Donna Meagle
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Donna Marie Meagle is a fictional character in the
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comedy ''
Parks and Recreation ''Parks and Recreation'' (also known as ''Parks and Rec'') is an American political satire mockumentary sitcom television series created by Greg Daniels and Michael Schur. The series aired on NBC from April 9, 2009, to February 24, 2015, for 125 ...
''. She is portrayed by
Retta Marietta Sirleaf,Jung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018
and has appeared in the show since the
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. For the first two seasons of the show she appeared as a recurring character; she became a regular in the third season.


Background

Donna (
Retta Marietta Sirleaf,Jung, E. Alex Vulture.com, May 23, 2018. rchived https://web.archive.org/web/20180523214634/https://www.vulture.com/2018/05/retta-has-a-story-to-tell.htmlon 05-23-2018
) is an employee of the Parks and Recreation Department. She first speaks in the Season 1 Episode, " Boys' Club". She is one of the people who volunteered to help
Leslie Knope Leslie Barbara Knope ( ) is a fictional character and the main protagonist of the NBC sitcom ''Parks and Recreation''. She is portrayed by Amy Poehler. For most of the show's run, she serves as deputy director of the Parks and Recreation Departm ...
(
Amy Poehler Amy Poehler (; born September 16, 1971) is an American comedian, actress, writer, producer, and director. After studying improv at Chicago's Second City and ImprovOlympic in the early 1990s, Poehler co-founded the improvisational-comedy trou ...
) run her successful campaign for City Council. She once unwittingly donated money to
David Duke David Ernest Duke (born July 1, 1950) is an American white supremacist, antisemitic conspiracy theorist, far-right politician, convicted felon, and former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the Ku Klux Klan. From 1989 to 1992, he was a member ...
, a former Grand Wizard of the Knights of the
Ku Klux Klan The Ku Klux Klan (), commonly shortened to the KKK or the Klan, is an American white supremacist, right-wing terrorist, and hate group whose primary targets are African Americans, Jews, Latinos, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and ...
, because she received a campaign phone call promising lower taxes. Additionally, she is a part investor in The Snakehole Lounge, a night club in Pawnee. Donna also has a storied past with men as she casually mentions that all of her ex-boyfriends have tried to hack her email. She claims to have done "very well" in South America, after several men visiting from Venezuela hit on her. She cares very deeply for her
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. At their wedding, her husband Joe says that he learns something new about her every day, stating he recently found out
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wrote their album ''
Vitalogy ''Vitalogy'' is the third studio album by American rock band Pearl Jam, released on November 22, 1994, on Epic Records. Pearl Jam wrote and recorded ''Vitalogy'' while touring behind its previous album '' Vs.'' (1993). The music on the record is m ...
'' about her.


Personal life

Though the show does not follow her romantic life as much as those of the other characters, Donna has the most active dating life of any character on the show with a variety of suitors. In the season 6 episode " One in 8,000" Donna overcomes her misgivings about becoming "boring" and settles into a happy relationship with former partner Joe. The two marry in the season 7 episode " Donna & Joe". Donna has alluded to having a successful and financially stable life by mentioning owning numerous properties outside of Pawnee. She is not close to her family, stating that "the Meagles are a cold people", and has a particularly strained relationship with her brother Lavondrius. Her cousin is
Ginuwine Elgin Baylor Lumpkin (born October 15, 1970), better known by his stage name Ginuwine, is an American Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. He began his career as a member of Swing Mob in the early 1990s. Signing to Epic R ...
.


Critical reception

During a stand-up comedy performance at the
University of Illinois at Springfield The University of Illinois Springfield (UIS) is a public university in Springfield, Illinois. The university was established in 1969 as Sangamon State University by the Illinois General Assembly and became a part of the University of Illinois s ...
, Retta said the acting job on the show was stressful as it was unclear how long the show would stay on the air. Alan Sepinwall, television columnist with ''
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'', said that season two episodes of ''Parks and Recreation'' have afforded more personality and funnier jokes to Donna and other minor characters.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Meagle, Donna Parks and Recreation characters Television characters introduced in 2009 Fictional African-American people Fictional civil servants American female characters in television