Why did other men find Jack McFarland so attractive?

I had a friend just like him. Total loser. He was only ok looking but threw himself at everyone. He got fucked a lot because he was an easy slut.

He had a cute face. I think he was better looking than Will.

He was cute when he was young. if he fucked everyone its because he was a star and he was a slut so people said sure why not.

I think because he was unapologetic about being gay.

His confidence is alluring

I jack off to Jack Talk.

To be fair, Jack would sleep with anyone on the show. All sorts. So his sluttiness was equal opportunity.

Fun fact: The actor who played Fernando (I think season 2?) is one of my best friends!

[quote] Fun fact: The actor who played Fernando (I think season 2?) is one of my best friends!

This guy, R6?

Another consideration, it's a scripted show and not real life. You're welcome!

I knew a number of rather fey guys, many of them were very cute and quick witted. It's understandable he would get some attention. I remember one very cute brunette with a Tennessee accent, very smart, and I was quite hot for him until one evening I saw him in a dress and my dick wilted.

Real life isn't like the movies, TV or instagram.

In real life, Insanely hot guys have sex with guys you'd find disgusting.

Right now somewhere in America, a gorgeous 20 year old athlete with an a perfect ass is giving a sloppy BJ to some dude who looks like your grandpa. Somewhere some chubby dude with floppy breasts and so much bodyhair he looks like he's wearing a sweater is getting fucked by some guy who's got a six pack and has done modeling work (with no money changing hands)

So as a totally average guy with a trim, above average body in a city with hundreds of thousands of gay men, Jack McFarland had no problem banging hot guys on a daily basis

FFS it's not real! What r8 said.

Most of the guys who slept with Jack on the show weren’t out of his league, and some like Dave Foley were clearly far less attractive. Jack went for quantity, not quality.

The show had Taye Diggs and Matt Bomer pining for Will. Rudy Galindo having a thing for Jack is far less of a stretch, even though Eric McCormack has always been more attractive than Sean Hayes.

Others have said it, but on the show wasn’t it less they found him attractive and more about the fact he was easy. Will was better looking but didn’t get as much action because he was uptight. Also, I’d imagine because all of Jack’s experience he would be great in bed. Like how Wallis Simpson was ugly as fuck, but had men go crazy for her because she knew special things in the sex department.

[quote] Like how Wallis Simpson was ugly as fuck, but had men go crazy for her because she knew special things in the sex department.

Apparently she has certain skills which she learnt in an establishment in Shanghai.

This just reminds me of how badly I wanted to fuck the stick out of Will's ass.

The stick, R15?

It was a tV show. In real life, Sean Hayes is pretty vanilla with no sexual energy.

I wanted to fuck him so hard, the stick would fall out.

Jack was very enthusiastic and a big slut. Some people find that attractive!

Will and Jack arguing about a guy they're both interested in:

WILL: Jack, he called. He said he rather go out with me. I said, "Yes." I'm sorry.

JACK: You know, it just doesn't make any sense, Will. It's none-sense. Why would he settle for a big bland piece of government cheese when he could take a bite out of a tasty smoked gouda with a trick jaw?

And there you have your answer.

I would totally go there, he's cute. And rather fey, that definitely adds to the attraction for me

Jack/Sean have a lot of energy and that makes for fun sex. Your worry is that it’s a one off for him.

The producers were homophobic: one straight guy and one self-loathing gay guy. They felt they had to make Jack a top or viewers would turn away in disgust.

He’s married and and and....he’s 50!

Weak. Jack was always a cartoon. No one with a brain would take his portrayal as reality. He and the girl with the tits, the drunk, were a great comedy duo. Most American sitcoms have two dimensional loser characters like Jack. You can write anything for these lowest common denominator types. I once knew a slutty Catholic girl years ago who asked me if NYC was really as gay as shown on WaG, I told her nope. Gay men are still only 3% of the population as they have always been.

I personally don't find effeminacy alluring because I'm a gay man, but many bi leaning guys love to fuck fems, almost like a fetich. I'd fuck Sean Hayes but not Jack.

Sean is like every other guy I had sex with. He’s more my type than the more classically handsome Eric.

