30 Rock is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey which airs (as of 2012) on NBC. The series takes place behind the scenes of a fictional live sketch comedy series, also airing on NBC; the name "30 Rock" refers to the address of the GE Building, where NBC Studios is located (30Rockefeller Plaza).[1] The series has an ensemble cast consisting of 13 regular cast members: Tina Fey, Alec Baldwin, Tracy Morgan, Jane Krakowski, Jack McBrayer, Scott Adsit, Judah Friedlander, Katrina Bowden, Keith Powell, John Lutz, Kevin Brown, Grizz Chapman and Maulik Pancholy.[2]
The series features seven characters appearing during the opening credits, and another seven characters not appearing during the opening credits but also receiving star billing. One character was written out of the show during season four.
Liz Lemon (Tina Fey), the series' protagonist, is head writerofTGS with Tracy Jordan. Jack Donaghy calls her a "New York third-wave feminist, college-educated, single-and-pretending-to-be-happy-about-it, over-scheduled, undersexed, you buy any magazine that says 'healthy body image' on the cover and every two years you take up knitting for...a week."
Jack Donaghy (Alec Baldwin) is the decisive, controlling, suave network executive who must deal with (and/or causes) unusual events at TGS. He is Irish Catholic and Republican. Donaghy is portrayed as a slick, brilliant and scrupulous network executive who directs many overtly backhanded compliments to Liz. Lemon (as he refers to her) and Donaghy have a work spouse relationship.
Tracy Jordan (Tracy Morgan) is the loose cannon star of TGS. He is a movie star with a reputation for erratic behavior. This reputation is well-deserved; much of it is an intentional attempt on his part to maintain his "crazy" persona in the eyes of the media. In the pilot episode, Jack Donaghy forces Liz Lemon to hire Tracy as the new star of her sketch comedy program The Girlie Show. To the chagrin of Liz and Jenna, Jack renames the show TGS with Tracy Jordan in the following episode. Tracy has remained the star of TGS ever since.
Jenna Maroney (Jane Krakowski) is the limelight-seeking costar of TGS, and Liz's best friend. A motif is Jenna's unwavering conviction she is doing the right thing for her career, invariably resulting in public humiliation from which she never learns. She is the stereotypical air-headed, self-centered dumb blonde actress. Off-camera she is conceited, frequently lies about her age and uses her "sexuality" (consisting of flirting) to manipulate men. Jenna attempts to seem intelligent to her fans, telling Life and Style magazine that her favorite book is the Quran.
Kenneth Parcell (Jack McBrayer) is a cheerful, obedient Southern-born NBC page who "lives for television". In the early episodes, Kenneth seemed unfamiliar with some of Liz's staff (and Liz herself). In the pilot, Liz refers to Kenneth as "that NBC page". As the series progressed, his character became familiar with the other staff of TGS (including Jack Donaghy). Kenneth acts as Tracy Jordan's personal assistant (for instance, getting Tracy nachos from Yankee Stadium); he is a member of Tracy's entourage and becomes close to Tracy, Grizz and Dot Com.
Peter "Pete" Hornberger (Scott Adsit) is the reasonable, quick-witted producer of TGS and Liz's most-trusted friend. He works closely with Liz, whom (as mentioned in "Blind Date") he has known for a decade. In the pilot, incoming NBC executive Jack Donaghy fired Pete without consulting Liz; however, she convinced him to hire Pete back. Liz confides in Pete; sometimes he seems to be the only competent person she works with, and the one who will be honest about her personal life. Like Liz, Pete plays straight man to the other characters (even to her, when she is overstressed). He is an olympic-level archer.
Francis "Frank" Rossitano (Judah Friedlander) is a trucker-hat-wearing, childish, sarcastic writer at TGS. After Liz, Frank is the most prominently-featured writer of the show-within-a-show. He wears a variety of trucker hats with humorous phrases (which Friedlander also wears in real life) and large, thick-lensed glasses.
Friedlander says he makes the hats for his character himself, using phrases he invents;[3] in episode S03E18 where Liz is forced to stay home, one of her final requests before being forced out of the building was to know what Frank's hat said. Frank first started wearing the hats at the age of 14; his eighth-grade class photo shows him in a hat reading "My First Hat". Frank's character is similar to former Saturday Night Live writer Frank Sebastiano, who worked with Tina Fey for several years.
