Debra Messing Says NBC Boss Wanted Her to Have ‘Big Boobs’ on ‘Will & Grace’
Emmy-winning actress Debra Messing has opened up about her time on the hit NBC sitcom Will & Grace, revealing how the network’s president wanted her to have “big boobs” while appearing on the show.
Messing spoke about the situation during The Magic of Will & Grace at The Paley Center for Media panel in NYC on Monday, June 5, saying that the show’s creators brought out the “chicken cutlets” at her first costume fitting for her role as Grace Adler.
“The very first fitting, they had the chicken cutlets to make me bigger,” Messing explained (per People). “I just wasn’t a fan of, like, the whole idea of it.”
Messing made it clear that she wasn’t on board with the breast enhancement. “I was like, ‘You know what? I don’t need that,” she said. “And they’re like, ‘Well, it’s the president of the network [saying this].’ And I said, ‘If he wants it, then he needs to come here and tell me to my face.'”
Will & Grace is celebrating its 25th anniversary with an immersive exhibit at the Paley Museum through July 9. Speaking on the red carpet at the event, Messing reminisced about the show and its cultural impact, particularly within the LGBTQ+ community.
“At first, we thought we would be canceled, but I think by the third season, we realized that the show was beloved, the characters were beloved, and we were representing a community that had never been represented on prime-time television before, and it felt important and exciting,” she told Access Hollywood.
However, while the show is beloved by many, one person that has yet to see a single episode is Messing’s 19-year-old son, Roman Zelman. “My son has never watched it,” Messing revealed. “He hasn’t watched anything I’ve ever done. It freaks him out a little bit.”
Will & Grace originally aired from 1998 to 2006, for a total of eight seasons. The show was revived in 2017 and ran for three more seasons, ending on April 23, 2020. As for whether we will see any more, Messing stated that she thinks the show came to a natural end.
“I think we said everything we needed to say,” she said. “I think coming back was a really special honor that few shows have had. And I think it’s time to just be grateful for the 11 years we’ve had and just protect its legacy.”