I’ve liked Sean ever since Realestalker showed his house. The designer visited a split level in Glen Ellyn and then vomited everything into an LA tudor - very golf widow.

R4 yes, exactly.

The 1980s flashback W&G episode, where we see how Jack & Will met, is a good example. We first see 18-year old Jack as a gangly crass childish braceface with klepto tendencies, a silly OTT swish, and a giggling hyena laugh. He spends the episode cackling in the handsome older more intelligent Will’s face for being such an absurd awkward uptight closet-case, and we completely agree with him.

The character’s infectious glee and self-confidence makes us like him, even his bitchiness and his rather ridiculous campiness, because he clearly doesn’t care what everyone else thinks and has little self-doubt.

We can’t do much in life without a firm unshakeable sense of confidence, and he was ahead of many people his age in that respect. I wish I could be as bold as that.

r25 = Deb Messing

Jack was a young and totally good looking Irish American guy in W&G. Fey or not he would have gotten action especially in a city like New York full of all sorts of gay men.

More to the point Jack when after what he was interested in, just like scores or hundreds of other gay men in urban areas like NYC, SF, Boston, etc....

Will Truman OTOH was either always moaning and moping over his ex, and or otherwise had a stick up his ass. Sort of seemed like if Will had ten minutes of hot jungle sex and a cold glass of water he'd probably pass out.

What found odd was that often Will and Jack ended up sleeping with or otherwise going after the same guy. Just cannot see that happening in real life as the two are polar opposites.

At end of day character of Will Truman was one self loathing WASP gay. Yeah the first night or beginning of a relationship might be thrilling but after awhile that sort of thing gets tiring. I mean what gay in his right mind dumps a hot Italian American cop who wants to be life partner (Bobby Cannavale) to play baby's daddy to a fag hag's kid?

People who saw Sean Hayes on Broadway having no other frame of reference besides W&G were surprised to blown away.

I found the character insufferable and unattractive. But, if you a gay ho, and not very particular, it’s actually very easy to get laid a lot.

R23 Jack was a top? Was that ever established in the show? I’d think Vers bottom at most.

He lived in the same universe where Jerry and George on Seinfeld get hot girlfriends

Let's not fool ourselves, there are lots of Jack McFarlands in Gayworld.

I had no problems with how he portrayed Jack,other than the way he dressed. NO self respecting gay man in NYC would have worn that blah shit !

Not sure men found Jack "attractive". We all know guys who, despite not being a 10 in the looks department, are funny and outgoing and always going out with someone new. They get laid constantly but can't keep a man since a little of that always-on personality goes a long way.

They just used him to get to Karen Walker.

Has Sean publicly admitted to being a big ol bottom IRL?

My cousin’s friend who is a stylist to All the BIG bodega managers in Park Slope says that he walked into Union Hall’s basement and saw Sean fisting John Mulaney.

Sean quipped, “It’s not cheating if I’m fully dressed!” That’s kind of true and Sean WAS wearing greased, blue surgical gloves. And a mask.

[quote] Apparently she has certain skills which she learnt in an establishment in Shanghai.

Nobody's ever been able to prove that, or even trace down the rumor. It's just a myth.

I think part of the deal may have been that because the show was groundbreaking for its depictions of gay l;ife that they wanted to have a wild stereotyped character like jack as a major part of it, and so that of course involved making lots of slut jokes; but they were worried he would come across as too threatening if they let him look sexy, and so they de-sexualized him by putting him in pastel blue shirts and sweater vests.

the same thing was true for the part of Brian Kinsey on "Queer as Folk." though he was written to be a gay superstud, they purposefully cast him in a way so he would not be threatening to the women who mostly watched the show, so they cast someone who was not supermasculine in the role.

I remember when "Will & Grace" was on during its original run, the character of jack got a lot of flak for being a caricature of gay men here on DL--some posters even accused him of being in effect a gay Amos or Andy. I've hardly seen anyone ever profess and liking for Will as a character either. People loved Karen (and Rosario and Beverly Lesley), and put up with Grace because she was at least a funny character, despite how annoying Deborah Messing is personally.

Will's character was written to show "the masses" in Middle America that not all gays are the lisping queens they usually associate with homosexual men. To balance Will's sexless blandness they had Jack, with all the typical fag qualities, but portrayed in a non-threatening, toned down manner. We have to give the show credit for being as groundbreaking as it was for the time.