Cerie (Katrina Bowden) is Liz's attractive, laid-back personal assistant who wears revealing outfits to work (to the delight of the writers). She is the youngest member on the show's staff, but her age is unknown. Cerie's humor derives from what she says to (and assumes about) Liz; she is convinced that Liz was once married. This insensitivity is from naïveté, not malice. She does not respect her boss; in the pilot she politely declined Liz's request to get her coffee, instead preferring to lounge on the couch.[4]
James "Toofer" Spurlock (Keith Powell) is a proud African-American Harvard University alumnus and TGS writer, who often disagrees with Tracy and Frank (although he and Frank often socialize with Lutz). He detests the stereotypical aspects of black culture he believes are embodied by Tracy Jordan, and he serves as a foil to Tracy. According to Liz, Toofer is "afraid of black people". He claims pride in his black heritage, showing off a photo of an ancestor who was an officer in the Civil War; later, he discovers the man actually fought for the Confederacy. According to Jack, his nickname is "Toofer" because "with him you get a two-for-one; he's a black guy and a Harvard guy". Frank (with whom he shares an office) called him a "black nerd" à la Steve Urkel. It was revealed in season 4, episode 17 that Toofer was only hired because of affirmative action; he quits in anger, before he agrees to return.
Jonathan (Maulik Pancholy) is Jack's assistant, whom Jack hired after (under the influence of a sedative) mistaking him for M. Night Shyamalan on a flight. Jonathan (last name unknown) fawns on Jack, occasionally showing a vague sexual affection for him. When Liz observed that Jack was "a bit of a stress eater" in the episode "The Baby Show" Jonathan defended him, saying emotionally that "he puts up with so much" (referring to Jack's overbearing mother). His obsessive admiration of Jack is coupled with disdain towards Liz, whom he considers unworthy of Jack's attention. In "Secret Santa" it is mentioned that Jonathan has a sister who was once imprisoned in a North Korean jail; Jack had her released as a Christmas gift, in keeping with his custom of giving lavish (and un-toppable) holiday gifts. In "Klaus and Greta" Jonathan mentions that he met his "birth parents", revealing that he is adopted; in Anna Howard Shaw Day, he gleefully tells Jack that he once ran over an elderly woman in Arizona and just kept driving. In season 4, episode 11 ("Winter Madness") it is revealed that Jonathan is Indian when Jack says, "Jonathan, why do I have an Indian assistant if..." During the same season (in episode 18, entitled "Khonani") this is reinforced when Jonathan says to the janitor (Khonani) in Hindi, "Popes and princes count their Donaghy time in seconds!" In the season-five episode Let's Stay Together Jack asks Jonathan to provide a distraction by pretending to be a stereotypical Indian and faking an Indian accent, to which Jonathan objects "But I'm from Palo Alto!" In a later episode that season (Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning) Jonathan reacts with glee to news of a natural disaster in Pakistan, hopeful it took place in Jammu and Kashmir (referred to by him as "Indian Kashmir").
So far, in the sixth season, Jonathan has been absent from the show, something that the characters appear not to have noticed. His disappearance is actually due to actor Pancholy's starring role on fellow NBC sitcom, Whitney.
Grizz Griswold (Grizz Chapman) is a member of Tracy's entourage.[5][6]Arecurring character during the first two seasons, he is credited as a series regular in seasons three and four. Within the entourage, Grizz is charged with "sitting on" Tracy when he is overstimulated.
Walter "Dot Com" Slattery (Kevin Brown) is another member of Tracy's entourage. Another recurring character during the first two seasons, he is also credited as a series regular during seasons three and four. Dot Com is Tracy's driver and cook; in "Hard Ball", their last names are revealed.[5][6] Dot Com is an intellectual; a 1993 graduate of Wesleyan University, he once portrayed Boris Alexeyevich Trigorin in Anton Chekhov's The Seagull.
J. D. Lutz (John Lutz) is a lazy, overweight TGS writer who is often ridiculed by the rest of the staff. When characters enter the room they sometimes yell, "Shut up, Lutz!" even if Lutz was not speaking at the time. The other characters are unconcerned about his well-being; when Lutz ran headfirst into a wall in "The Ones", no one helped him until a wall-mounted television fell on him. Lutz is originally from Alaska (which he hates); his grandmother recently died. His first two initials were mentioned in "The Aftermath", where it was also revealed that he has a thyroid problem. He attended Oberlin College; after his junior year, he traveled to South by Southwest (an event-planning company in Austin, Texas). The show implies that he is a gay man in the process of coming out, although everyone ignores (or forgets) this due to their dislike of him. Lutz periodically mentions a girlfriend who lives in Canada, named Karen. No one believes him; therefore, Lutz created a website (JDLutz.com/karen/proof—an actual page on the 30 Rock website).
Jack "Danny" Baker (Cheyenne Jackson) is the newest TGS cast member, hired in an open tryout in the episode "Audition Day". Danny is originally from Ottawa, and got his start as a robotic street performer (portrayed by Daniel Genalo). On his first day of work (without his silver clothes and makeup), he was told his new name was Danny to prevent confusion with Jack Donaghy. He had a sexual relationship with Liz (to Jack's disapproval), evidenced by awkwardly-placed hand prints by robotic makeup (visible in ultraviolet light). Danny defers to Jenna when his singing talent makes her jealous, to the point of deliberately singing badly during a Christmas special so she can step in and shine. He mentions that he has a hard time recognizing sarcasm because Canada has a small Jewish population, and was shocked to discover he was adopted (although his mother is Asian).
