See Also: Marc Cherry (Creator) People Guide

Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry has been named one of the 100 most influential people of the year by Time magazine, joining a list that includes politicians, religious leaders, athletes and criminals as well as such entertainers as recent Oscar winner Clint Eastwood and The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown.

In the Time online introduction to the list, the magazine states that it chose "warriors and peacemakers, dictators and democrats, terrorists and holy men...men and women with the clout and power to change our world." The item on Cherry was written by Desperate Housewives star Felicity Huffman (Lynette Scavo), who believed that he deserved to be chosen for poking fun at the American family, "an institution not to be trifled with", letting viewers "see its cracks and foibles without tearing it apart in hate and condemnation."

"Marc is a wolf in sheep's clothing. That, to me, is the most exciting combo," added Huffman, saying that the kind, humble exterior is a front for an interior "with a penchant for wicked social commentary, a solid belief in his abilities (which are formidable) and a keen commitment to seeing his vision on the screen." She called Cherry a tireless worker but said that "an exhausted creator who micromanages everything" is a good recipe for a hit show.

Huffman also said that she appreciated that Cherry loves his mother, "And I envy her; she has such a wonderful, delightful, talented son." In a previous Time article on gay television producers, Cherry revealed that his mother was completely supportive when he came out at age 31. In fact, he recreated the situation on the series when Bree's son came out to her; Bree's response, "I'd love you even if you were a murderer", is precisely what Cherry's mother said to him.

Cherry credited being gay with his ability to stretch boundaries on the show for straight women. "If you grow up gay, you meet people and go on dates and find out the men are married. I'm conservative enough to be appalled," he said. "We push the boundaries in our lives by being gay. When we write, we are perfectly willing to write extreme behavior."

The full list of artists who made Time's list is here.

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