance from her loaded mom, plus she has no kids. Megan’s husband is working steadily, bringing in Parks and Rec rerun pay, and writing books. They don’t need the money the way the others do, perhaps.

I see Megan wanting to have creative control over her projects at this point. She designed the art and photography for her book with Nick. There’s the podcast. Plus, she has a band that appears she has tightly choreographed (literally and figuratively). I think she wants control over her investments of time and energy. The W&G reboot stank, and she no longer had a fuck to give nor needed/wanted the money.

Megan's mom was loaded? Sounds just like Karen!

Karen's mom was a con artist, not loaded.

I kept waiting for more to happen in the finale.

I thought Leo might come back into Grace's life and Vince into Will's.

The show ended with Grace off to deliver a baby, but we didn't see Will become a dad.

Jack's dream came true, career-wise; Karen and Stan reunited.

It looked like W&G were going to go raise their kids in that house they got; Maybe McCoy would be around. Wasn't the whole theme of the show that they needed to grow apart? And in the end, they didn't.

Megan’s mother was bed bound in her home with 24 hour care for years which must have cost a fortune. I assumed Megan was footing the bill but if her mom was able to afford that kind of care and have enough left to provide a great inheritance (that would be significant to a daughter who was earning 250,000+ per week) then the Mullally’s family must have been absolutely loaded. Where did they acquire that kind of money?

Max Mutchnik posted a blooper from the finale on his Instagram. I tried to post here but the video doesn’t play. In it, Megan laughs and says “what are they gonna do, fire me?” which made me LOL because she had zero fucks left at that point. You can also hear crew members laughing so I guess even they saw the funny side of that comment after months of on set drama.

Good.

Well, R258, maybe now that Mrs. Mullally has died, Megan no longer needs to work as much, as she's not paying for the in-home care.

I know that the Mullallys in Oklahoma City supplied the US military with mules (I think?) during World War One. I thought there was maybe some oil money, too.

The family was high in society circles.

[quote]I know that the Mullallys in Oklahoma City supplied the US military with mules (I think?) during World War One.

No, those were the Mule-allys.

Wasn’t Megan’s dad a bit player in Hollywood who moved back to Oklahoma because he couldn’t support a family with the work he was getting? I don’t remember her ever alluding to coming from money.

Does anyone think the industry will side with Megan and Debra is the one who will never work again?

R264 I don't think either of them are powerful enough to get the other blacklisted, nor is the feud that serious that most of Hollywood would care.

If I was a producer I wouldn’t hire an actress who has been suspended from another show or one who has made conditions on set a nightmare for the crew. So I do think people will care and it will make both of them less hireable.

I don't really think this will move the needle on their careers. Megan and her husband seem good at promoting themselves, i'm sure they'll still guest star on a lot of comedies both together and separately (and she'll do her stage / cabaret work). They even get dramatic roles like in the indie film 'Smashed'.

Debra has kind of always struggled with her own 'vehicles', and doesn't seem to take many supporting or indie projects for some reason (though she was quite good in 'Searching' with John Cho). I can see her doing TV Land series a while down the track when her more mainstream career dies down.

Writer/producer is interchangeable in TV. Once a writer gets a promotion he/she is bumped into a producing title but his/her actual job is writing. The fact than W&G had 17 producers tells me the writers were on very bloated salaries. Add in the salaries of the 4 leads and director Jimmy Burrows and that was an expensive show to produce. I remember snooping around that opensecrets website that shows you who made political donations and the W&G people were all living in the finest ZIP codes even with rather sparse IMDb pages otherwise. The GG writers were in a nice UMC parts of the city like TO and Toluca Lake but not as fancy as the staff of later shows. lol

Debra is a leading lady, Meghan will always be supporting.

Hi, Debra!

RE: R269

Debra leads the line to the buffet. Megan supports being creative and expanding her talent.