Leslie Jordan's Posthumous Appearance on 'Celebrity IOU' Brings Viewers to Tears: "Missing Someone I Never Met"

The late Leslie Jordan appeared in Monday’s (Nov. 14) Season 3 premiere of Celebrity IOU, and there was not a dry eye in sight.

The episode opened with the hosts, Property Brothers stars Drew and Jonathan Scott, reflecting on their relationship with the Will & Grace actor. Drew, the younger of the two, said, “We’ve known Leslie Jordan for years and working with him on Celebrity IOU wasn’t just a highlight for the show, but really of our careers.”

Jonathan added, “He was over the moon to give back to Rosemary and Newell, who are in the episode you’re about to watch. But he lived his entire life with the same love and gratitude for everyone he came in contact with.”

In the episode, Jordan surprises his long-time friends, Rosemary and Newell Alexander, with a home makeover. The late actor met the two in the 1980s when he first moved to Los Angeles to pursue an acting career and said the two were “like family” to him. With the help of the Scott brothers, Jordan added amenities like a new kitchen and an updated fireplace to their ranch-style home.

Detailing their friendship in the episode, Jordan said, “They’ve just always been there for me. I had some struggles with alcohol, a little drug use. I’m 25 years clean and sober, but they were instrumental in that too because they never judged me.”

Many viewers took to Twitter to share their experience watching the tearful episode, which aired not long after Jordan’s tragic death in a car accident just last month.

One wrote, “Watching Leslie Jordan on Celebrity IOU is so lovely – it is fitting that his last tv appearance is giving back to others. We truly lost a very bright light,” while another shared, “Not me sobbing after I watched the new Leslie Jordan episode of celebrity IOU on HGTV. I miss that lil man so much it physically hurts.”

“Watching Celebrity IOU with Leslie Jordan and unsure why I’m crying. What a loss. Missing someone I never met,” added a third.

Prior to the episode’s premiere, the co-hosts told People that Jordan was a joy to be around on set. Jonathan expressed, “I don’t know how many times he’d be on set and we’d be filming and then on a break I would walk over and he was just sitting down chatting with somebody from the crew or from construction and sharing stories.”

Drew agreed: “He creates community for people, lets them know that there’s somebody here for you and there’s somebody that’s been through something similar.”

Celebrity IOU airs Mondays at 9 PM on HGTV and is available to stream on discovery+.