Will & Grace Cast Reunites at Jimmy Burrows' Funeral

There are some reunions nobody wants to attend. Eric McCormack, Debra Messing, and Sean Hayes came together last week not for a script read or a nostalgia-fueled special, but to say goodbye to the man who shaped their careers—legendary television director Jimmy Burrows, who passed away on June 19 at age 85.

McCormack, who spent 11 seasons bringing Will Truman to life on Will&Grace, opened up about the bittersweet gathering while walking the Project Angel Food red carpet in Hollywood on Saturday, June 28.“Sadly, we all saw each other a few days ago because of Jimmy Burrows’funeral,”the 63-year-old actor told Us Weekly exclusively.“I hadn’t seen Debra [Messing] in years, and it is always great to see her.”Though he noted seeing Hayes was equally meaningful, the weight of the occasion hung over the reunion.“Not so great for the reason,”McCormack acknowledged,“but Jimmy always brought us together on that stage every week, and he brought us together again.”

Burrows wasn’t just a director—he was the architect of some of television’s most iconic comedies. His 11 Emmy wins and decades-long career touched Taxi, Friends, Frasier, Two and a Half Men, Will&Grace, and The Big Bang Theory. For Messing, 57, who played Grace Adler, Burrows was far more than a boss.“To me he was Jimmy. To my son, he was Papa Jimmy,”she wrote on Instagram on June 19. Her tribute spoke to the depth of his influence:“Jimmy changed my life 28 years ago and has been in my life ever since. He had a dry sense of humor but exploded in laughter when he orchestrated comic moments that landed. I wanted his laughs most of all.”

McCormack’s favorite memory of Burrows captures the man’s quiet confidence perfectly. When the young actor nervously asked if Burrows thought they’d get a second season, the director looked him straight in the eye and said,“Jesus Christ, McCormack. Buy a house.”He knew. He believed in the show—and the people in it—before anyone else had reason to.

What makes Burrows’legacy particularly poignant is that he didn’t just direct scripts; he fostered families on set. His passing leaves a void in television, but more intimately, it leaves one in the lives of everyone lucky enough to work under his steady hand. The Will&Grace cast gathering at his funeral wasn’t just a reunion—it was a final curtain call orchestrated by the man who understood comedy, timing, and the bonds between people better than almost anyone in the business.