“Yes Dear” Star Mike O’Malley Says He Was ‘Lucky to Always Have Work’ During ‘Relentless’ Period of His Life When He Had 3 Kids Under 5 (Exclusive)
“Yes Dear” Star Mike O’Malley Says He Was ‘Lucky to Always Have Work’ During ‘Relentless’ Period of His Life When He Had 3 Kids Under 5 (Exclusive)
Angela AndaloroWed, August 5, 2026 at 5:29 PM UTC
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Mike O’Malley, Liza Snyder, Anthony Clark and Jean Louisa Kelly in ‘Yes, Dear’Credit: Monty BrintonCBS via Getty -
Mike O’Malley played Jimmy Hughes on Yes, Dear through the sitcom’s six-year run from 2000 to 2006
The actor, 59, recently explained to PEOPLE what the show meant to him and what opportunities came from his time on the CBS sitcom
O’Malley has balanced work on-screen and behind the scenes for the last two decades
Mike O’Malley loved his time on a family sitcom.
The actor, 59, recently caught up with PEOPLE, reminiscing about his time playing Jimmy Hughes on the CBS comedy Yes, Dear. The show ran for six years and six seasons, from 2000 to 2006.
“We made 122 episodes of that show. A lot of people were introduced to that show because they liked the show that was on before, King of Queens, and they liked the show that was on after it, Everybody Loves Raymond. And so they stuck around and watched the new show,” he recalls.
Yes, Dear followed Greg Warner (Anthony Clark) and his wife Kim (Jean Louisa Kelly) as they raised their children. Their family’s status quo is shaken up when Kim’s sister Christine (Liza Snyder) and her husband Jimmy, along with their two boys, move into the couple’s guest house.
Anthony Clark and Mike O’Malley in ‘Yes, Dear’Credit: CBS via Getty
“Those were great people to work with. And so we’re still friends, the cast who are in that. And sadly, Alan Kirschenbaum passed away. But Greg Garcia, who created that show, he’s been one of my best friends for the last 26 years. He won the Emmy for My Name is Earl. And I did, I think, 16 episodes of My Name is Earl. And then I did an episode of Raising Hope, and then we wrote a Broadway musical together,” O’Malley tells PEOPLE.
He adds, “That was knowing that you were on a show that was being written by some really funny people. And then the men and women that they had writing on that show were incredible.”
Yes, Dear reached couples who were coming to terms with their new normal, which was part of the dynamic that O’Malley cherished.
“One of the things about a show is that you want to get on a show and you want people to relate to the stories that you’re telling. And I think a lot of people can relate to how they think they’re cool and then all of a sudden they have kids and then they’re not cool. What they are is very, very tired,” he laughs.
“I think that show was actually a great moment for me. It went on Nick at Nite at one point,” he points out.
Mike O’Malley (as Jimmy Hughes); Jean Louisa Kelly (as Kim Warner); Anthony Clark (as Gregory ‘Greg’ Warner); and Liza Snyder (as Christine Hughes)Credit: CBS via Getty
Yes, Dear debuted on Nick at Nite in 2012, which was special for O’Malley because of his Nickelodeon roots. “The fact that Yes, Dear was on Nick at Nite meant a lot. It’s harder for it to be seen nowadays because they have all the stuff wrapped up in the music rights that makes it difficult,” he notes.
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O’Malley has been in a number of projects since the sitcom’s 2006 conclusion. “That period of time in my life was relentless, in a good way. I had my kids, three kids under the age of five. And I was lucky to always have work,” he shares.
“After Yes, Dear, there was an opportunity for me to do another sitcom. I didn’t want to. I made a concerted effort to be as much of a writer as I was an actor,” he explains. “I ended up doing a pilot with Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk called Pretty/Handsome with Sarah Paulson and Joseph Fiennes and Carrie-Anne Moss. So as a result of that, I did this show, My Own Worst Enemy with Christian Slater, which was a spy show that only went one season. And because I did that, which was a drama, I later got Glee.”
O’Malley split his time between writing on Shameless and playing Burt Hummel on Glee for four years. Getting to do both while also being present for his family made the time in his life special.
“I grew up playing sports. I love being on a team. I love being part of something. And that’s why I love acting. I love working on it. Creatively, there are things that I’ve acted in that I’ve still not watched because I had the experience. In other words, I had the experience while I was doing it. I’m experiencing the actors. I’m working on it with them. And I know I have no control in how it was edited or how it’s received,” he says.
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Finn (Cory Monteith), Carol (Romy Rosemont) and Burt (Mike O’Malley) in ‘Glee’Credit: FOX Image Collection via Getty
“It’s another thing about this business, is that you make things and you want people to love them and you want them to be great. And you want people to love it as much as you love it. But that doesn’t always happen.”
When it comes to picking projects at this stage of his career, whether it’s writing or acting, O’Malley prioritizes good times and a good message.
“I look for when there’s a project is going to be fun people to work with. Is this going to be fun? Because I’m going to be 60 this October. And I’ve done enough stuff pretty much that certainly people in the business, they kind of know who I am,” he explains.
Mike O’Malley at ‘Nemesis’ premiere in May 2026Credit: Julian Hamilton/FilmMagic
“But you’ve got to adjust to the fact that you’re changing. Your looks are changing, your weight is changing, your appearance is changing. How do you continue to walk through that and do different roles?” he says.
“You especially hear actresses talk about this all the time. There are no good parts for older women. There’s a lot of truth to that,” he continues. “Thankfully, there’s a lot of parts for older guys that look like me, corrupt cops, corrupt politicians, terrible people. So there’s a lot of work out there.”
on People
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