Don Geiss (Rip Torn) (/[invalid input: 'icon']ˈɡaɪs/)[7]isCEOofGeneral Electric (GE) on the show, and Jack's boss. Jack considers Geiss his mentor, and idolizes him. Geiss has a mentally-challenged daughter (Kathy), a secret second family in Canada (a reference to Torn's role in Eulogy) and a third (secret) attic family. In "Future Husband" Geiss dies, but (real-world) former GE chairman Jack Welch keeps his death a secret while GE negotiates a takeover with the (fictional) Philadelphia-based cable company Kabletown (which is based on Comcast). Geiss is cryogenically frozen in carbonite in an Episcopal service.
Appears In: "The C Word", "Corporate Crush", "Jack Gets in the Game", "Succession", "Sandwich Day", "Reunion"
Josh (Lonny Ross) was the male star of the show TGS before Tracy was hired. Liz found him while he was opening for a puppet. He, Tracy and Jenna Maroney are the three main actors on the show. It has also been said that his character is based on SNL alumnus Jimmy Fallon. Apparently, Josh also acts as a writer as well as star of the show, as he is frequently seen in the writers room brainstorming, whereas Jenna is not. Often referred to as being a "kid", Josh is described in dialogue in a way that implies he is young, guileless and unintelligent. He is indeed typically portrayed as lacking smarts and he is often shown doing things that are considered juvenile.
Most of Josh's work on the show seems to be as an impressionist; he has performed impressions of Ray Romano, Michael Jackson, Stone Phillips, and Jay Leno.
His impressions have raised eyebrows from people who are not impressed, like Elizabeth Taylor (played by Rachel Dratch), who knocked him out with an extinguisher and leaving him severely concussed after he did a sketch that offended her in which he impersonated the actress. Original characters that he plays on the show include "Dr. Ridiculous", a Chinese man named Mr. Wang and Gaybraham Lincoln. In "The Baby Show," Tracy got mad at Josh for impersonating him, claiming that Josh was turning him into a caricature. In "Hard Ball", it is implied that Josh is Jewish, and in a carry over during "Ludachristmas", from the "Secret Rodney" ads that were running, Kenneth says "Merry Jewish" to Josh when passing out gifts. He, Frank, and Toofer are often observed fooling around and admiring Cerie.
In the episode "The Break-Up", Josh states that his parents raised him as a girl for ten years. Jack Donaghy mentions in the show's second episode that Josh had a 760 SAT score and graduated from SUNY Cortland. In "Hard Ball", Josh's agent Alan Steiner is introduced. In sharp contrast to Josh, Steiner was portrayed as slick and cunning. Steiner uses unnecessary abbreviations and has a "really bad sex addiction."
In "The Rural Juror", Josh snuck into Liz's office to get her copy of The Rural Juror, and quickly dislikes it upon seeing the title ("Well, this is disappointing...I had to let Tony [the security guard] watch me pee to get that tape.").
In "Season 4", Josh gets fed up with everyone's poor treatment of him and quits TGS. He then winds up auditioning again in "Audition Day", but gets rejected. "Audition Day" is his final appearance to date.
Appears In: "Pilot", "The Aftermath", "Blind Date", "Jack Meets Dennis", "The Break-Up", "The Baby Show", "The Rural Juror", "The Head and the Hair", "Black Tie", "Up All Night", "The C Word", "Hard Ball", "The Fighting Irish", "Hiatus", "Rosemary's Baby", "Greenzo", "Cougars", "Secrets and Lies", "Ludachristmas", "MILF Island", "Goodbye, My Friend", "Mamma Mia", "Season 4", "Audition Day"
Kathy Geiss (Marceline Hugot) is Don Geiss' daughter. She is plump, 40-something and appears to suffer from rosacea. Kathy likes unicorns, Mark Wahlberg and soap operas. She has been seen putting toy race cars in her mouth and eating flowers; Kathy is also a gifted singer, a talent she shares with Susan Boyle. She rarely speaks, however; when she does, it is in repeated single words (such as "kiss kiss kiss" in "Do-Over". When her father was in a coma, Kathy held the titles of Chairman and CEO of GE and President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming. Kathy was a figurehead, however; her fiance (Devon Banks) ran the company. Her appearance in Idiots Are People Three! suggests that she has taken over GE after her father's death.
Appears In: "Jack Gets in the Game", "Succession", "Sandwich Day", "Do-Over", "Reunion", "Don Geiss, America and Hope", "Argus", "Idiots Are People Three!"
