"Will & Grace" star Leslie Jordan is the unexpected breakout celeb of the pandemic era

He was just on Will and Grace.

Mein Fuhrer!

Mein Fuhrer! two minutes earlier

He's only 65? He looks 75.

He provided the only amusing moment on the Lucy episode--otherwise, the whole thing was pointless.

Is he still taking in str8 strays?

Long overdue indeed. Thrilled for him and hope it leads to more work. I've been following him for months and last time I looked he had 50,000 followers. I logged in last night and thought there was an error when I saw he had nearly 3 million followers! He's one of the hardest workers in the business, never turned down a gig, has been out there for about 30 years and a lot of his successes (his Emmy, his book) lead to nothing.

He's the type I always think has the best chance of making a living in the business because he's so unique and you remember him. Actors like him survive making a living for decades where all the beautiful people they churn out of college programs and conservatories get nowhere.

He's a self loather, though.

I also love him. He is great, funny and completely honest. I watched his one-man show over the weekend and, surprisingly, I watched it all the way to the end. I can only imagine what it might have been growing up in the South back then.

is he really only 65? or is that his showbiz age?

He tells a Faye Dunaway story today:

He hadn't seen the Kusturica movie.

I wish he and Edward Hibbert (Gil Chesterton from Frasier) would team up.

That Faye Dunaway story is perfect. Love him.

His mama is still alive and in great shape so he cannot be lying about his age. To me, he looks like most 65 year olds but I live in a small town of white blue collar people so I guess that's a factor. I wouldn't look twice at Leslie but uber preserved 60 somethings look odd to me when other guys here just think they're 'hot'. All what you're used to seeing.

He didn't seem self loathing in an interview I heard a few years ago. He was fairly self aware. He said he was sexually active and promiscuous from a very young age (11 I think) in a way that would now be considered child abuse and during recovery he discovered he had all the signs of a childhood abuse survivor and that's why he had such difficulty with healthy relationships, he had his first boyfriend at 60. He seems like a sweet man and a good advocate for our community.

I'd love to see him play Dolly Parton's brother in something.

If your MO is to take in str8 men (or "hobosexuals"), you're self loathing. A hooker and a john is one thing - both parties know what's up. That hasn't been his MO.

He was wonderful as Brother Boy in "Sordid Lives."

[quote]He's a self loather, though.

Aren't we all, hon?

That’s harsh on someone his age. I have friends raised in the 90s in liberal homes and they’ve struggled with a degree of self loathing. I can only imagine the work Mr Jordan had to do to become at peace with who he is. I didn’t know he was abused, I remember his father died when he was a child so he did the best with what he had to work with imo. I just don’t like it when gay men attack each other with the “self loathing” slur and try to pit ourselves against each other. And a bit rich on a website where out men are regularly bashed but we have multi part threads on men who murder their own kids all because they’re white, straight and posters want to blow ‘em.

I’m glad Leslie got sober, survived the 80s and is here providing some light hearted entertainment.

If he get's offed by one of these hobosexuals, will you be defending his choices then?

I worked with him about 10 years ago and he couldn’t have of been sweeter! I wish I had someone like him as a friend.

He's fun to watch.

I miss the Cool Kids. I don’t watch sitcoms but it was light, fun, fluff.

Its great that a 65 year old, effeminate, out of shape, little gay man has become an Instagram sensation.

All the stupid instahoes must be eating their hearts out.

R23 I liked the Cool Kids as well. Leslie Jordan and Vicki Lawrence were funny. Martin Mull and David Grier seemed oddly casted.

Cast.

Love the Faye Dunaway story.

"She's batshit crazy."

Thank you SO much, OP. Thanks a million.

Leslie Jordan is my new Madonna.

He's wonderful to watch. I love his thick Southern accent.

Fun fact: Leslie used to be a jockey in Lexington, Kentucky back in the late 1970’s.

It speaks to SNL's Lorne Michael's stupidity and need to retire that he wouldn't hire Leslie Jordan to play Jefferson Beauregard Sessions over the OVERUSED Kate McKinnon.

It's funny that 90% of the comments on his posts are just people tagging their friends. Most of them have no idea who he is outside of Instagram! I hope he gets a gig that will pay him FU money and he and his sisters will be set for life.

[quote]"She's batshit crazy."

*bitch*

Everyone here should see the filmed version of My Trip down the Pink Carpet!!! I saw this in NYC 2x and laughed the most I have in years!

He’s on tThe View today!!!

Happy for him. he just needed a pandemic to become a household name.

He's deserved fame for so long. He's one of those rare actors who can make a full course meal out of even the tiniest role. I always perk up when I hear he's going to be in something. And yes, it's really delicious that an elderly gay man with actual talent is becoming the biggest Instagram sensation during this whole thing. Maybe this will lead to people following and supporting people with actual talent instead of vapid InstaHos who aren't offering anything but their bodies.

