Sean Hayes, Will & Grace Cast Thank Joe Biden for the Shout-Out

Actor Sean Hayes has released a statement in which he thanks Vice President Joe Biden for saying his sitcom Will & Grace educated Americans about LGBT peoplewhen he offered his support for marriage equality this weekend.

While appearing on NBC's Meet the Press Sunday morning, Biden stated his support for marriage equality. During the interview, Biden says, "I think Will & Grace probably did more to educate the American public than almost anything anybody's ever done so far."

Hayes won an Emmy for playing the often unbridled Jack McFarland on the popular sitcom, which ran on NBC from 1998 to 2006. The full statement from Hayes reads, "On behalf of everyone who worked on Will & Grace, we thank Vice President Biden for his comments regarding our show as well as his support for equality for gay Americans and everyone in the LGBT community."

Hayes's costars Eric McCormack and Debra Messing, who played the title roles, respectively, both issued statements as well.

McCormack tweeted, "Three cheers for VP Joe Biden! Fantastic interview. Now who ELSE is gonna step up?" Messing also used Twitter to respond, saying "I could not be more proud. Thank you Mr. Vice President for yer support and yer words about W&G."

Actress Megan Mullally, who won two Emmy Awards for playing Karen Walker, hasn't issue a response but previously filmed a marriage equality ad for the Human Rights Campaign with her husband, actor Nick Offerman. Watch it here.

Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation president Herndon Graddick also issued a statement, saying, "Today, Vice President Biden took an important step toward joining former Presidents Bill Clinton and Jimmy Carter, former Vice Presidents Al Gore and Dick Cheney, and a growing majority of Americans who support marriage equality for their gay and lesbian friends, family and neighbors. It is significant that Vice President Biden spoke about the importance of Will & Grace in his journey toward acceptance, since we know that the media plays a key role in helping people understand that denying any loving couple the chance at happiness and security that comes only through marriage is not only hurtful, it's downright un-American."