"Nurse Jackie" Creator Says Show Still Gay; Harvey Fierstein to Guest Star

Haaz Sleimann as Mo-Mo and Edie Falco as Nurse Jackie

Earlier this week it was reported that Showtime's hit series Nurse Jackie had dropped the character of Mo-Mo (Haaz Sleimann), the gay nurse who is one of Jackie's (Edie Falco) closest friends, for the second season. No explanation was given except to say the character's storyline "had run its course."

AfterEllen.com editor Karman Kregloe spoke with Linda Wallem, the series' co-creator about what was in store for the show gay-wise, despite Sleimann's departure. Karman was kind enough to ask some questions for us and share the scoop!

AfterEllen.com: The Advocate reported this week that with the departure of Haaz Sleiman, who plays gay nurse "Mo Mo," Nurse Jackie is going to be "less gay" in the 2nd season. Care to respond?
Linda Wallem: Nothing could be further from the truth. That's an assumption on their part based on the fact that the actor is not coming back. We're a hospital, we have a ton of gay nurses!

This season, we're going to have a really great gay love triangle ... a three-part arc that is going to be great. I mean it when I say we are going into a new gear of gay this year. So that's my official response.

AE: What about Haaz Sleiman's departure from the show?
LW: The storyline with that gay nurse played itself out. But the part of Thor [played by Wallem's brother, Stephen Wallem], the other gay nurse, is even more visible this year.

As far as Jackie's friendship's go, as far as gay character's go...if anything, we've taken it up a notch. I don't to give away any secrets, but with one of our main characters, there's going to be a romance happening with an old flame, and it's definitely a gay romance. So there you go!

AE: So you don't want to say specifically whether it's a gay or lesbian romance?
LW: Right, because I don't want to give it away. I think everyone will be very happy with what we did, and we'll have a special guest star that will come on.

Also, we'll have Harvey Fierstein as a guest star, and I'm really proud of his story. It's a very simple story of a man whose husband is dying. It's very simple. People are used to Harvey being so huge and flamboyant very he's very stripped down and lovely. It's a beautiful performance of a man whose husband is dying (from old age) and what that feels like for him.

At one point, there's a line where he says, "Can I just not be gay for a minute?" Because everyone is coming up to him and trying to relate and he just wants to be the guy whose husband is dying. We love to take these stories and have the characters just be treated equally and normally.

Harvey Fierstein

AE: When will that episode air?
LW: It's one of the later episodes. If we premiere March 22, then that episode will probably premiere in May sometime. Harvey will break your heart, he's so wonderful.

AE: Can you tell me more about what will happen with the character of Thor?
LW: You're really going to get to know more about Thor this year. He isn't just a big, gay nurse! We'll learn that he's a diabetic, and diabetics have never really been portrayed in a truthful way. I'm very proud of him and what he stepped into, he's terrific.

To read more about what's up what the show and find out which rocker is going to have a song on the show, be sure to check out the rest of Karman's interview!