Leslie Jordan: I Threw 'Sweet Iced Tea, Not Coffee' in Starbucks Fight

The Will & Grace star issued a public statement to clarify a recent confrontation over antigay slurs at a West Hollywood coffee shop.

BY  Daniel Reynolds

August 01 2015 1:39 PM ET 

Leslie Jordan (left)

Leslie Jordan may have lost his cool when he heard men shouting antigay slurs at Starbucks, but his drink was cold, he says.
The gay actor, known for his roles in The Help and Will & Grace, posted a statement on his Facebook page to clarify the details of the Wednesday incident, in which he stood up to a group of three men shouting words like "faggot" at a West Hollywood coffee shop.
News outlets reported that Jordan told the men to "get out of my house," followed them to the sidewalk, and then threw a coffee at one of the men after the exchange became heated.
However, the Tennessee native says the beverage he threw was not coffee, but rather "'sweet' iced tea." He also expressed regret for having "lost my temper."

"I was hoping to remain silent on the incident at Starbucks but somehow the story found legs and has made its way into the press. I feel I owe my friends an explanation:
Truth be told it was "sweet" iced tea, not coffee. I am a "sweet" mannered Southern boy who was taught not to start a fight. Nobody ever told me I could not end one. I refused to sit and watch these hate crimes continue. I guess our work for equality is not done yet!
I'm being hailed a hero which is all well and good but I lost my temper. My heroes in life always kept their cool."