Good! Maybe this will get them to bring back The Cool Kids.

Well, a little goes a long way..

The only celebrity Instagram I look at.

He has another Fox sitcom with Maliym Bayalik coming this fall. Produced by Jim Parsons. He was supposed to be doing the pilot last month but now he’s pencilled in for a June start. He announced it in one of the videos just before his account went viral.

I noticed also in an older video he showed his BMW convertible and said “this is from Fox, they cancelled the show but I kept the car” Does that mean they gifted it to him? He also shows Hermes dinner plates Fox gave him. I didn’t know networks give the actors gifts. Does this also happen on streaming and cable?

Eric McCormack from Will and Grace auctioned off a car that NBC gave him when W&G first hit. Don’t ask me the make and model but it was a “fancy car”. I wouldn’t have thought networks were still throwing out freebies like that especially to a show that wasn’t a hit but I guess they are. No idea about streaming platforms. They don’t pay as well in general so maybe not. On the other hand Netflix will give comedians 20 million for a special so who knows.

r41 Are you referring to this show? He's not listed in the cast. But DL fave Cheyenne Jackson is. Along with Swoosie Kurtz and Kyla Pratt. The premise sounds really stupid.

[quote]A 39-year-old woman who decides to use the money her parents had been saving for her wedding to buy a cat-themed cafe.

Yes he’s going to be in that. He tags most of his posts with it and he made a rap about it yesterday!

.......

The Boy George story is delightful.

[Quote] He has another Fox sitcom with Maliym Bayalik coming this fall. Produced by Jim Parsons. He was supposed to be doing the pilot last month but now he’s pencilled in for a June start. He announced it in one of the videos just before his account went viral.

I bet he's wishing that he hadn't signed a contract pre Insta fame.

here he is in full truth about his addiction including his addiction to straight men.

That was a powerful speech. Thank you. I’m 30 years younger and I have never had addiction issues but I could really relate to what he said about not having a safe place to flirt and date and figure things out as a teenager and how that affected his adult relationships. Like Lesley I was also in a small town with no opportunities for teen dating. Fast forward 10 years and I’m in the city at gay bars and on the internet and there’s no room for teenage fumbles or a slow initiation. I’ve always envied straight people who get to have that and take it for granted.

I also see so much of myself in some of the young gay kids of YT, I remember seeing a young guy in full makeup and nails and thinking how much braver and more advanced he is that me at that age. But when I watched his videos it becam clear he was a 19 year old virgin living life in his bedroom looking at social media 24/7. He admitted he had no friends in real life, no social life and his speech pattern and vocabulary was all social media speak. He seemed just as isolated and lonely as I was as young effeminate gay man.

Bit of a ramble but I could understand so much of what he said and I admire him for being so vulnerable and open.

Well, hopefully he'll curb being vulnerable and open to hobosexuals.

Were you a jilted hobosexual, jilted in favor of a hobosexual, or are you a recovered hobosexual dater yourself because you’re kind of obsessed with Leslie and the hobosexuals.

I'm stating my boundaries on hobosexuality.

R11, Bless you. That Faye Dunaway story was priceless.

Bless you as well R46. The Boy George story was great.

One of my good friends while I was living in L.A. was holed up in the Broadcast Apartments (she's back there again lol). I saw Leslie Jordan a couple of times and exchanged smiles. One of my favourite "brushes" with celebrities.

Met him ages ago. Rude , nelly , obnoxious Prick .

He was raised a poor gay child in the south! How dare you?!

R42 - I remember this distinctly. All four Will & Grace stars received Porsches after the first season. Why I remember this - I have no idea.

Maybe it is easier to write off an automobile as an expense?

"What was I thinking...?! He's kinda fat now."

Yeah, definitely a DLer.

Yes, R56. They were Porsche Boxsters.

A lot of the early W&G articles and talk show appearances discussed these cars.

What cast got Mazda Miatas? Did Spielberg buy them for the cast of Always?

[Quote] A lot of the early W&G articles and talk show appearances discussed these cars.

And there's how the studio could "afford" these gifts.

Best of Grindr has posted many of his videos. They're always hilarious.

In one of his videos he shows a brief look at his high school senior picture. He was a real cutie pie with long wavy hair down to his shoulders.

I was able to get a screen grab of his HS senior picture. Bad quality, but that's the best possible.

I saw his recent appearance on a little YT 'chat show' that Del Shores has. He says he bought the car with the Cool Kids money and then it was cancelled but he kept the car and now has another Fox show. In the upcoming show he went in for a very small part that they promised to flesh out, then they called him back and asked him to come back in again and read for the female part of a fat woman who is dumped for a young model. They switched him to that role instead and he will be playing a gay pastry chef who got dumped for a young butch. The show is set in a cat cafe.

