Like most of the world, we fell in love with Debra Messing back in 1998 when she first graced our screens as Grace Adler in the hit sitcom “Will & Grace.” And we certainly weren’t the only ones. Five seasons into the show’s impressive 11 season run, her portrayal of the charming interior designer earned her a well-deserved Emmy in the category of “Lead Actress in a Comedy Series.”
In fact, Messing was so beloved as Adler that her reprisal of the role in the recent reboot of the series, which wrapped in 2020, was also met with widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike. She was nominated for a 2019 Golden Globe Award in the category of “Best Performance by an Actress in a TV Series – Musical or Comedy” as well as a 2019 Critics’ Choice Award in the category of “Best Actress in a Comedy Series” on behalf of her performance.
But it’s her role beyond the Hollywood spotlight that has us paying attention to every move Messing makes these days.
An outspoken advocate for social justice, Messing is using her voice to speak up for those who don’t have the impressive reach she does. With a staggering 1.4 million followers on Instagram and over half a million followers on Twitter, she’s speaking out and she’s not holding back. ICYMI, she made headlines in 2019 for drawing the ire of Donald Trump on Twitter. (“Bad ‘actress’ Debra The Mess Messing is in hot water,” Trump tweeted from his now-defunct Twitter account. “She wants to create a ‘Blacklist’ of Trump supporters.”)
But Messing’s activism isn’t limited to tweeting. She co-hosts a podcast along with CC 100 2020 honoree Mandana Dayani, one of her best friends and the co-founder of the nonpartisan I Am a Voter project. The podcast, called “The Dissenters” as a nod to the late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg’s famous quote, “I dissent,” features interviews with activists who are building a vision for a more positive future through their work. Recent guests include Hillary Clinton, Patrisse Cullors, and Eva Longoria.
In addition to her work as an activist, 2021 is poised to be another standout year for the actress. She’s currently working on her new STARZ political-drama series, “East Wing,” in which she stars and produces alongside Ali Wentworth. We don’t know about you, but we will certainly be watching Messing in 2021 and beyond.
