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This iconic character won’t be returning for the Will & Grace revival

By Will Stroude

There’s just six weeks to go until Will & Grace returns to screens following a ten-year absence, but one of the most iconic characters from the show’s original run won’t be returning for a second bite of the big gay cherry.

Yep, it’s time to doff your caps to Karen’s fiery maid Rosario Salazar, who show producers have confirmed won’t feature in the eagerly-anticipated revival after actress Shelley Morrison decided against reprising her role.

Fair play to her, she’s 80 after all.

Producer Max Mutchnick confirmed the news at a recent press event, telling reporters: “Shelley has decided to retire. It was with a heavy heart that she gave us that information and that we received it, but it is the way that it goes. It is a choice that she has made.

“We really wanted Shelley to be a part of this series, so we find ourselves having to figure that out moving forward. It was not an easy decision to make, but it’s one that she made.”

Another character who sadly won’t be returning for the show’s ninth season is Grace’s mother, Bobbi Adler, following the death of actress Debbie Reynolds in December last year.

“That was another part of the story that we had to really spend time on addressing, all of the characters that existed in 198 episodes,” Mutchnick said.

“She’s obviously not coming back, but we will be speaking to it and the characters will be speaking to it.”

Will & Grace premieres on September 28 on NBC in the US. There’s no word yet on a UK broadcaster, but you can re-live some of Karen and Rosario’s greatest bust-ups from the show’s original run below:

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