Production on the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat has been put on hold indefinitely following the death of series star Leslie Jordan. On Monday, the beloved veteran actor passed away suddenly at the age of 67 after getting into a single-car crash in Hollywood. Before his death, Jordan had completed work on nine episodes of the currently-airing third season. Given the circumstances, the next episode, which will air on Thursday, October 27, will be broadcasted with an added in-memoriam segment in his honor.
Since the very first season, Jordan has been an integral part of the series alongside its lead Mayim Bialik. A series regular, Jordan played Phil, a newly single gay man who joins Kat (Bialik) as the head chef of her new cat café after she leaves behind her cushy university professor job. Steeped in Southern charm, he became one of Kat's closest friends both inside and outside of work. One of the episodes yet to air for Season 3 will see him get his first love interest in the form Jalen played by a guest-starring John Griffin.
Aside from Bialik, Jordan also shared the screen with Cheyenne Jackson, Kyla Pratt, Julian Gant, Swoosie Kurtz, and Christopher Rivas. Following his death, Bialik and the rest of his castmates released a joint statement honoring their time with the Emmy winner on set:
There aren’t words to convey the loss we are experiencing as a cast and a Call Me Kat family. Leslie Jordan was larger than life. He was a Southern gentleman; tender, wise, naughty and hilarious. We got to know and love him at the height of his happiness and joy and it is inconceivable to imagine a world without our Leslie: the man who would spit on his contact lenses before putting them in his eyes, the man who had a story about every man in Hollywood and some of the women as well, the man who lived to make people laugh. We will be taking time to grieve and to celebrate the many gifts Leslie gave to us and to the entire world and we appreciate privacy at this time.
Fox Entertainment and Warner Bros. Television also shared statements praising Jordan as both a consummate professional and heartfelt, joyful, and immensely talented actor. While he has a long resume spanning across plenty of genres, he may be best known to audiences through another comedy, Will & Grace, where he earned an Emmy for his turn as Beverly Leslie. Social media users will also remember him for his humorous and heartfelt posts he shared on Instagram at the height of the pandemic, making him a beacon of light in a dark time for the country. He was a similarly bright and comedic presence on Call Me Kat, bringing much of the humor to the sitcom.
Call Me Kat will air five more episodes before going on hiatus to mourn the loss of Jordan and decide where to go from there. See Bialik and the cast's tribute to Jordan below.