Sean Hayes, who is best known for playing Jack McFarland on the NBC sitcom Will & Grace, recently said that he regrets not coming out gay during the show's run.

Hayes came out publicly in a 2010 cover story for gay glossy The Advocate, roughly four years after Will & Grace ended.

In an interview with Playbill, Hayes, who celebrates his 46th birthday today, said that he regretted not coming out sooner.

“I had personal issues inside of myself that I regret,” he said. “I regret not coming out sooner and helping more people. And I regret not coming out during the show.

“I got Will & Grace, and I thought, 'Oh, this is different. I don't know how to handle this. I'm not bright enough. I'm not quick enough. I don't have the DNA to be a spokesman for any kind of group of people,'” he added.

Hayes married husband Scott Icenogle in 2014 and currently stars in Broadway's An Act of God.