Before Freddie Mercury, before Mr. Robot, even before Twilight – there was a little Fox sitcom that gave us both Rami Malek AND Jackson Rathbone playing gay teen romance. Yes, really!
Picture this: It’s 2005, and there’s baby-faced Rami Malek, with those signature cheekbones and mesmerizing eyes, playing an adorable gay teenager who ends up dating the hottest guy in school (Rathbone).
And trust us – this forgotten gem from his past is about to become your new favorite discovery.
What Was “The War At Home”?
Remember 2005? When The O.C. was all the rage and every network wanted their own dysfunctional family sitcom?
Fox’s The War At Home jumped into the mix, starring Michael Rapaport and Anita Barone as parents dealing with their three teenagers in Long Island.
The show ran for two seasons, and while it might not have been Modern Family, it gave us something even better: Rami Malek as Kenny Al-Bahir, the gay teenager next door with a heart of gold and cheekbones that could cut glass.
Meet Kenny: The Gay Best Friend We All Wanted
Kenny started as the quirky best friend of Larry Gold (Kyle Sullivan), complete with an adorable secret crush on his straight bestie (classic!).
But this wasn’t your typical “gay best friend” stereotype. Kenny’s journey from a closeted teen (who wasn’t even sure what he was) to a confident young gay man became one of the show’s most compelling storylines.
The Hot Romance You Never Knew About
Here’s where it gets juicy: In a delicious plot twist that could only happen in the best teen shows, Kenny ends up dating Brett (played by none other than Jackson Rathbone) – who just happens to be the ex-boyfriend of Larry’s sister! Talk about keeping it in the family.
And let us tell you, this wasn’t your typical “very special episode” gay relationship. The show gave us a sweet, genuine high school romance between these young actors – long before Heartstopper.
Kenny and Brett’s storyline explored all the butterflies and drama of young love, while navigating the added complexities of being out in high school (not exactly a walk in the park in 2005).
The chemistry between Malek and Rathbone was off the charts – which makes it even more fascinating that both actors would later appear in the Twilight saga (though sadly, not as love interests).
While Rathbone went on to vampire superstardom as Jasper Hale, we’ll always remember him as the dreamy Brett who helped Kenny embrace his authentic self through first love.
Fun fact for your next trivia night: this means Rami Malek and Jackson Rathbone were giving us tender gay romance years before anyone had heard of Edward and Bella. Now that’s what we call ahead of their time!
The Coming Out Story That Still Hits Different
Kenny’s coming-out arc was surprisingly nuanced for mid-2000s TV.
When he finally comes out, it’s Dave Gold (the supposedly “traditional” dad) who becomes one of his biggest supporters.
Meanwhile, Kenny’s own father kicks him out, leading to the Gold family taking him in – chosen family representation before it was cool!
And, even though these are “serious” matters – the show never forgot to be funny (this was a sitcom, after all), but Kenny’s sexuality was never mocked or laughed AT.
Behind The Scenes: How Rami Prepared
Want to know how seriously Rami took this role? He went straight to the show’s openly gay creator, Rob Lotterstein, to make sure he got the character just right.
In an interview with the now-defunct AfterElton, Rami shared:
“I came to him with questions about what it was like. Being straight, I wanted to get a real, authentic perspective. One thing I remember him saying to me was imagine if the world was gay, and you had to come out as heterosexual.”
He continued: “He was able to help me out with the thought process of what’s going on for someone who might be dealing with this – the confusion, the guilty feelings, angst, all that turmoil!
“The ability to reveal this at such a young age is such a bold, courageous thing that I felt he really wanted to explore and share, and I’m very glad that he did because it’s hopefully having an impact on a lot of young people out there.”
From Kenny to Freddie
Of course, we all know where this story ends – with Rami winning an Oscar for playing another LGBTQ+ icon, Freddie Mercury, in the film Bohemian Rhapsody.
But for those of us who discovered him back in his Kenny days, we knew all along this Egyptian-American charmer was destined for greatness.
And honestly? We’re still crushing on both versions.
- Unfortunately, The War At Home isn’t available to stream, as of this writing – but you can get the DVD.