The cast of Call Me Kat paid a heartfelt tribute to the late Leslie Jordan who died in a car accident in October.
Jordan played the role of a baker named Phil. Jordan died mid-season and the creative team did not want to replace Jordan or his character.
The tribute episode revolved around Phil's absence, with writers having Phil and his boyfriend Jalen go to Tahiti on vacation, fall in love with the destination, wed and set up a bakery there.
The episode jumped ahead to the cast's return from the wedding in Tahiti and Kat—played by Mayim Bialik—tearfully said:
"Nothing's going to be the same without him."
Breaking the fourth wall, they then retrieved Jordan's empty director's chair and placed one of his sequined jackets on the back of it.
Bialik directly addressed the audience, saying:
"What we've done here is we've given Phil a happy ending. What we're really doing is mourning the loss of our dear friend Leslie Jordan."
"He is irreplaceable. We will miss him very much."
The episode then cut to Dolly Parton who joined Jordan for a duet on his album in 2021.
She read a few lines of their song "The Soul Never Dies" and then shared:
"I know usually, at a memorial, people talk about somebody. Well, I'm going to talk to you, 'cause there is that place on the other side. I'm certainly going to see you there, little brother."
She continued:
"You left a lot of people here with a lot of precious, precious memories. Everybody loved you, but I doubt that many of 'em loved you more than I did."
"Anyhow, I just wanted you to know that we all love you, we all miss you and I bet you're having a big laugh over all of us being sad and sorrowful and I know that would be the last thing you would want us to be."
"So anyway, you made us happy while you were here, and we're happy that you're at peace, and I just want you to know that..."
Parton finished by singing the words to her own iconic song:
"...I will always love you."
Cast member Cheyenne Jackson shared the beautiful tribute to Instagram which you can watch below.
Needless to say, the tribute had fans in tears.
Viewers of the moving moment expressed their thoughts on Twitter.
A unique and poignant way to say farewell.
— sha reid (@hey_sha_reid) January 8, 2023
I was wondering how the show would deal with his passing. They did a very nice way of saying goodbye to Leslie. 😭
— WhyNot... (@tonymor46) January 8, 2023
It was a beautiful tribute to a wonderful man! I bawled so hard 😭😭
— Sassy Diva 🌻Peace🌻Love🌻Freedom (@DivaliciousSas) January 8, 2023
Yeah, I ugly cried.
— ~Cat~👩🦯Blind Granny (@CUsser74) January 9, 2023
\u201cOh my heart.\ud83d\ude2d It was all poor Cheyenne Jackson could do not to not break down as they aired their goodbye episode to Leslie Jordan. Then they showed Dolly Parton giving a special goodbye bc they were close friends. Love & miss you Leslie!!\ud83d\ude18\u2764\u201d— \ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08Bitsy's Mom\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08 (@\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08Bitsy's Mom\ud83c\udff3\ufe0f\u200d\ud83c\udf08) 1673054414
It was a wonderful episode and loving tribute to a funny, exceptional talent. Having Dolly sing you out is the icing on a life well lived cake. ❤️😍😘
— Pom on the River (@PomLakeside) January 7, 2023
It was the most heartfelt tribute by the entire cast and production. Leslie Jordan was such a delight. I've never considered myself a fan of anyone. But, I'm amazed how much his soul permeated his work and touched my heart.
— Donna 🌊Martinez (@dcmartin336) January 9, 2023
It was a wonderful tribute to Leslie!
— Laura Smith (@Laura857Smith) January 6, 2023
Whoah! That tribute really got me. 😭
— T. Alan Pike (@charliebrowntx2) January 6, 2023
Thank you Dolly for the special tribute. It was beautiful.
— Kim Woodford (@KimWoodford6D) January 6, 2023
It was a beautiful tribute, indeed.
Rest in peace, Leslie, you are very much missed.
@kileywrestling/Bluesky