Devon Banks (Will Arnett) is the former Vice President of West Coast News, Web Content, and Theme Park Talent Relations for NBC. In a 2008 interview with Fortune magazine, Tina Fey said that Banks' character was based on former co-chairman of NBC Entertainment Ben Silverman.[8] Devon is the nemesis of the (older) Jack Donaghy; he is first seen in "Fireworks", when his surprise visit from Los Angeles leads Jack to believe that he is trying to take Jack's job as Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming. Devon is gay, but for a point, was closeted as he becomes engaged to Kathy Geiss in order to get ahead in the company. After the events of Do-Over, he leaves Kathy and winds up showing up again in Into the Crevasse working for the Obama administration, and attempts to make Jack take government bail-out money, but ultimately fails. He appears again in Season 5's Plan B, married and the father of two adopted children. He briefly attempts to compete with Jack for the CEO position of Kabletown, but learns to treasure family more, and officially admits defeat to Jack in Idiots Are People Three!.
Appears In: "Fireworks", Jack Gets in the Game", "Succession", "Do-Over", "Into the Crevasse, "Plan B", "Idiots Are People Three!".
Hank Hooper (Ken Howard), a "family man" and Vietnam veteran, is head of Kabletown. He is often angered by Jack's handling of TGS, but paradoxically always seems happy on the surface (laughing incessantly, while directing thinly-veiled insults and threats to Jack and his staff).
Appears In: "¡Qué Sorpresa!", "TGS Hates Women", "Plan B", "100", "The Ballad of Kenneth Parcell", "Standards and Practices".
Kaylie Hooper (Chloë Moretz) is the granddaughter of Hank Hooper, who is in competition with Jack to take over her grandfather's role as CEO of Kabletown. First introduced in TGS Hates Women, she often uses typical teenage girl antics to try to cover up her schemes to bring down Jack.
Appears In: "TGS Hates Women", "Standards and Practices".
Howard Jorgensen (Brian Stack) is Vice President of Locomotives at GE and a member of the board of directors. A former protégé of Jack's, he is married to a Filipina woman, has two children and owns a house with a pool. Jack has stated that people use Jorgensen as a scapegoat.
Appears In: "Jack Meets Dennis", "Succession", "Larry King"
Donny Lawson (Paul Scheer) is the head page at 30 Rockefeller Plaza, known for his weak one-liners and bizarre hand gestures. He despises Kenneth for his cheerfulness, and wants to transfer him to the CNBC studios in Paramus. Donny was introduced on the series when Jenna tries to find a replacement jacket for Kenneth; Donny uses this as an excuse to give Kenneth a demerit. He challenges him to a "page-off" (a strange contest, mixing physical stamina with NBC trivia) which is quickly broken up by Pete, who orders Donny to give Kenneth a new jacket.
Appears In: "Rosemary's Baby", "Cooter"
Jeffrey Weinerslav (Todd Buonopane) (pronounced "weener-slave") works for GE human resources. He tried to mediate a dispute between Jenna and Tracy, but failed. Wienerslav is a self-described "overweight transgender". He counseled Liz during her forced leave for [[sexual harassment] (which she attempted to extend by making a pass at him).
Appears In: "Believe in the Stars", "Cutbacks", "Jackie Jormp-Jomp", "Mrs. Donaghy"
Sue LaRoche-Van der Hout (Sue Galloway), also referred to as "girl-writer," is a TGS writer who appears to be fluent in French and Dutch (she speaks with a heavy French-Dutch accent). You can hear her curse in Dutch in the season six St. Patricks Day episode. LaRoche-Van der Hout flees from the room when Liz demands the removal of all pornography from the staff's computers; she can be heard commenting that she likes porn when Frank (left temporarily in charge by Liz) removes the computer firewall so they can watch porn again.
Legreta "Greta" Johansen (Rachel Dratch) is a cat wrangler who works on the show. In "The Baby Show" she offered to carry the child whom Liz wants, and revealed that she owns a small ferret farm 60 miles (97 km) north of New York City. Greta hints at an obsession with Liz, mentioning that she likes to watch Liz watching TV. Dratch has also played several minor characters (including the janitor, Jadwiga, in the season-five episode "Live Show").
Appears In: "Pilot", "The Baby Show", "The C Word"
The following characters have (at some point during the show) been boyfriends of Liz.
Dennis Duffy (Dean Winters) was Liz's boyfriend for three episodes during the early part of the show's first season; he has also made appearances in each subsequent season. He is generally disliked by most of the characters (notably Jenna, and even Liz). Dennis claims to be the love of Liz's life (which she disputes). The few good memories she has of him are mostly food-related, but she admits he makes her laugh. His nickname for her is "Dummy."
Dennis is immature for a man his age, often exclaiming like a teenage boy. In one episode he sits on Liz's bed, playing Halo 3; then, he throws the controller down and yells that the controller is "defective" because "that grenade was right next to him!" He was the last remaining beeper salesman in New York City, and was known as the "Beeper King" (after the original Beeper King committed suicide). In the episode "100", it is revealed that his ancestors were kicked out of Ireland, then kicked out of America, sent back to Ireland, then sent adrift on a raft.
