The Stars Behind Will & Grace

Add Ellen DeGeneres to the list of stellar queer figures who have, er, graced this wildly popular show. She'll guest star on the February 15 episode as a woman with a dark habit -- namely, she's a nun. Yep, it's sweeps month.

As one of the top twenty network television series, the sitcom Will & Grace has captivated millions of viewers with its sharp comedy and the unique chemistry between its characters. It's also the only prime-time show since Ellen to feature openly gay leads.

But what about the actors themselves? Are they or aren't they? Although Eric McCormack, who plays upwardly-mobile Manhattanite Will Truman, and Debra Messing, the actress behind Will's best friend Grace, are officially straight-but-not-narrow, their co-stars Sean Hayes and Megan Mullally are a bit more ambiguous.

Hayes, known as Jack McFarland to W&G fans, got his big break in the acclaimed Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss. While he hasn't necessarily come out, his predilection for gay roles and his willingness to "queen out" on talk shows have caused many people to wonder. Nevertheless, he's still been offered ostensibly heterosexual roles in commercials for Doritos and Geico Insurance, among others. In a 1998 interview with Hollywood Online, Hayes was quoted as saying, "I'm an actor first, and I don't want to say I'm straight or I'm gay."

On the other hand, Mullally, who plays Grace's ditzy socialite assistant Karen, has no problem revealing "half-assed dalliances" with women from her past. And like any decent gay icon, she delivers, as Hayes' character Jack puts it, the "the sass, the class, the ass" that we never tire of admiring.

The cast of Will & Grace came out in opposition to the controversial Knight Initiative, a proposition which passed in the March election, freeing California from the obligation to recognize same-sex marriages performed in other states.