Sean Hayes had a pretty banging body during the original run of Will and Grace but you’re hard pressed to be able to tell most of the time because Jack’s costuming was always wayyyy too conservative for a slutty wannabe actor. He always looked like he was cosplaying as a Westchester soccer dad or a later career Diane Keaton. Did we ever see him in a short sleeve shirt?

If you're into pocket sized gays Jack covered that as well.

Following that escapade there was " Estefan Gloria" which was yet another whole level of insanity.....

That being said in real life NYC and elsewhere you can see how such parings could happen. They may not have lasted for long romantically, but it was fun while it hanged together.

Because gay men are all sluts and the more femme you are, the bigger slut you are.

Or so said Hollywood back in the day

Both Will and Karen had the pastry chef...

Jack got to take a "manly" shower with Bill (Neil Patrick-Harris) ...

Again Jack saw what he wanted then schemed and plotted to reach that goal. Not much different than many gays in real life including inhabitants of DL.

Jack was insecure and pretended that everyone wanted him. He didn't actually have loads of hot guys chasing him. He dated weirdos.

I found the character totally repulsive.

Who were the main writers they were good top of the game

The writers made Jack all the stereotypes--silly queen, promiscuous, etc. Supposed to reassure the masses that they could tell a fag, and so not be threatened by Will, who could, after all, be a guy at work that you never suspected....

I hated the Karen character.

Jack would have been more popular had he displayed the basket more.

Some of the biggest muscluar gays have fey or totally fem partners.

IIRC this Instahoe (RJ Rortales) many were drooling over on DL fits that bill.

Jack McFarlane is streets more fun to be around or with than old stick up his ass Will Truman. Guys like Will usually end up with equally similar traits.

Yes, you may need a break from Jack types now and then, but at least you know the balance of time is always going to be fun. People like Jack McFarlane are good for taking one out of one's self.

[quote] Jack McFarlane is streets more fun to be around or with than old stick up his ass Will Truman.

"streets"??

Wow, get a load of the hep new slang term!

[quote] Will Truman was one self loathing WASP gay. Yeah the first night or beginning of a relationship might be thrilling but after awhile that sort of thing gets tiring. I mean what gay in his right mind dumps a hot Italian American cop who wants to be life partner (Bobby Cannavale) to play baby's daddy to a fag hag's kid?

This may be a spicy take, but I always looked at the Will Truman character as one of those 90-10% gay-leaning closeted bisexuals (you know, the ones maligned by everybody gay and straight, who aren’t supposed to exist).

Will prefers men by far, of course he does, but I think he did occasionally reveal a love for and attraction to Grace that went a bit deeper than platonic affectionate friendship or sisterhood; it was just a little too close for total comfort. And I remember thinking too that he interacted with a few of the one-off female characters in a flirtatious interested manner. That may just have been McCormick’s heteroseshuality bleeding into the role, though.

well JACK did have the hottest guy for a short time on the show, the one and only actor SHAWN CHRISTIAN!!!!!!!!!... too bad, christian's character was a "player" who soon made moves on Will...

R44 true. Jack’s styling made no sense.

Even Hal Sparks on QAF donned super-tight tees and jeans with accessories like chokers to play geeky childlike sexually-stunted Michael.

Karen Walker pointed this out quite clearly to Grace when Will was going to donate his sperm to a female friend who wanted kids; Grace had always considered Will her "safety" fall back guy. Just like fag hags world over these sort of women hope and live in vain that when a gay guy falls off the rails it will be on herself.

The co-dependency between Will and Grace may have played well to straight audiences, but many gays turned off their sets in droves. No one we know in any large urban gay mecca lives like Will Truman. Again a successful gay white well off attorney who sent to all the right schools and so forth spends 99% of his time either alone home cooking/watching television or with his (mooching) fag hag friend.

Now Jack being a side kick we can understand. Some guys don't like going out alone and long as someone else is paying mooches like Jack will always tag along to a club, bar or whatever.

^^I love that we’re all calling ‘Karen Walker’ by her name in full. Making Beverley Leslie proud!

