Where Are They Now? thirtysomething's Gay Couple

Their relatively tame bedroom tryst in a 1989 episode of thirtysomething led to mass rioting and the end of civilization. Not quite, but it did raise some controversy and earned a place in TV history as the first time a gay couple was depicted in bed together.

And today? They make for excellent gay trivia: Whatever happened to thirtysomething’s gay couple?

Peter Frechette has had a steady career in minor TV and film roles, ranging from one of the best worst movie musicals ever to a small but riveting role in Spike Lee’s Inside Man to the inevitable Law & Order appearances that are bread and butter to your typical New York actor. He’s also a regular workhorse of the off-Broadway stage. Go to any gay comedy today and there’s as much chance as you’ll see Frechette as a naked butt. I’ve also seen him working out at my gym, which means he’s probably as easy to spot on the streets of Manhattan as Ethan Hawke.

David Marshall Grant has also had his share of minor TV and film roles, most recently playing Anne Hathaway’s father in The Devil Wears Prada. His stage career has been more noteworthy. After making his debut opposite Richard Gere in Bent, he was nominated for a Tony award for Tony Kushner’s gay fantasia, Angels in America. His stage acting led to playwriting which led to his current gig, as one of the writers for ABC’s super-gay-friendly Brothers & Sisters.

There’s wonderful symmetry to this. For one thing, it’s hard to imagine B&S’s Kevin Walker (Matthew Rhys) getting so much action in the bedroom on network TV if Grant and Frechette hadn’t made that bed and lain in it first. Plus, Grant’s connections to Brothers & Sisters reveals a chain of incestuous connections that rivals a Fire Island summer share. Ron Rifkin, who stars on B&S as Uncle Saul, appeared on Alias, where Grant appeared as an assassin. And Brothers & Sisters is produced by none other than thirtysomething’s Michael, Ken Olin.

And then there’s this bit of trivia.... In Angels in America, Grant’s character, the closeted Republican Joe Pitt, is seduced by Louis, played by Joe Mantello. At the time, Mantello’s partner was hot NY playwright Jon Robin Baitz, who went on to create a little show called Brothers & Sisters.

Hey, I think I just invented a drinking game: 6 degrees of gay separation. Next round: connect the first Stephen from Dynasty with the second in 6 gays or less.