“How Y’all Doing?” Reflecting on the life of Leslie Jordan

Leslie Jordan posing for pride month in his Instagram post.

Better known as Beverly from NBC’s successful 1998 sitcom Will and Grace, Leslie has helped chip away the barriers for many in his 40 year career. Prior to fame, his reputation in the community stemmed from comforting dying AIDs patients to a vehement aching for a career as jockey for horse races.

Having lived the tropish origins of the quiet, gay kid born in a Christian-religious, military emphasized, family from the south; the Tennessean not only used his endearing drawl to reel in admirers globally, but he wooed them with intuitive and effortless entertainment. His reservations wore off as he embraced his truths and began to use real world applications of his comedic commentary; he was regarded as the odd kid that won over the bullies through comedy. “Someone said there are two classes of gay people in the United States: the fabulous and the fearful. There's nothing really in between. The fabulous, we're on both coasts, but we forget about that huge country out there,” said Leslie.

The theater graduate moved to California with enough gall and material to earn his first Emmy in 2006 for ‘Will & Grace’. Before the comedy sitcom spotlighted his contributions, he graced the world of television with bright personas through undeterrable will. Leslie’s memoir and stage play “My Trip Down the Pink Carpet”, along with other originals “Stories I Can’t Tell My Mama”, and “Fruit Fly,” he was never short of appearances in broadway and on television. 

The highly requested personality began filming Fox’s “Call me Kat'' series with Big Bang Theory’s Mayim Bialik; along with the animated The Proud Family series and One on One star, Kyla Prat. With the fate of 2020 in Covid-19’s hands, the series was halted, but with the zest of the insatiable, he flocked to Instagram, entertaining millions subscribers. On Ellen, temp host Howie Mandell recounts how Leslie’s instagram posts aid to him and many others during the harshest waves of the pandemic. 

Beyond the comedy scene, Leslie’s career expanded to music, with social media encouragement, he teased a country music singing career and released the album, with talents like Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award winner, Dolly Parton, and Pearl Jam’s Eddy Vedder, “Company’s Coming” in 2021. 

With stacked tour dates and a recent uptick in TV presence, Leslie passed away in a car accident on October 24th. After he publicly asserted his 20 year struggle as a recovering alcoholic and substance abuse; many recounted this and speculated a relapse. The vibrant 67 year old never alluded to a current struggle, if there was one. While alluding to the regrets of conversations not had with his father, who died in a military plane crash at 11; followed by Leslie’s twin sister, and now more recently his mother, who he regarded as his idol, close friend and “champion baton twirler.”

Leslie implied on Jennifer Hudson Show, that the weight of their deaths hindered some happy moments he wish he could’ve shared with them. It was during a CBS Morning interview that aired a couple of weeks before his death, where the bubbly comedian shared his optimism;

“Comedy is tragedy, two weeks later.”