Think we can sum this all up by saying Jack McFarlane is far more sure of himself than Will Truman.

Jack is gay and happy with that, Will OTOH seems to have issues... We saw this in the big drama that came when he found out his father wasn't totally accepting of Will being gay. I was like "well it isn't like you (Will) go around shouting it from the housetops...."..... Everywhere you go Grace tags along, you only had the one major gay relationship and when he dumped your happy behind (for reasons can understand) all Will did was mope about the man that got away.

Beverly Leslie needs his own prime time network comedy show.

Sean Hayes was actually attractive in Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss.

R60 Agree about Jack's styling. It made NO sense for the character. I was a closeted kid in a smallish Southern town and I knew it wasn't right. There were younger guys here who were out and fey like him, but they didn't dress like him. They had him dress like a preppy country club guy most of the time.

Jack wears drag - a devious slut wearing Doris Day daywear. Plus, he’s a waiter/actor who is broke.

To make this about me, I wore soccer dad drag when I moved a parent out to the suburbs to care for him. The shoes were divine, the pants were tight at the waist and crotch, and the sports shirts were fitted to show off guns and pecs.

Anyone know why they styled Jack as they did? Did anyone ever discuss it? Was it to make him seem a little tamer and less threatening to straight audiences?

[quote] Will OTOH seems to have issues...

That’s the pun in his name and in the show title, right?

Grace Adler is a dorky boyish klutz who can’t stop falling into slapstick situations and putting her foot in her mouth, and Will Truman is an earnest neurotic passive wishy-washy homebody who has to be dragged by his nose into everything.

It is important to remember Jack, Grace and Will were all in high school together. Will was dating Grace and it was Jack and his "gaydar" who got Will to realize what he was and break up Grace. After that shock wore off the three have been in that odd friendship ever since.

So it is clear at least from high school Jake knew what he was and had no problems with being gay. Will Truman OTOH was dating (and likely would have married) Grace at some point, which explains a whole lot of things.

Just because cannot get enough of Leslie Jordan

R71 That short two-hander scene between Jack & Beverley at the restaurant is really interesting, I hadn’t seen that before. To have the extremely flamboyant and obvious closet-case interact with the flagrantly out man makes for a weird, darker sort of chemistry that didn’t crop up anywhere else on the show. Jack behaves in a very muted and downbeat way toward Beverley in that scene, which we rarely got to see, and further he seems to dislike Bev to the point of wishing to avoid him (unlike Karen, who subconsciously seeks Bev out for vicious mean-spirited fun). Curious that the predation and mercantile creeping of Leslie were just a step too far even for slutty leeching Jack. It’s good subtle character work that Jack seems almost angry with Bev for being so closeted and still so nelly, where the other main characters just find it darkly amusing (Karen), mildly exasperating (Will), and just plain bemusing (Grace).

Imo Megan had far better chemistry with Leslie than with Sean. And with Shelley Morrison. For that matter, Megan used to have far better chemistry with Deb than Sean, too. I think the Karen/Jack relationship was forced and strained, and the show was pushing it down our throats by the end.

Jack’s wardrobe would have made more sense had he been forced to hold down a daytime office job. When he briefly worked at banana republic one could surmise that he used his discount, but not when he started working at Barneys. When they brought on that kid to play his son it was probably more imperative to depict Jack as non-threatening. Only Will was allowed to wear fitted tees and tight jeans.

I find it hard to watch the Elliot episodes, sweet and funny as they are, because I originally know Michael Angarano from the movie LORDS OF DOGTOWN and that is too sad and real to think about.

R70 that was a throwaway backstory from season one that was retconned out. The characters didn’t know each other from highschool.

In the season three special, it’s shown that Will & Grace met at College and started dating, then mentioned that during sophomore year (c.1986-7) Will met highschooler Jack (meaning Jack is a couple or a few years younger than W&G) at a dorm party thrown by a guy they both knew named Matt Stokes. Months after that, Jack crashed one of Will’s dorm parties to raid Will’s closet (and also to confront Will about his homosexuality), and that is their main meet-cute. Afaik we never get to see or hear about Grace’s first meeting with Jack.

