Fran Drescher didn't have to look far for inspiration for her new TV Land show Happily Divorced

Fran Drescher didn't have to look far for inspiration for her new TV Land show Happily Divorced, which premieres June 15. The sitcom, about a woman whose husband turns out to be gay, is actually based on her own experience.

"He had already been living a gay life away from me after we divorced, and he said, 'I don't want you to be shocked. I'm dating men,' " the actress, 53, tells PEOPLE in its current issue, on stands now.

When Aflac announced it was giving Gilbert Gottfried the boot for his disrespectful Tweets about the Japanese tsunami, it created an immediate job opening for someone with a distinctive talent.

Fran Drescher tells PEOPLE she's offering up her name as a replacement for Senator Hillary Clinton, who has been nominated as Secretary of State. New York Gov. David Paterson must find an interim to fill the remaining two years of Clinton's term.

"I'm a New Yorker. It's a part of the fabric of my being," says Drescher, 51. "It just seems natural to me to throw my hat in the ring."

The former star of The Nanny – and inveterate New Yorker – wants to fill the U.S. Senate seat being vacated by Hillary Rodham Clinton (who is leaving to become Barack Obama's Secretary of State).

New York Gov. David Paterson is said to be seriously considering former first daughter – and political activist – Caroline Kennedy, 51, for Clinton's position, but Drescher, also 51, is firm in her desire. New York magazine quotes the actress as saying she's qualified for the job, as well as "an authentic and honest person."

Actresses Fran Drescher ("The Nanny") and Kate Mulgrew ("Star Trek: Voyager") both made news this weekend by delivering unexpected announcements that they are leaving their respective TV shows. For further details:

"The Nanny" star Fran Drescher was dismissed from a lawsuit brought by a stunt woman who claimed she was injured during filming of "Beautician and the Beast." Drescher, who was executive producer as well as star of the movie, was dismissed Friday along with two producers and a writer, said her attorney, Donald Etra. A director and a producer are still named as defendants. Maria Doest, 46, claimed she was sprayed with a harmful fire retardant in July 1996 while preparing for a scene. She is seeking unspecified damages for asthma, exhaustion and other problems, according to her Los Angeles Superior Court lawsuit.