Rob & Ellen, Will & Grace's close friends, played by Tom Gallop and Leigh-Allyn Baker. Ellen and Grace were best friends since college, as were Rob and Will, and the two couples have regularly played charades and other games during dinner parties. Grace, however, also slept with Rob sometime in Season One when they were both going through break-ups and felt emotionally vulnerable, a fact that didn't come up until Rob & Ellen's wedding. The couple, however, did get married and have since had three children, the youngest named Roman (which is the name of Debra Messing's real-life son, born in 2004). They announced their separation at a dinner date with Will & Grace. Rob and Ellen only wanted to separate so that they could try dating again. They got back together after Grace went on a tirade, saying that they were "too old" to date, and they should stay together for the sole reason that "no one else would take them."

Joe & Larry, Will & Grace's close friends, played by Jerry Levine and Tim Bagley. A gay couple, once party animals, Joe and Larry adopted a baby girl Hannah in season three. Karen occasionally refers to them as "Mo and Mary," a with "Mo" being a play on the word "Homo."

Val Bassett, a neighbor of Will & Grace, played by Molly Shannon. Slightly crazy and definitely alcoholic, Val originally befriended only Will, until Grace eventually discovered common interests with her. Both of them still consider her crazy, however, as does Jack, who found her as an uninvited guest in his bedroom.

Beverley Leslie, a rival of Karen's, played by Leslie Jordan. A diminutive social butterfly, the incredibly campy Beverley has been married for years and maintains a firm homophobic stance despite his own obvious sexuality. He once tried to steal Rosario away from Karen's employ, and delights in trying to make a public spectacle of Karen, just as much as she delights in doing the same to him. A running gag involved her making an unrelated statement that serves to mock him, followed immediately by his entrance (example: at a restaurant, she said she wanted to order something "small and fruity with ladyfingers," and he entered right at that moment). She even once broadcasted a statement attesting to his homosexuality over a loud-speaker system at a Republican gathering he was holding. After he demanded a public apology, she instead tricked him into screaming "I am a homosexual!" at a public function. Beverly is married to Crystal, an unseen character who, it is implied, is significantly older than he is, and who died in season eight. He had a love interest, Benji, whom he constantly referred to as his "business associate." Jack called them the "most stable in-the-closet, black-white, young-old, short-tall, hot-disgusting" couple he knew. In the series finale he parts with his "business associate" offering Jack to take the place of Benji. When Karen loses her fortune she forces Jack to do it even though he doesn't want to. After Beverly rewrites his will and makes Jack the sole benefactor of his multi-million dollar estate, he is subsequently blown off his balcony - due to his small stature - and Jack then inherits all his money and supports Karen for the rest of their lives.

Rory, Toby & Josh. Friends of Jack who are never seen but mentioned in various episodes. Early in Season 3, Rory is mentioned as being into Asian men. In Season 4, Josh, Toby and Jack watch a video of Will freezing up on camera talking about Stanley Walker, but Josh & Toby leave before Will gets home because the three drank all Will's wine.