R44 I agree with you completely - I rewatched the original series not that long ago and I'd forgotten that Jack actually looks pretty fit, although not a total muscle mary. However, he was almost always in baggy clothes and long sleeves or unfitted shirts, so it's not really visible except in rare glimpses.

Will was also in great shape despite Jack's constant fat jokes.

Megan Mullally was the one who put on weight throughout the original run of the show (apart from Messing during her pregnancy). She still looked terrific, but after the second season or so, she was a bit bodacious to be believable as a woman who lived on vodka and pharmaceuticals.

Karen only made sense as a character when she wasn't part of the "gang." After the writers put her through ridiculous plot machinations with Stan (he went to jail, cheated, they divorced, he died, he was secretly alive, died again, lost all her money, etc.) they tried to humanize her by having her hang out with the other three all the time and softened her antagonism toward Will. It didn't work.

"Jack was a top? Was that ever established in the show?"

All the beaus they hooked him with were fey. I remember a little Asian twink in one episode. Then that fem Hispanic guy in the reboot, with the Carmen Miranda-like voice. And there was Stewart, played by that guy from Kids In The Hall, Dave-something. All clingy little bottoms.

R80 I found it harder to get a read on Will in that respect. Some of the guys he went with clearly had top energy, others not so much. So was Will vers? He himself seemed more bottom to me.

R81 Will is probably a bottom who looks down on other bottoms.

[Quote] People who saw Sean Hayes on Broadway having no other frame of reference besides W&G were surprised to blown away.

Yes, he’s had great star quality on the Broadway stage!

R72

That was just a dream Karen Walker had when she was "broke".

Jack agreed to become Beverly Leslie's lover so he would save Karen financially.

This being said Jack's discomfort around Beverly Leslie might be a bit looking into mirror of future and not seeing what was reflected.

Face it, Jack was a mooch, failed actor, failed student nurse, failed... well at most any job he ever had. He's a shop bottom which usually translates into an older poor gay. His best chance for some sort of financial security in future is to marry or otherwise partner with someone well off enough to carry his weak behind.

Will Truman would (and did) eventually marry, and it's highly unlikely his husband would welcome continued financial and other support especially after the couple had kids. Ditto for Grace and her husband, so that leaves just Karen....

Well since we're careering off course into realms of fantasy... Will Truman was likely a big ole bottom

Just look at his husband Officer Vince D'Angelo.....

Before that there was James Hanson!

Finally we have Michael, Will Truman's first and big love.

[quote]We can’t do much in life without a firm unshakeable sense of confidence, and he was ahead of many people his age in that respect. I wish I could be as bold as that.

[quote]He lived in the same universe where Jerry and George on Seinfeld get hot girlfriends

I agree with both of these comments.

Cozi ran the Valentines Day episode of W&G tonight,

While always good to see Beverly Leslie (see clip above), totally forgot how much guest star power the packed into that episode.

Ed Burns, Chita Rivera, and Jeff Goldblum... W&G must have had a very liberal budget for guest star expenses.

When was Jack ever very fit?

And, how would we know? I don't remember him ever being topless or in any kind of sexy or revealing outfit that would expose his "fitness".

Will actually looked gym fit.

Jack looked like he had an average body with little muscle tone and a poochy belly.

When did Jack ever have a belly, R90? Will's physique was more obvious because he was always wearing tight jeans or trousers with fitted t-shirts. Watch the sixth season opener when he and Will wake up in bed together, Jack's chest and arms are on full display.

R90 and there was an episode where Jack taught Will how to swim and they were both in the pool wearing only swim trunks.

Just occurred to me the premise of this thread is wrong. As a young fit gay slut in NYC, its not that men found Jack attractive, its just that he had an easy time getting laid.

R90 and R91 also check out the 5th season finale, with both Will and Jack in their trunks on the deck of the boat. They both look great.

R92 Season 8 episode 3. I am way too invested in this topic.

I never watched Will & Grace hoping to catch Will or Jack without clothes.

Neither one of them did anything for me, other than being talented comedic actors.

As for Jack, he got laid because he was ok looking, had an ok body (like the majority of gay men), and a friendly albeit at times obnoxious personality. Gay men are horny sluts and the bar is pretty low for them to fuck someone if push comes to shove.