Whatever Happened To Jesse Metcalfe?

Desperate Housewives fans will never forget Gabrielle Solis' affair with her teenage gardener, John Rowland, but what about Jesse Metcalfe, the actor behind the notorious role? As it turns out, Metcalfe realizes he will always be remembered for that character, and it actually doesn't bother him. 

"I think pigeonholing does happen, that's a real thing. It's almost a compliment of the job you did in that role," he told Variety in August 2020. "You were so convincing and you play the role so well, that people believe that's who you actually are. Decision makers and tastemakers in the industry are not immune to that."

While he has no issue with being associated with his character on Desperate Housewives, Metcalfe doesn't think the affair storyline would be well-received if the show was on today. "I think a lot of good is coming from this critical, oversensitive world because we're thinking critically about a lot of the issues that need to be addressed," he told Variety. Even so, he said he would be down for a Desperate Housewives reunion, commenting that it would be "cool" to do "a film like they did with Sex and the City." 

Even though Metcalfe has continued to work in entertainment, he thinks he jumped too quickly at roles following Desperate Housewives. "It's really about patience." he said. "I'm definitely hopeful for my second act, much like, maybe, John Travolta in Pulp Fiction." 

Let's take a closer look at this second act in the making. 

Aside from his time on Desperate Housewives, Jesse Metcalfe is best known for his role in the 2006 movie John Tucker Must Die. He also starred in the 2010 crime drama Chase, which didn't get picked up for a second season. He portrayed Christopher Ewing on the Dallas reboot from 2012 to 2014, but nothing behind the camera has riveted audiences quite like that early gig on Desperate Housewives. Nevertheless, Metcalfe has options.

"I'm interested in so many different things," he told Variety in August 2020. "I want to produce. I want to direct. I want to play music. I want to do it all. But I think my directorial debut is imminent." Oh? That sounds exciting, but there's another new opportunity that is definitely materializing very soon. 

ABC has revealed that Metcalfe will be a cast member on Season 29 Dancing With the Stars! That will no doubt create a lot of exposure for Metcalfe, but DWTS will not be his only television appearance in 2020. He also stars in two Hallmark original movies – A Beautiful Place to Die: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery and Riddled with Deceit: A Martha's Vineyard Mystery. On the film front, he appeared in 2020's Cover Me and even landed first billing in the August 2020 film Hard Kill, which also featured Bruce Willis and Vanderpump Rules star Lala Kent. 

According to IMDb, Metcalfe is a producer on a movie called The Latin from Manhattan, along with Taryn Manning and fellow Desperate Housewives alum Drea de Matteo.

Jesse Metcalfe only appeared in one episode of Desperate Housewives in 2007. That could be because it made sense for the TV show's storyline, but his 2007 rehab stint also may have played a role in his absence. 

In January 2018, Metcalfe shared a photo on Instagram, telling his followers: "This is a polaroid from when I checked myself into rehab on March 19th of 2007, after a 3 day bender. These were some of the darkest days in my addiction." He also talked about a movie he wanted to develop called Steps that would explore questions related to addiction. It doesn't appear that project has materialized to date. 

Metcalfe has also opened up about his struggles via other platforms. During a 2016 interview with Fox411 (via Page Six), he said, "I really discovered a connection with a higher power and with God as I understand him..." He said this spiritual relationship occurred when he "got sober through the 12 steps of Alcoholic Anonymous. " According to Metcalfe, "I feel that that really helped me overcome a difficult time in my life and since then has really deepened and enriched my life in a lot of ways." 

In August 2016, Us Weekly reported that Jesse Metcalfe had proposed to girlfriend Cara Santana. "It's been a long time coming, but we couldn't be happier," he said at the time, but the couple never made it down the aisle.

According to Us Weekly, they ended their 13-year relationship in 2020, after Metcalfe was photographed "cuddling up with multiple women." An inside source denied cheating allegations. Even though Santana and Metcalfe have supposedly ended their romance, they did reportedly quarantine at the home they shared together during the coronavirus pandemic. Metcalfe lived in the guest house, reported Us Weekly.  

While Metcalfe's life has been full of ups and downs since Desperate Housewives, 2020 could add some interesting new twists to his story. He's got a number of irons in the fire, and we're looking forward to his first foray into reality television on Dancing With the Stars.