He bought his mother and sisters the house in Tennessee, he is staying in an airbnb at night. Some people zoomed in on the location listed on his videos and the other night he heard someone a few blocks over yelling 'Leslie' - people are crazy! lol

R53 Aren't those all rentals? I remember when I lived in LA a lot of NY actors in town would stay there while filming. I'm kinda surprised he hasn't bought somewhere but maybe his intention is to eventually retire to Tennessee.

In the podcast linked above, from 2013, he references his apartment with a terrace. He had his ex-obsession make a garden for him. That doesn't sound like a rental situation.

The Broadcast Center Aparments look like a lovely place.

He has a video of his patio garden and he says “I rented this place...” I tried to find it but I can’t remember now which one it was. There are several from his patio. I did find the one where his upstairs neighbor’s succulents were falling into his patio and the one where he talks about his mama’s new hearing aid. Funny stuff. It’s well worth going back to older videos if you are looking for something to do. He’s great in small doses and I watch a few videos every evening.

R66, I love the Broadcast Apartments!

Like, I said, my friend has lived there off/on for years. I'd visit her a lot. There a gym, an outdoor pool. The Erewohn is just a few steps away. The Walls are pretty soundproof. And they're all coloured bright colours (at least, hers always were). Each place came with huge flat screen TVs (I think?). She lived on a traffic side, but you never noticed the cars. She had a balcony at one time, which was nice. You had the park right across the street. If I had the money, I'd live in a place like that as well. Good memories.

I used to pull off Sunset into the lot on Alta Loma and walk around WeHo for an hour after work at 6am instead of going to the gym. There are so many small apartment buildings that look appealing from the outside and have a lot of character. If I had the money i don’t know where I’d start. I knew actors who stayed at The Broadcast (this was 2012-2015) and they started at like $2500 then. I think they’re perfect if you’re going to be out all day or if you’re in town for a project but I think I’d prefer more character if it was my long term home. Leslie is on the road half the year so I see the appeals I also attended a dinner party at the Empire West apartments, another swanky celeb building in WeHo though pretty sure you have to buy. The guy hosting the party had paid 2 million for his unit. Ugly building from the outside, gorgeous inside, his apartment was out of this world with views across DTLA but it still didn’t feel like a home. Felt more like a Four Seasons hotel. Maybe I’m just fussy!

Btw, Leslie was kicked out of another Starbucks in WeHo for calling a woman a cunt. I refuse to believe he’s not a DL poster. I just know there’s a caftan in that closet.

I read "Leslie Jones" in the headline, and I thought it was a horrible joke, but now I'm relieved.

The way he says “rich lesbian” is hysterical and he’s so right!! I was in Cheeky’s in Palm Springs and there was a table of rich middle aged golfing lesbians beside us dressed exactly like that with the shirt and vest. It’s even funnier imaging Leslie looking those ladies up and down and making a mental note of their attire.

R69, I had another friend who lived on Horn Ave up from the Coffee Bean on Sunset in this cute old complex. It was mostly one-story, but there was an upstairs for one or two deluxe apartments. It was so cute! It had a small pool. I bet it used to be a motel back in the day.

P.S. Your link didn't work (for me) :(

[quote] rich lesbian

Is Danny Thomas one?

I'm delighted for his success, but I hope all his new-found Instagram fame doesn't spoil the droll offhand quality of his clips by forcing him to "be funny" and increasingly rely on recalling celebrity anecdotes.

He's run out of things to watch on Netflix and Amazon! I'm sure we can all relate.

[quote]Leslie was kicked out of another Starbucks in WeHo for calling a woman a cunt. I refuse to believe he’s not a DL poster. I just know there’s a caftan in that closet.

He called [italic]Rock of Love[/italic] damsel Frenchy Morgan "a stinkin' French slut" when he was on UK [italic]Celebrity Big Brother.[/italic]

That's nothing compared to Pooja, what is this behavior?

(R76) thank you for sharing that. I didn't know he was on Celebrity Big Brother. I'm going to try to watch it. It looks hilarious.

He was offered 5 episodes of a Ryan Murphy Show (One of the AHS I think?) and the pay was $8,000 per week. Then they called from Big Brother and offered him a big 6 figure sum that he couldn’t refuse. He said he hated the show and to get high drama and good TV they would ration their food and deprive them of sleep. He used the big paycheck to pay off all his debts and buy his twin sisters a condo. One think I’ve always liked about him is now honest he always was about money and the business. They got scammed out of residuals for Sordid Lives by the producer who fled to Canada. Del Shores who created the show lost his house, Leslie had credit card debt and Rue McClanahan liked to gamble and was stuck for cash so they all hit the road together to do live shows! He said Faye Dunaway gave Robert Urich the cancer because she was such a terror and stressed him out so much. Tippi Hedren was at the drag bingo in Hamburger Marys and asked him “What’s a rimjob?” .....All anecdotes I’ve heard him tell in other interviews. I also hope he’s not pressured to create content or promote stuff and all that jazz.

