The cast and crew of Call Me Kat has been thrown into turmoil, as they mourn the sudden death of Leslie Jordan. The beloved actor, who played the cafe’s baker Phil on the Fox sitcom, but who is known for dozens of roles over his nearly four-decade career, died on October 24 at the age of 67 following a medical emergency experienced while driving. In the wake of his passing, Call Me Kat has reportedly halted production indefinitely, and star and executive producer Mayim Bialik took to social media with some heartfelt words about her colleague.
It’s believed that Leslie Jordan suffered a medical emergency that caused his BMW to crash into the side of a building on Monday morning in Los Angeles. Many in the entertainment industry were in a state of shock over the loss, and Mayim Bialik took to Instagram to mourn the death of her highly respected Call Me Kat co-star by sharing some sweet words and photos:
The actress said they will be taking some time to grieve, as it is “unimaginable” that Leslie Jordan is gone. With the Call Me Kat family — who honored Bob Saget on their set after his own tragic passing — figuring out how to move forward without their Phil, TV Line reports that production of Season 3 will be paused for an unknown period of time. Jordan had already completed filming on nine of the current season’s episodes, of which four have already aired. The sitcom was ready to introduce a new love interest for Phil, as John Griffin had been cast as Jalen — a lawyer by day and drag performer by night.
It’s likely even those closest to the show don’t yet know how they’re going to proceed with the story following this tragedy. Along with the Jeopardy! co-host, Call Me Kat’s Cheyenne Jackson shared a touching statement on his Instagram page, along with multiple photos of him and Leslie Jordan:
Cheyenne Jackson called Leslie Jordan his mentor and “sober brother,” noting not only how important the actor’s presence was in the recovery community, but also in the queer community. It’s obvious from Jackson’s words how big a loss this is, as he described Jordan as silly, serious, soulful, “ALWAYS kind,” and an expert at telling dirty jokes.
If it wasn’t obvious from these tributes how much Leslie Jordan loved what he did, it’s also pretty apparent in the number of projects he was involved in in recent years. In addition to Call Me Kat, the American Horror Story alum appeared on Fantasy Island, Special and The Great North, as well as serving as narrator for the Discovery+ docuseries The Book of Queer. He'd also excellently reprised the role of Beverley Leslie for a handful of episodes on the Will & Grace revival, and appeared in movies including The United States vs. Billie Holiday and Until We Meet Again.
Fans will be waiting to see how and when Call Me Kat moves forward, but for now Leslie Jordan’s former co-workers need time to process what has happened, and our condolences go out to all of those affected by his death.
Call Me Kat airs at 9:30 p.m. ET Thursdays on Fox.