Appears In: "Jack Meets Dennis", "Tracy Does Conan", "The Break-Up", "Subway Hero", "Cooter", "Apollo, Apollo", "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning", "100", "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong"
Floyd DeBarber (Jason Sudeikis) is an attorney working at 30 Rock. His name is a play on Floyd the Barber, a regular character on The Andy Griffith Show. Floyd's first appearance is when he accidentally sends flowers to Liz for Valentine's Day, which he actually intended to send to his girlfriend, Liz Lemler. Liz, who doesn't know his name, calls him "flower guy" and develops a crush on him.[9] In "The Fighting Irish," Liz fires Liz Lemler and the rest of the accounting staff so that she can get closer to Floyd, with his girlfriend out of the building; however, Jack rehires the accountants and transfers Liz Lemler to a job at GE headquarters in Connecticut, thus breaking up Liz Lemler and Floyd. In "Fireworks," Liz follows Floyd to an AA meeting in order to get close to him and discovers that rules are important to him. When Liz lies about being an alcoholic so Floyd will confide in her, she discovers that members of the same AA group cannot date; therefore, she confesses she was never an alcoholic and merely had a crush on him.[10] Floyd feels betrayed, but Liz makes it up to him by confiding in him and the two then begin dating.[10] Jack becomes good friends with Floyd, calling him "the Floydster," much to Liz's dismay. Floyd eventually seems to want to spend more time with Jack than Liz.[11] At the end of season one, Floyd decides that New York City is too much for him and decides to return to his hometown, Cleveland. Liz and Floyd go there on vacation; Floyd gets a job in Cleveland, and Liz returns to TGS in New York. Despite seeming perfect for each other, Floyd and Liz break up.[10][11]. In Season 4, Floyd returns in the episode "Floyd", announcing he is engaged to be married. His wedding eventually takes place in the fourth season finale "I Do Do".
Appears In: "Up All Night", "The Source Awards", "The Fighting Irish", "Fireworks", "Corporate Crush", "Cleveland", "Hiatus", "Sandwich Day", "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Floyd", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do".
Dr. Drew Baird (Jon Hamm) is a pediatrician and Liz's neighbor. He first appears in season three, when Liz accidentally receives his mail. Reading it, she decides he is perfect for her and creates a false persona so he will like her. Liz's scheme unravels, and Drew is disappointed in her; however, he reads her mail and tells her he feels Liz would have been someone he would have wanted to know. Eventually, they agree upon a fresh start. He is recently divorced from Mandy and has one daughter from the marriage (Bethany, a rebellious teenager who drinks wine and starts fires). Liz and Drew's first date was on Valentine's Day 2009, during which Bethany ended up at Liz's apartment and Drew's mother died in the hospital. On her deathbed she told Liz that she was not Drew's mother; the person Drew thinks is his sister is, in fact, his mother. Liz reveals this to Drew later in the episode. In episode 15 of season three ("The Bubble"), Liz is concerned about Drew's behavior; handsome, he unintentionally manipulates the people around him. Liz tells him that this is "living in the bubble", asserting that this is not how normal people are treated. When Liz defeats him at tennis he is a "sore loser"; eventually he apologizes for his behavior, asking Liz if she wants to take a ride with him on his new motorcycle. Liz declines, as Drew careens incompetently down the street. Drew later reappears in a cameo in season five episode Live Show, having lost both his hands (one in a New Year's firework explosion and the other in a helicopter accident) Drew is portrayed as ignorant, lacking knowledge of the Heimlich Maneuver (although he is a doctor).
Appears In: "Generalissimo", "St Valentine's Day", "The Bubble", "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "Live Show".
Wesley Snipes (Michael Sheen) met Liz in her oral surgeon's recovery room after her root canal, but does not remember the encounter; Liz discovers him on her phone, listed in her contacts as "Future Husband." After a few dates, Liz and Wesley realize they do not belong together. When talking, Wesley often uses misleading Britishisms which Liz recognizes as fake. He is displeased that the actor Wesley Snipes has his name, saying he (British Wesley) personifies the name better as a pasty, un-athletic British man. Wesley is rude to Liz, mocking her romantic history; he tries to leverage her desperation at being alone into helping him deal with his professional (and immigration) problems. He believes they are "settling soul mates" and sets the stage for another meeting during "sweeps" (alluding to the season finale), which he claims is the British version of spring cleaning. In the season-four finale Liz meets a pilot, Carol (Matt Damon), who seems to be her actual soul mate; she breaks up with Wesley.
Appears In: "Future Husband", "Don Geiss, America and Hope", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do".
Steven Black (Wayne Brady) was Tracy's manager during season one. He briefly dated Liz during "The Source Awards", but Liz realized that they were incompatible after one date. When she attempted to break things off, Steven claimed that she was racist. Liz continued to date Steven, hoping he would see their incompatibility for himself. At the Source Awards Liz accidentally fired Tracy Jordan's gun, hitting Steven in the upper thigh while he was trying to get his phone out of her purse. This brought their relationship to an end. Wayne Brady himself has been mentioned on the show, most notably in the season-one episode "Jack Meets Dennis" in which Liz remarks that Tracy stole a People's Choice Award from him.
