With it being Pride Month, now seems like the best possible time to go back and look at some of the most unforgettable LGBTQ+ sitcom characters who have had an impact on pop culture and society over the years. These beloved characters from classics like Friends, Will & Grace, and more more recent gems such as Schitt’s Creek and Modern Family, all did something to remain an integral part of their respective series, and they haven’t left the collective consciousness just yet.
There are a lot of characters from a lot of shows to look back on, so let’s quit wasting time and get to the heart of this story…
Ellen Morgan (Ellen)
Over the course of five seasons and more than 100 episodes, the ‘90s sitcom Ellen followed Ellen Morgan (Ellen Degeneres) as she navigated various situations (both funny and not-so-funny) related to life, love, and career opportunities as a bookstore employee and later owner of said business.
Ellen, both the character and actress, made a massive impact on pop culture and society as a whole with the April 1997 two-parter “The Puppy Episode” on which she muttered three words that still live in the collective consciousness of everyone around at the time: “Susan, I’m gay.” This landmark TV and cultural moment helped usher in a new era of TV while also normalizing what many once considered “nontraditional” characters.
Will Truman (Will & Grace)
Though Eric McCormack doesn’t think he’d get cast on Will & Grace these days, the actor was perfect in his portrayal of Will Truman on the late ‘90s NBC sitcom, which was brought back for a three-year run in 2017. On the show, Will was portrayed as a young and successful corporate lawyer with some borderline OCD tendencies.
The series, thanks in part to Truman and Jack McFarland (don’t worry, he’s coming up next), broke new ground for TV and helped pave the way for other LGBTQ+ characters and shows in the years that would follow.
Jack McFarland (Will & Grace)
Will & Grace was one of those TV touchstones for a number of reasons, with the biggest being its undeniable sense of humor and its history of highlighting representation with its various characters. One of the most unforgettable of those series mainstays was Sean Hayes’ Jack McFarland, Will’s longtime best friend. The vibrant character and pretty much jack-of-all-trades was central to the show’s 11 seasons and nearly 250 episodes.
Hayes’ portrayal of Jack would earn the actor countless accolades, including an Emmy, a trio of Screen Actors Guild Awards, and various others throughout the show’s run. Even though his story wrapped up in the Will & Grace finale, Jack will always have a place in our hearts.
Mitchell Pritchett & Cameron Tucker (Modern Family)
One of the funniest shows on Hulu (and any other streaming service where it’s included), Modern Family made a massive impact on the world of sitcoms as soon as it premiered in September 2009. We could go on about all the great characters, today we’ll just focus on Mitchell Pritchett (Jesse Tyler Ferguson) and his boyfriend-turned-husband Cameron Tucker (Eric Stonestreet).
What made these characters so impactful, besides being hilarious as all hell, was the fact that they introduced a more modern and open way of thinking to audiences who maybe hadn’t met a same-sex couple before. For those of us who grew up in less-than-accepting communities, this was a sea change moment for TV and culture.
David Rose (Schitt's Creek)
There are few modern-day comedies that have become a bigger part of popular culture than Schitt’s Creek during its six-season run. The Canadian sitcom following the Rose family as they go from a life of luxury to one spent in the small town of Schitt’s Creek where they are able to be reborn, was consistently one of the funniest shows on TV thanks to its tremendous writing and that ridiculous cast of characters.
Near the top is David Rose (Dan Levy), the overly pampered and pretentious son of Johnny (Eugene Levy) and Moira Rose (Catherine O’Hara), who made an instant impact with his trademark catchphrase (which the actor doesn’t like), and over-the-top situations. Even three years removed from the Schitt’s Creek finale, you can’t browse the internet without seeing a gif, meme, or video of David.
Captain Raymond Holt (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), the no-nonsense, stoic, and deadpan captain of the 99th precinct was one of the funniest characters on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, but also one of the show’s most impactful during its eight-season run on Fox and NBC. Not only did he keep the rest of the precinct in line and provide some of the show’s most hilarious moments, he also broke new ground for LGBTQ+ characters in the medium.
The proud first African American gay police captain in the NYPD, Captain Holt continually subverted tropes and offered a different perspective of what it meant to be a gay man in the police force.
Cyrus Goodman (Andi Mack)
The Disney Channel original series, Andi Mack, was one of the most groundbreaking shows to come out on the cable channel during its run from 2017 to 2019 for a number of reasons. Created by Lizze McGuire’s Terri Minsky, the series was about a 13-year-old girl trying to figure out everything life had to throw at her, which for those of us who remember being a confused and angsty teen, is no easy task.
The show had a lot going for it with its great representation of Asian characters, the inclusion of multiple religions and cultures, and the fact that it became the first Disney show to feature an LGBTQ+ character when Cyrus Goodman (Joshua Rush) came out in a 2019 episode. The impact of this landmark moment cannot be overstated.
Titus Andromedon (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)
Long before he was calling people out for being racist about The Little Mermaid, Titus Burgess became the breakout star of Unbreakable Kimmy Schmdit with his portrayal of Titus Andromedon, Ellie Kemper’s on-screen roommate. A source of some of the show’s funniest inside jokes as well as the most empowering moments, Andromedon was a tour-de-force and outstanding guide for the former cult member in her new life.
Though the character battled his own issues throughout the show’s run, Titus never lost himself and always knew his worth. Honestly, that’s the kind of person we all need in our lives, be it a sitcom character or a real-life friend and ally.
Steve (All In The Family)
Norman Lear’s All in the Family was never a show that shied away from tackling various social issues, many of which left the show’s lead, Archie Bunker (Carroll O’Connor) eating crow and learning something about the world. This is especially clear in the Season 1 episode titled “Judging Books by Covers,” in which the cranky everyman learns that serial bachelor and close friend Steve (Philip Carey) is gay.
What makes this such an impactful character is the fact that he’s presented as a big and strong “he-man,” which throws off the close-minded Archie, allowing him to learn that you should never judge a book by its cover.
Carol & Susan (Friends)
And there are Carol Willick (Jane Sibbett) and Susan Bunch (Jessica Hecht), two of the most memorable supporting characters from Friends. Initially introduced as Ross Geller’s (David Schwimmer) ex-wife and her new lover, Carol and Susan would later become an impactful pair, both in terms of the show’s story and pop culture in general.
Though not the way LGBTQ+ characters are portrayed and treated in more modern shows, for the time, the inclusion of Carol and Susan was a major milestone. There are some insensitive jokes aimed at the couple throughout the show’s run, but again, that was a different time and so much has changed since then.
Well, this certainly has been quite a fun look back on some of the more impactful LGBTQ+ characters to appear in sitcoms over the years. Each character is different in their own way, but they all helped introduce millions of viewers to people and ways of thinking that they may not have experienced otherwise.
