The makers of the Fox sitcom Call Me Kat have officially announced that Phil, the head baker at Kat’s café, will no longer appear in the series after December 1st. The news comes after Phil’s actor, Leslie Jordan, tragically passed away on October 26th. Still, the showrunners have assured audiences that while Leslie’s death has impacted the show greatly, his character will continue to live on in new roles being added to the show.
First premiering on Fox in January 2021, Call Me Kat stars Mayim Balik (The Big Bang Theory) as Kat, a 39-year-old woman who decides to quit her job as a university professor to open a cat café using the money her parents had put aside for her wedding. Leslie Jordan, known for his role on Will & Grace, joined Call Me Kat as Phil, a newly-single gay man and the head baker at Kat’s cat café, since the show’s very first season; he and Brandi (Kyla Pratt), a waitress at the café, took up more prominent roles with the debut of the show’s current third season as they kept the café running while Kat took time off.
Leslie Jordan, 67, passed away on October 26th, 2022, due to a car accident which, according to TMZ, was likely caused by Jordan suffering a medical emergency behind the wheel. At the time of his death, Jordan was in the midst of filming the third season of Call Me Kat on Fox. Production of the show was paused to honor his passing – however, with the show now picking back up, the series’ showrunners report that they will do all they can to continue his character and honor the effect his death had on the show.
Leslie Jordan’s Friend Vicki Lawrence Cast as Phil’s Mom
While Phil’s last physical appearance on the show has been announced to be “Call Me Fancy Puffenstuff,” Call Me Kat executive producer Maria Ferrari has confirmed that his absence will have effects that will last beyond his actual character.
“Leslie’s death absolutely affected the storylines,” Ferrari told Deadline. “We can exclusively confirm that Phil’s mother will be featured in an episode that we’re shooting right now. We cast Leslie’s friend Vicki Lawrence in the role.”
Leslie Jordan and Vicki Lawrence previously starred together in Fox’s The Cool Kids as Margaret Flynn and Sid Delacroix, two rowdy, rebellious residents of the Shady Meadows Retirement Community. According to PEOPLE, Vicki Lawrence will be joining Call Me Kat as Phil’s mother, who will fill his role as the cafe’s head baker while he’s on vacation.
Regarding Lawrence’s casting, Call Me Kat executive producer Jim Patterson told Deadline the following:
Call Me Kat, starring the late Leslie Jordan, is currently available on Fox. Season 3 of the show began airing on September 29th, 2022.
