Real-life 'Jack' Sues Will & Grace Creator

ByABC News
March 20, 2001, 7:17 PM

March 19 -- Believe it or not, wacky Jack from NBC's hit sitcom Will & Grace is based on a real person or so Los Angeles interior designer Jack Deamer claims and he wants a piece of the show's success.

Deamer is suing NBC and the writers of the must-see show, claiming they based the over-the-top character of Jack on him without compensating him for use of his image.

According to The Associated Press, Deamer filed suit Friday, alleging that writer Max Mutchnick promised to buy him a house and a car in exchange for basing the character of Jack on him.

An NBC official declined to comment to the AP on the lawsuit, saying he had not seen it.

Deamer claims that he has known Mutchnick for more than a decade. According to the suit, Mutchnick does not deny the claim, but has told Deamer that "he had not yet achieved the sort of assured long-term revenue" necessary to compensate the interior designer.

Sean Hayes, who plays the Cher-obsessed Jack, has won an Emmy for the role and has shared a Screen Actors Guild ensemble award with the rest of the cast.

A similar suit brought against the producers of Seinfeld by Michael Costanza, who claimed that whiny Seinfeld character George Costanza damaged his reputation, was dismissed earlier this year.