As if Tippi hadn't seen a lion rimjob.

^^^ He said he appeared on Raising Hope with Melanie and told her the story and Melanie just rolled her eyes and said “oh please. Of course mom knows” lol

During the Bush years Melanie said many times her mother was a Republican. I remember working as a holiday rep in Spain and Melanie appeared on Spanish TV and did an interview through Spanish where she made a big to do about her mom being a Republican and the host gasped and milked it. The next day the holiday reps (70%+ of us were gay) were all busy justifying that Tippi may be a Bush supporter but she was still surely a friend of the gays. One of the guys had spent hours making a Tippi/Suzanne costume for he and his boyfriend to wear to 60s night and he said Bush or no Bush you will put on that costume (It was very funny in his German accent)

I was thinking actually that probably more people are watching Leslies Instagram than will watch his upcoming sitcom! The people at the network must be loving this but the costars will surely be thinking he will steal the limelight. Personally, I think it will be short lived and he will get something more suited then. I mean who is the audience for watching Mayim Bialik run a cat cafe? This sounds like something you would play on loop to get a man to confess to murder.

I stumbled across 'Sordid Lives' several years ago, when it was on Netflix (I think), and Leslie Jordan was so unique and powerful that I was stunned, and ended up watching it several times over. I then watched the subsequent iterations, which were tedious retreads, but the actors were always worth watching (rather, the actresses - the actors who played the gay nephew were mostly awful).

The red haired aunt was fantastic. I haven’t seen the show in years but she has stuck in mind all that time.

[quote]I mean who is the audience for watching Mayim Bialik run a cat cafe? This sounds like something you would play on loop to get a man to confess to murder.

😭

Is a cat cafe a subset of cathouse?

I'll give his new show a look.

His latest post is him reading from a children's book by Tina Louises daughter.

Celebrity endorsements are not a good sign.

No it's a cafe with cats running about and you can pet them as you sip your coffee.

That set sounds like hell, with cats running around everywhere.

I saw one video a few days ago where he was talking about one of his social media accounts getting hacked by some stupid girl who tried to run a money scam and actually gave her real name and address for people to send money to. He started laughing and said "what a stupid bitch".

6 Months Later:

Elderly Gay Man Chewed Up & Spit Out By Social Media

Leslie Jones had Leslie Jordan live on an Instagram story today. They should cast them in a Twins remake.

R93 brilliant idea!

[quote] I'd love to see him play Dolly Parton's brother in something.

Not Dolly, but he was hilarious as Reba's blind date on Season 3 episode The Big Fix-up.

Just found this clip.

I don’t know who Jason Kennedy is, but it’s unnerving to stare back at your own face.

I wonder what does it feel like to “blow up” like this after you’ve being plugging away for 30+ years. It’s funny to see people get thousands of likes for saying he should write a book. Well, he did and it didn’t do very well at the time so he had to turn it into a one man show and go on the road. Next comment ‘Leslie you need to do a one man show’ lol There must be a little frustration underneath the joy I would think. It was such a random unpredictable thing that Leslie would be an overnight sensation.

R97 just another thing the straights will beat to death and ruin. We’ve all appreciated Leslie for years and now i have straight Fraus acting like they discovered him.

r97

He's travelled all over with that one man show. I think he even did on the West End (of London). He was known by many as Beverly Leslie in "Will & Grace." He hasn't been a journeyman actor in a long time.

*even did it

I enjoy him more in short doses on IG every day than I would in a book. His southern drawl and facial expressions also add to the charm factor that you can't really replicate in print.

He is so funny and Beverly Leslie was the perfect foil to Karen on Will & Grace.

I love his videos (although he eats a lot while talking which is so disgusting - you can wait to film after you've eaten)

I think it's called a mukbang.

If people are "just now" discovering him, Will & Grace must not have been as big a deal as people think. Not to mention, all the other hit shows he has appeared on over the years.

I knew who he was, but I have only seen a couple episodes of Will & Grace. I thought it was vapid. Not a big sitcom fan in general.

Has he ever portrayed La Senatrice? I always picture him in my mind when Leslie is telling his stories.

He said that the creator or his new show had never heard of him when Fox suggested bringing him in. He’s on the latest episode of Justin Long’s podcast (Justin only recently discovered him too).

His latest entry about his 'two best friends' is lovingly loopy and sweet, and much more beguiling than his anecdotes about the famous stars he knows. I love his chats about his mama and growing up in the south and getting baptized.