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NEED TO KNOW
- Scott Porter revealed to PEOPLE when he will let his two kids, Clover and McCoy, watch his NBC series Friday Night Lights
- The 45-year-old actor said he will likely wait until his elementary-school-aged children are “maybe” in “middle school” before introducing them to the show
- The actor also shared that he has been introducing his kids to some of his favorite ’80s and ’90s classics, like E.T., Raiders of the Lost Ark, The Goonies and Labyrinth
Scott Porter’s kids aren’t going to be watching Friday Night Lights anytime soon!
Porter, who played Jason Street on the hit NBC drama, spoke to PEOPLE exclusively while attending the 2025 NAMI Mental Health Gala in Beverly Hills, Calif., on Thursday, May 8. During the conversation, the actor revealed that he’s got “a little bit of time” before his elementary-school-aged kids, daughter Clover and son McCoy, begin watching the show.
“I think we won’t watch that show until both of [them] are maybe middle school age. So, I think I’ve got a little bit of time yet,” Porter, 45, said.
Porter appeared on the show, which ran from 2006 to 2011, for three seasons before leaving to pursue other opportunities.
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“They’ve only watched one live-action project that I’ve been in,” he continued while speaking to PEOPLE. “It was a Hallmark movie called Taking the Reins. They were so confused why Daddy was with this other woman in the movie.”
“I said, ‘That’s not me. That’s a character that I’m playing.’ They haven’t quite grasped that yet, even though we do movie night every Friday. They see plenty of characters on-screen. I don’t think they’ve detached real people from live-action characters yet,” he added, noting that they seem to grasp his voice-over work in projects like Spidey and His Amazing Friends more easily.
“The animated — all of the video game stuff — they’ve seen a ton of that and they really enjoy it.”
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The Hart of Dixie actor also told PEOPLE that he has been introducing his kids to some of his favorite ’80s and ’90s movies.
“We’ve watched E.T. We’ve watched […] Raiders of the Lost Ark. We’ve watched Goonies, Labyrinth. So, we’re working our way up.”
Porter attended the NAMI event with his wife of 12 years, Kelsey Mayfield, whom he met on the set of Friday Night Lights. During the conversation, he shared “the secret” to their continued bond.
“Just find your best partner,” he said. “It’s just about finding that partnership.”
“She picks me up so often. I’m there for her when she needs me, and we always just check in with each other. ‘What’s your battery at? Are you at 50%? I can carry a little bit extra load today,’ ” he continued. “So, we check in with each other. We pick up that load.”
The actor also said that their current lives would not be possible without their partnership.
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“My career is not possible without her. Our beautiful kids aren’t taken care of without both of us being there. And all of her charitable endeavors don’t happen unless I’m there to pick up the slack sometimes for her,” he explained.
“And I’m just very fortunate to be in a career where, when I’m working, I’m working, yes, but when I’m home, I am home, and I get to spend so much time with her and with our kids. So, I think all those things help make this particular relationship successful.”
Most recently, Porter will be reprising his role as Mayor Paul Randolph in season 3 of the drama series Ginny & Georgia, which premieres on Netflix on June 5.