Appears In: "The Source Awards"
Carol Burnett (Matt Damon) is a pilot who begins a relationship with Liz in the season four finale. His surname, identical to the comedienne's, is revealed by Kenneth in "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish". In season five they differ about the seriousness of their relationship; Liz likes how casual they are (with Carol gone on flights most of the time), but Carol wants them to commit to one another. Despite this difference of opinion, they have similar quirks and character traits. This becomes a problem in "Double-Edged Sword", when Liz and Carol break up after a heated, public argument in a plane delayed on the tarmac.
Appears In: "I Do Do", "The Fabian Strategy", "Live Show", "Double-Edged Sword"
Criss Chros (James Marsden) is an unemployed entrepreneur, and like Dot Com, attended Wesleyan University. He runs a weiner stand that sells "vegan weiners". It is revealed that he and Liz are dating in Idiots Are People Two! and that Liz has kept it a secret from Jack because she fears he'll disapprove of him - which he does, at first, but winds up changing his mind and giving him "three months" in Idiots Are People Three!.
Appears In: "Idiots Are People Two!", "Idiots Are People Three!", "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong", "Leap Day".
Astronaut Mike Dexter (John Anderson) is Liz's fantasy boyfriend, to whom she compares all other men. She mentions him in several episodes, and he shows up in her fantasies in season four. In "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001" he tells her he has to go back to space, but "enjoyed the kissing followed by his genuine interest in that TV dance competition". In "The Moms", Liz reveals that Astronaut Mike Dexter is also (secretly) king of Monaco. Liz meets a man named Mike (an attorney), who looks exactly like Astronaut Mike Dexter at Floyd's wedding in "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land"; this Mike describes himself as a "plushie" who enjoys having sex ("yiffing") with people in mascot costumes at state parks. Astronaut Mike Dexter also appears (although not by that name) in Jack's "porn for women" (featuring handsome men asking women about their day) in "Don Geiss, America and Hope" (which Liz buys).
Appears In: "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001", "Don Geiss, America and Hope", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land".
The following characters have (at some point during the show) been Jack's girlfriend, wife or fiancée.
Bianca (Isabella Rossellini) is Jack's ex-wife. Jack's mother disliked her from the beginning and their marriage was troubled. Bianca was introduced in season one, episode twelve. She is engaged to Vincent Foley, and in episode 13 her divorce with Jack was finalized (although they were legally separated since 1989). Jack mentioned that she was too much of a woman for him, which is why they divorced. Bianca tolerated most of Jack's affairs but is jealous of women who can actually make Jack happy. This was emphasized when Liz pretended to be Jack's fiancée and Bianca attacked her.
Appears In: "Black Tie", "Up All Night".
Condoleezza Rice was one of Jack's shorter-lived relationships. Their relationship (and eventual break-up) was alluded to in the episode "The Break-Up". Rice later appeared in the season-five episode "Everything Sunny All the Time Always", angry at Jack for apparently ending their relationship with a text that said "you + me = :(".
Phoebe (Emily Mortimer) is an art dealer and auctioneer, who works at the Christie's branch in Rockefeller Center.[11] She is (supposedly) English, claiming to suffer from vertigo and something called "avian bone syndrome" (which requires that no one touch her). She reintroduces herself to Liz each time they meet, and asserts that her parents were poets.[11] Jack attracts Phoebe's attention; the two begin dating, and after Liz gave them her blessing Jack quickly asked Phoebe to marry him. She accepts, stunning Liz.[11] Jack takes Phoebe to Paris, later discovering Phoebe is a gold digger. When Liz finds Phoebe holding hands with an older man, Phoebe tells her that he is a former lover. Liz tells her that either she will tell Jack the truth or Liz will; while arguing with Liz, Phoebe drops her British accent and reveals herself as an American. When Liz tells Jack he refuses to believe her, having been warned by Phoebe that Liz was making things up about her. When Jack's mother Colleen appears in "Hiatus", she instantly dislikes Phoebe. When Colleen visits Jack in the hospital, she discovers that Jack was not in love with Phoebe; his heart rate monitor is a polygraph. Phoebe notices, and slinks away in defeat; their wedding was subsequently canceled.
Appears In: "Corporate Crush", "Cleveland", "Hiatus".
Celeste "C. C." Cunningham (Edie Falco) is a Democratic Congresswoman from Vermont. She meets Jack at a cocktail party honoring Robert Novak, and the two end up sleeping together. Soon after, Jack discovers her identity and the fact that she is trying to sue NBC's fictitious parent company, Sheinhardt Wig, for dumping Auburn Fantasy Dye #260 into the Chickatagua River (which turned the children of Chickatagua orange). Despite Jack and C.C.'s political conflicts they decide to pursue a relationship (secretly at first), eventually revealing it in Jack's executive dining room. Due to job-related commitments (Jack lives in New York and C.C. lives in Washington, D.C.), they decide to break up. She returns in "Cooter", approving the development of a gay bomb; this gets Jack fired from his position in Washington, so he can return to 30 Rock (and repays a favor she owed him).
