Jesse Tyler Ferguson was born in Missoula, Montana,[1] to Anne Ferguson (née Doyle) and Robert "Bob" Ferguson.[2] His parents divorced when he was 18 years old. Ferguson has a brother, Ben Ferguson, and sister, Kelly Ferguson. Ferguson was named after his paternal grandmother, Jessie Uppercue Ferguson,[3] to whom he was very close growing up.[4] His paternal great-grandfather was also named Jesse.[5]
His family moved when he was young to Albuquerque, New Mexico, where he was raised.[6] At age eight he decided to become an actor, and joined the Albuquerque Children's Theater, where he was a member for six years.[7] At Albuquerque's St. Pius X High School, Ferguson played Albert Peterson in Bye Bye Birdie and General Bullmoose in Li'l Abner. He participated on the speech and debate team and graduated in 1994.[8] He worked as a dancer/singer at Cliff's Amusement Park.[7]
On television, Ferguson was among the large ensemble cast on the short-lived CBS sitcom The Class, playing Richie Velch. Ferguson co-starred in the 2008 thriller Untraceable.
In September 2012, Ferguson and his lawyer husband, Justin Mikita, started the non-profit charity Tie The Knot,[16] an effort to raise funds in support of same-sex marriage, using bow ties sold to retail.[17] They officially launched it as their engagement announcement in an online video where they explain only seven states at the time had same-sex marriage.[17][18][19] In an interview Ferguson stated that he wanted to do something that was smaller and manageable in case it did not work out as a business model.[20]
The foundation sells limited-edition bow ties to support organizations that advocate for same-sex marriage.[21] Their collections are designed by the couple plus guest designers, and is sold by The Tie Bar, a Naperville, Illinois-based online men's neckwear company.[21]
In January 2013, the couple were recruited by Lieutenant Governor of Illinois Sheila Simon to lobby legislators to pass SB10 which would allow same-sex marriage.[21] The bill passed both legislative houses,[22][23] and Governor Pat Quinn signed the bill into law,[24] going into effect on June 1, 2014.[25]
In October 2013, the American Civil Liberties Union named Ferguson the celebrity ambassador for the LGBT community.[26] He participated heavily in the ACLU's "Out for Freedom" campaign[27][28] They noted that Ferguson travelled to New Mexico, his home state, to take part in same sex marriage efforts. Before the state's full legalization of same-sex marriage on December 19, 2013, New Mexico did not explicitly permit or prohibit same-sex marriage; it was the only state lacking a statute or constitutional provision explicitly addressing same-sex marriage.[29] The couple's non-profit made a grant of US$10,000 to the ACLU of New Mexico for same sex efforts.[27]
Ferguson uses his full name as there was already an actor called Jesse Ferguson in the actors' union when he joined.[5]
In September 2012, he announced his engagement to lawyer Justin Mikita, his boyfriend of nearly two years.[32] They married in Manhattan on July 20, 2013,[33] with the playwright and screenwriter Tony Kushner officiating at their wedding.[5] The couple have two children, Beckett Mercer Ferguson-Mikita born on July 7, 2020 [34] and Sullivan Louis Ferguson-Mikita born on November 15, 2022.[35]
On the process of coming out, he said he had to tell his father three times (when he was 17, 19 and 21): "It's a coming out process for them as well, and it takes time".[36]
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