On October 24th, Leslie Jordan died suddenly on his way to film Call Me Kat. Tonight at 9:30p, the Fox sitcom is going to say goodbye to him.
Mayim Bialik found a way to have part of her friend still appear in the series. “I didn’t know until Leslie died that he and I wore the same size shoes,” the actress wrote. “For our tribute episode, I am wearing one of his signature rainbow sneakers he’s been wearing on our show. They’re under the table and you may not even see them on camera, but I knew they were under there. Looking for any way to keep him close I guess. 🌈 #callmekat”
So watch out for his sneakers as Bialik learns what it is like to walk in the lovable late actor’s shoes. Literally.
Before Leslie Jordan worked with cats on Call Me Kat, he was allergic to dogs in Ski Patrol. Don’t you love the way the 34-year-old said MoFo in that 1990 movie?
Before Leslie Jordan was working with cats on Call Me Kat, he was taking care of ants on Murphy Brown. It is easy to see why Pee Wee Herman fell in love with the 33-year-old in that 1989 episode.
Before, people wanted to be like Leslie Jordan; he wanted to be like Pee-Wee Herman on Pee-Wee Playhouse. How lovable was the 35-year-old in that 1990 episode?
Herman shared the sweet story of how that guest appearance happened. “I first encountered Leslie in 1989 when I saw him on television in an episode of Murphy Brown. He was so unique and funny. I loved him instantly. That was one of the greatest most magical super-powers he had—you fell in love with him as soon as you saw him and he spoke anything.
“I was immediately so obsessed with his talent and ability that we wrote an episode for him on Pee-wee’s Playhouse. It happened very quickly and soon after I’d seen him on tv, there he was on my set.
“I got to know him a little bit during the week we produced the show with him as the guest star. In person he was, kind, generous, gentle and would quip stuff under his breath that was hilarious.
“His rise during the pandemic, when he told stories on Instagram and gave people the chance to know his super-powers, was a beautiful thing to see happen. I don’t think anyone was immune to his charm. If you didn’t know him personally, you still couldn’t miss his supernova-ness.
“He became so well known that he seemingly started checking off things on his bucket list—the least of which was becoming a country singer. The joy that came through in his music and singing, especially his excitement from performing at The Grand Ole Opry, was wonderful to behold.
“Simply, there was no one even remotely like him. He was pure magic. RIP, Leslie ❤”
Leslie Jordan, the little actor who was bigger than life, passed away today at the age of 67. According to KABC, he crashed his car into a building in Hollywood this morning after a suspected medical incident.
“The world is definitely a much darker place today without the love and light of Leslie Jordan,” read a statement issued by the actor’s representative David Shaul to George Pennacchio. “Not only was he a mega talent and joy to work with, but he provided an emotional sanctuary to the nation at one of its most difficult times. What he lacked in height he made up for in generosity and greatness as a son, brother, artist, comedian, partner and human being. Knowing that he has left the world at the height of both his professional and personal life is the only solace one can have today.”
Jordan had a long career that started in 1986. But it took 15 years for people to realize how brilliant he was. That is when he landed the role of Beverly Leslie, Karen Walker’s archnemesis, on Will & Grace, and he finally got the stardom he deserved.
I would discover him four years later on Boston Legal as a man who went around killing people by hitting them over the head with a frying pan. He met his demise that way when Betty White did that to him.
I will never forget that scene or his many, many, many other show-stealing scenes on American Horror Story, The Cool Kids, and Call Me Kat, to name a few.
Since his death was so sudden, we don’t know what the future will be for Fox’s show Call Me Kat. But I think they will opt to end the series due to his passing.
UPDATE: According to Variety, Call Me Kat will be taking a production pause to deal with Jordan’s death. I would not be surprised if the series did not come back or they will do one last episode to say goodbye to Jordan as a tribute.
So today, let’s watch Jordan doing what he did best, making us laugh. This way, our laughter will lift him up to heaven.
There is one thing I want to say about his passing. During the pandemic, I saw him post a video dancing to Blanco Brown’s The Git Up. I mentioned Brown in the comments, and I like to think I had a part in this, and the two became friends. Last week, they shot something together with Locash.
Today, one of the last things that Jordan did was like an Instagram post by Brown. Just think, one minute, you are scrolling through Instagram, and the next minute you are gone. When it is your time, it is your time.