Appears In: "Somebody to Love", "Secrets and Lies", "Episode 210", "Cooter".
Elisa Pedrera (Salma Hayek) is a Puerto Rican nurse, who is deeply religious and places a high value on family. She was introduced as a love interest for Jack in season three, when she cared for Colleen (who had injured both hips). While nursing Colleen, Elisa begins a romantic relationship with Jack. She also cares for another patient: an elderly, wheelchair-bound man with Alzheimer's disease. Colleen hates Elisa and Jack's relationship; he accuses her of hating every woman with whom he has ever been involved. Elisa's grandmother initially dislikes Jack because he resembles an actor playing a villain on her favorite telenovela; she becomes fond of him after Jack has NBC purchase the rights to the show, and changes his doppelgänger's part to appeal to elderly women. Although Elisa and Jack had relationship problems on Valentine's Day, they made up (influenced by their love of McDonald's McFlurries). In "Larry King", Jack proposes to Elisa. She accepts, informing him that she is going to Puerto Rico and promising to call him. When she returns, Elisa and Jack begin planning their wedding; however, it is revealed that Elisa is notorious among Puerto Ricans for killing her husband after she discovered he was cheating on her. She flies into a homicidal rage when she believes Jack and Liz are having an affair; after being dissuaded she calms down, agreeing with Jack to cancel the wedding and end the relationship because she cannot control her jealousy.
Appears In: "Senor Macho Solo", "Flu Shot", "Generalissimo", "St. Valentine's Day", "Larry King", "The Ones".
Nancy Donovan (Julianne Moore) was Jack's high-school crush, a devout Catholic with a pronounced Boston accent. She and Jack were in the same German class (where Jack was called "Klaus" and Nancy "Greta"); Nancy's voice-mail code stands for "Klaus", indicating that Nancy has feelings for him. By the time Nancy decides to divorce her husband, Jack is already involved with Avery. He dates both women, unable to decide. Nancy meets Avery and finds out she is pregnant, which Nancy tells Jack before leaving.
Appears In: "Secret Santa", "Klaus and Greta", "Winter Madness", "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do".
Avery Jessup (Elizabeth Banks) is a conservative media personality and the host of political talk-show "The Hot-Box" and commentator on CNBC. She begins their relationship with a one-night stand during season four, when Jack believes Nancy will not be divorcing her husband in the near future. He dates both simultaneously, and later chooses Avery over Nancy after being told Avery is pregnant. Of Swedish descent from Maryland, she attended Choate and Yale University. They (supposedly) marry during season five, between "Christmas Attack Zone" and "Mrs. Donaghy"; however, Avery does not know that the priest married Jack and Liz (the problem was fixed offscreen). She gave birth to Jack's daughter during "Double-Edged Sword" in Toronto (making her Canadian-American), and named her Liddy Elizabeth Donaghy (in honor of "Liddy" Dole, G. Gordon Liddy and Jack's martial-arts instructor, Lid E.). Liddy's middle name is in honor of Liz Lemon. In "Everything Sunny All the Time Always", Avery is on a trip described by Jack as "a hot-blondes-in-weird-places initiative" by NBC NewsinAsia. However, things do not go well; she is detained in North KoreabyKim Jong-il, and forced to participate in an unrealistic propaganda video as a Western journalist reporting how the free world is being conquered by North Korea. Despite Jack's attempts to get her back (with getting help from his ex, Condoleezza Rice) she is stranded in Korea and forcibly marriedtoKim Jong-un.
Appears In: "Anna Howard Shaw Day", "Future Husband", "Lee Marvin vs. Derek Jeter", "The Moms", "Emanuelle Goes to Dinosaur Land", "I Do Do", "When it Rains, it Pours", "Gentleman's Intermission", "Christmas Attack Zone", "¡Qué Sorpresa!", "Double-Edged Sword", "Everything Sunny All the Time Always".
Angie Jordan (Sherri Shepherd—Sharon Wilkins in "Jack the Writer") has been Tracy Jordan's wife since August 30, 1991. They enjoy odd forms of sexual roleplaying. Tracy implied in "Black Tie" that he and Angie have an open marriage, but Angie is less than happy with her husband's extramarital escapades (which are later revealed as stories to boost Tracy's image). She threw Tracy out of their house in "SeinfeldVision", reconciling with him in "Jack Gets in the Game". A domineering, bombastic person, she is demanding of her husband (financially and sexually). It is revealed in The Ones that Tracy has actually never cheated on his wife, and that his supposed "affairs" are all for show. Like Tracy, Angie addresses Liz by her full name. She is rude to Liz, nearly attacking her (after Liz stops trying to appease her) and ordering her off the set. In "Mrs. Donaghy" Angie stars in her own Bravo reality program, Queen of Jordan (which figured prominently during the rest of season five, due to Tracy's medical leave).
