“Glee”'s Kevin McHale Sought President Obama's Head of Immigration to Bring Then-Boyfriend to the U.S.: 'I Was at The White House'

Kevin McHale once went all the way to The White House to get some answers.

While looking back on a season 5 episode of Glee on his And That's What You REALLY Missed on Glee podcast, the series alum, 36, recalled the moment he learned his then-boyfriend Marco Esposito would be allowed to return to the United States after living in Brazil for nearly three years.

"I was dating someone at the time, Marco, and he was stuck in Brazil," he began, adding that the cast was taking a short break while the crew set up for another shot. "He had been gone, at this point, two and a half years. His mom, his brother lived in the U.S. ... And I get an email from his mom being like, 'Am I reading this correctly? Did he just get approved to come back into the U.S.?'"

Related: Glee's Kevin McHale, Jenna Ushkowitz Share the 'Peculiar' Way They Cope with Cory Monteith's Death 10 Years Later

The decision was long-awaited for McHale and his now-ex's family members. When Esposito first "got stuck" in Brazil for nearly three years, the actor recalled "bawling" and executive producer Brad Falchuck allowed him to leave filming to be with him.

"I talked to her on the phone. I'm like reading the email and it was a sentence," he said of the letter. "After all this time, like, you don't know the amount of things [I had done]. I literally was at The White House one time."

McHale's co-host Jenna Ushkowitz also recalled chasing down "anybody" who would listen to his case, and the two even visited the consulate in France for guidance.

"I talked to [former President] Obama's head of immigration policy about this. And she's like, 'Legally, I cannot help you.' I was like, 'Okay. Respect,'" McHale continued, laughing, "I tried everything."

Related: 'Glee' Cast: Where Are They Now?

When he received the news, the actor recalled celebrating with his costars on set. Ushkowitz started "screaming" and everyone was "happy" and "so excited" about the update in Esposito's case. Eventually, it was time for the cast to return to set to perform Neil Diamond's "America."

"I went so hard. There's some shots where I'm like going really hard," he recalled, feeling inspired and pumped for the number. "Because it was so odd of all these things lined up that — like song we're singing. It's the song I did not really know or none of us really liked."

Related: Kevin McHale Gushes About Boyfriend Austin P. McKenzie — but Has 'No Desire' for Marriage or Kids

While McHale and Esposito are no longer romantically involved, the duo still appear on each other social media posts and have remained friends. McHale has been dating Austin P. McKenzie since 2016.

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In a conversation with PEOPLE in September 2022, McHale confessed the two had no plans to "get married or have kids" despite being in a committed long-term relationship.

"Every now and again, it seeps in. Everyone's getting married around us and I'd be like, 'Oh, that would be fun....' And maybe we would one day," he explained. "But we're just in such a good place, it's kind of like, if it ain't broke — I don't really see the point for myself."

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