You remember the purple hallway. You remember the high-pitched "Karen!" screech and the way Jack McFarland could turn a simple jazz hand into a cultural movement. Will & Grace didn’t just change TV; it kinda rewired how a lot of us looked at friendship and identity back in the late '90s. But here we are in 2026, and the conversation around the Will and Grace cast members has shifted from "where are they now" to "how are they still this busy?"
Honestly, the chemistry between Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, Sean Hayes, and Megan Mullally wasn't just some lucky fluke. It was lightning in a bottle. Even after two separate series finales—one in 2006 that we all collectively agreed to forget, and a revival wrap-up in 2020—these four are still everywhere.
The Truman Show: What Eric McCormack is up to lately
Eric McCormack basically spent years being the "straight man" to the chaos around him. Not literally, obviously—Will Truman was the groundbreaking lead—but he was the anchor. Lately, Eric has been leaning hard into his theater roots and some darker TV roles.
Early in 2026, he actually popped up in the NBC procedural The Hunting Party. What’s wild is that he played a serial killer named Ron Simms. Talk about a pivot from the neurotic, Manilow-loving lawyer we knew. To make it even more of a family affair, his real-life son, Finnigan McCormack, played the younger version of his character in the same episode.
He's also been keeping the Will & Grace flame alive through the Just Jack & Will podcast with Sean Hayes. If you haven't listened, it’s basically Eric watching the show for the first time (he lived it, but never really watched it) while Sean provides the chaos. It’s a bit of a trip to hear them dissect episodes from twenty-five years ago with the perspective of guys who have seen the industry change completely.
Sean Hayes is winning at everything
If you thought Sean Hayes was just going to ride the Jack McFarland wave forever, you haven't been paying attention. The man is a powerhouse. Just this month—January 2026—he’s been deep in rehearsals for an Off-Broadway thriller called The Unknown.
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It’s a one-man show. Just Sean on stage for ninety minutes playing a writer with writer's block who might be losing his mind in a remote cabin.
It’s a massive departure from the "Just Jack" days. But then again, he won a Tony in 2023 for Good Night, Oscar, where he played the brilliant but tortured Oscar Levant. He’s proven he has the dramatic chops that the sitcom world sometimes buried under slapstick.
And we can't ignore SmartLess. The podcast he does with Jason Bateman and Will Arnett is essentially a licensing mint at this point. He’s managed to transition from "sitcom star" to "media mogul" without losing that specific, self-deprecating humor that made us love him in the first place.
Debra Messing and the Grace Adler legacy
Debra Messing has always been the heart of the show, even when the writers made Grace Adler increasingly... let's say "particular."
In 2026, Debra is still a fixture in the New York scene. She’s been focusing a lot on activism and selective indie projects. There was a lot of chatter back in the day about the "Will and Grace cast members" and their salaries—they were pulling in nearly $500,000 an episode by the end of the revival—which gave her the freedom to be picky.
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She’s always been vocal about the pressures of the industry. She once mentioned how an NBC exec wanted her to have "big boobs" for the role of Grace, and she basically told them to pound sand. That’s the energy she’s carried into the mid-2020s. She’s less about the Hollywood grind and more about projects that actually say something.
The Megan Mullally enigma
Megan Mullally is a force of nature. Period.
Between her band, Nancy & Beth, and her constant voice work, she’s never really stopped. She’s appearing in the 2026 Sundance film Chasing Summer, proving she’s still the queen of the indie-comedy crossover.
Most people don't realize that Megan almost didn't play Karen. She was actually up for the role of Carrie on The King of Queens. Can you imagine? A world without Karen Walker’s chemical-induced wisdom? It doesn’t even bear thinking about.
She and her husband, Nick Offerman, are basically Hollywood’s coolest couple. They’ve appeared in everything from Parks and Recreation to The Last of Us (well, Nick did, and Megan was his biggest cheerleader). Their relationship is sort of the antithesis of the messy sitcom romances we grew up watching.
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Why the chemistry worked (and why it still does)
There’s a reason why the 2017 revival happened. It wasn't just a cash grab. It was because the four of them actually like each other.
Director James Burrows, who directed every single episode of the original run, always said the chemistry was instant. When they did that 2016 election sketch, it was supposed to be a one-off. But the views were so insane that NBC had no choice but to bring it back.
- The "John Barrowman" factor: Fun fact—John Barrowman actually auditioned for Will. The producers told him he was "too straight" for the part. John is actually gay, and Eric is straight. It’s one of those Hollywood ironies that people still talk about in acting classes.
- The Vodka Pitch: To get Debra Messing on board, the creators literally went to her house with a bottle of vodka and stayed until she said yes.
- The Rosario Bond: The late Shelley Morrison, who played Rosario, was supposed to be a one-episode character. The bond between her and Megan Mullally was so strong they kept her for eight years.
What to watch next
If you’re looking to keep up with the Will and Grace cast members, don't just stick to the reruns on Cozi TV or Hulu.
- Check out the "Just Jack & Will" podcast. It’s the best way to get behind-the-scenes info that isn't just PR fluff.
- Look for Sean Hayes in The Unknown. If you’re in New York between now and April 2026, it’s the ticket to get.
- Watch Eric McCormack in The Hunting Party. It’s on NBC/Peacock and it’ll completely change how you see "Will Truman."
- Follow Megan Mullally’s social media. She’s usually the first to post when the gang gets together for dinner, which they still do.
The reality is that Will & Grace was a product of its time—sometimes perfectly, sometimes awkwardly. But the people who made it are still some of the most talented folks in the business. They’ve moved past the laugh tracks, but they haven't lost the spark.