For her initial appearance in "Jack the Writer" (a non-speaking cameo appearance), she was played by Sharon Wilkins. In all subsequent episodes (beginning with "Up All Night"), she is portrayed by Sherri Shepherd and has a more substantial role.
Appears In: "Up All Night", "Jack Gets in the Game", "The Collection", "Senor Macho Solo", "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001", "Mrs. Donaghy", "Queen of Jordan".
Colleen Donaghy (née Murphy) (Elaine Stritch) is Jack's overbearing, demanding mother. He appears as if he wants nothing to do with her although deep down, he loves her. Colleen first appeared in season 1, episode 21; she is critical of Jack's abilities, and hesitant to show him affection. In season 3, episode 20, Colleen reveals that her ex-husband (Jim Donaghy) left her in 1957 and returned in 1959. Jack was conceived in 1958, so Jim is not Jack's father.
Appears In: "Hiatus", "Ludachristmas", "Christmas Special", "The Natural Order", "The Moms", "Christmas Attack Zone".
Milton Greene (Alan Alda) is Jack's biological father, a liberal college professor from Vermont who was introduced during the season-three episode "Mama Mia" (Jack already knew that Jimmy Donaghy was not his birth father), when it is revealed that he is in need of a kidney to survive. In Kidney Now!, Jack finds out that he is not a match and therefore decides to put on a charity concert to get someone to donate a kidney to Milton. It is revealed in Christmas Attack Zone that Elvis Costello donated his kidney to Milton.
Appears In: "Mamma Mia", "Kidney Now!", "Christmas Attack Zone".
Tracy Jr. (Bobb'e J. Thompson) is the combative son of Tracy and Angie Jordan. The Jordans have another son (George Foreman Jordan), who has yet to speak on the show.
Appears In: "Succession", "The Funcooker".
Verna Maroney (Jan Hooks) is Jenna's mother. A quintessential stage mother, she manipulates Jenna into forgiving her so she can pitch a reality show to Jack. Jack bribes Verna to pretend to be a caring mother; the act works, thrilling Jenna. She was spurned by her husband, Werner (a burger-server in Santa Barbara), for a curly-haired surfer named Roberta; according to Jenna, it hurt her.
Appears In: "Verna", "The Moms".
Dr. Leo Spaceman (/spəˈtʃɛm[invalid input: 'ɨ']n/, Template:USdict—except by Tracy, who pronounces his name like the English word "spaceman") (Chris Parnell) is a graduate of the Ho Chi Minh City School of Medicine. He practices questionable medicine, such as giving a "medical professional's seal of approval" to a defective "meat machine". Despite his obvious shortcomings, Jack is unwavering in his support of Spaceman's "skills". He wrote a bestselling book, The Cigarette Diet, and found shocking medical abnormalities during Desert Storm which his boss refused to report to Saddam Hussein. At one time Spaceman dated Lynette "Squeaky" Fromme, whom he described as "difficult".
Appears In: "Tracy Does Conan", "The Baby Show", "The Rural Juror", "Fireworks", "Hiatus", "Jack Gets in the Game", "Succession", "Flu Shot", "Retreat to Move Forward", "The Funcooker", "Kidney Now!", "Sun Tea", "Dealbreakers Talk Show #0001", "When It Rains, It Pours", "Live Show", "Mrs. Donaghy", "100", "Respawn", "Hey, Baby, What's Wrong".
Lenny Wosniak (Steve Buscemi) is a private investigator occasionally hired by Jack. He first appears in the second-season episode "The Collection", where (while spying on Jack to determine if he has any skeletons in his closet which could prevent him from being named the new CEO of General Electric) he discovers Jack has a large collection of homemade cookie jars. Jack also hires him in the third season to obtain personal information about a man his mother was seeing, and (later) the true identity of his father. In the sixth season, Jack hires Len after he is mugged.
Appears In: "The Collection", "The Natural Order", "Mamma Mia", "Season 4", "The Tuxedo Begins".
Donald (Michael Benjamin Washington) is an entrepreneur who pretends to be Tracy Jordan's son (despite being two years older than Tracy). His money-making ideas consist of questionable business practices, such as picking out corporate names already in use (a frozen-yogurt and microbrewery restaurant called Microsoft, and a phone service for nationwide air-quality updates called American Airlines). Tracy knows Donald is not his son; he supports his misguided ideas anyway, and Jack (who had convinced Tracy to cut Donald off) later tells Tracy to keep being a dad.
Appears In: "Mamma Mia", "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish".
The following is a supplementary list of recurring characters—including those appearing briefly in multiple episodes, such as a regularly-appearing writer—about whom little is known.
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30 Rock has featured a number of guest appearances (including cameos and featured fictional roles):
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