John Francis "Jack" Donaghy ( ) is a
fictional character
In fiction, a character (or speaker, in poetry) is a person or other being in a narrative (such as a novel, Play (theatre), play, Radio series, radio or television series, music, film, or video game). The character may be entirely fictional or b ...
on the
NBC sitcom
A sitcom, a Portmanteau, portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troup ...
''
30 Rock
''30 Rock'' is an American satirical sitcom television series created by Tina Fey that originally aired on NBC from October 11, 2006, to January 31, 2013. The series, based on Fey's experiences as head writer for ''Saturday Night Live'', ta ...
'', airing from 2006 to 2013. The character was created by series creator
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
, and is portrayed by
Alec Baldwin. He was introduced as the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
. As Vice President, he serves as the protagonist
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series ''30 Rock''. She created and writes for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''.
She is po ...
's (Fey) boss as well as her personal mentor. As the series progresses, their relationship develops and informs their respective storylines. Donaghy climbs up the
corporate hierarchy to achieve his professional dream of leading General Electric as its president and chairman.
Donaghy's penchant for wealth, power, authority,
Republican values, and social status has been acclaimed as a high point of the series and his characterization. Fey intended for the character to serve as an oppositional but complementary counter to Lemon, expressed through various gender, social, and power dynamics.
Baldwin received two
Primetime Emmy Awards
The Primetime Emmy Awards, or Primetime Emmys, are part of the extensive range of Emmy Awards for artistic and technical merit for the American television industry. Bestowed by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (ATAS), the Primetime ...
, three
Golden Globe Awards
The Golden Globe Awards are accolades bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press Association beginning in January 1944, recognizing excellence in both American and international film and television. Beginning in 2022, there are 105 members of ...
, seven
Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one
Television Critics Association Award for his portrayal of this character.
Storylines and characteristics
John Francis Donaghy had an unhappy and impoverished childhood in
South Boston and in the fictional suburb of Sadchester,
. When he was two, Jack's presumed father lured him to the edge of a swimming pool with a puppy and pushed him in the pool, and later abandoned his family. His mother Colleen Murphy Donaghy has nagged him his whole life, even blaming him for
John F. Kennedy's
death
Death is the irreversible cessation of all biological functions that sustain an organism. For organisms with a brain, death can also be defined as the irreversible cessation of functioning of the whole brain, including brainstem, and brain ...
and for his father leaving. However, she was also devoted to her children. For example, it was noted that she had traded sexual favors with (the fictional)
Frederick August Otto Schwarz III for
Christmas
Christmas is an annual festival commemorating the birth of Jesus Christ, observed primarily on December 25 as a religious and cultural celebration among billions of people around the world. A feast central to the Christian liturgical year ...
presents for Jack and his siblings. Young Jack took to calling his
collie
Collies form a distinctive type of herding dogs, including many related landraces and standardized breeds. The type originated in Scotland and Northern England. Collies are medium-sized, fairly lightly-built dogs, with pointed snouts. Man ...
"Pop" until the dog was accidentally run over by the mailman and intentionally left to die in the street by his mother. The dog had earlier been neutered, causing Jack to charge his mother with "cutting Pop's balls off." His mother even tried to send him to
Vietnam
Vietnam or Viet Nam ( vi, Việt Nam, ), officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam,., group="n" is a country in Southeast Asia, at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of and population of 96 million, making it ...
when he was 12 to make a man out of him. He also played
hockey, the piano and the
flute as a child, prompting his mother to embarrass him by having him play "
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States. The lyrics come from the "Defence of Fort M'Henry", a poem written on September 14, 1814, by 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet Francis Scott Key after witnessing the bo ...
" on said flute in front of the hockey team, which he also captained.
Due to his family's poverty, Donaghy began working at the age of 12, as a
stevedore
A stevedore (), also called a longshoreman, a docker or a dockworker, is a waterfront manual laborer who is involved in loading and unloading ships, trucks, trains or airplanes.
After the shipping container revolution of the 1960s, the num ...
at the
Port of Boston
The Port of Boston ( AMS Seaport Code: 0401, UN/LOCODE: US BOS) is a major seaport located in Boston Harbor and adjacent to the City of Boston. It is the largest port in Massachusetts and one of the principal ports on the East Coast of the U ...
. He attended
Princeton University
Princeton University is a private research university in Princeton, New Jersey. Founded in 1746 in Elizabeth as the College of New Jersey, Princeton is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States and one of the n ...
on a handsomeness scholarship, where he played football and baseball for the
Tigers, joined the
Princeton Charter Club, played Maria in an all-male production of ''
West Side Story'', was a member of the "Twig and Plums" secret society, and was a classmate of
Michelle Obama
Michelle LaVaughn Robinson Obama (born January 17, 1964) is an American attorney and author who served as first lady of the United States from 2009 to 2017. She was the first African-American woman to serve in this position. She is married t ...
. In addition to the
Amory Blaine
''This Side of Paradise'' is the debut novel by American writer F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1920. It examines the lives and morality of carefree American youth at the dawn of the Jazz Age. Its protagonist, Amory Blaine, is an attractive ...
Handsomeness Scholarship, his jobs during college included "the day shift at a graveyard, and the graveyard shift for the
Days Inn"; working as a janitor at a primate laboratory; and a job for the linguistics department recording every word in the English language, to preserve the perfect American accent in case of
nuclear war. He laments that his voice has been dragged into various things like ''
Thomas the Tank Engine
Thomas the Tank Engine is an anthropomorphised fictional tank locomotive in the British '' Railway Series'' books by Wilbert Awdry and his son, Christopher, published from 1945. He became the most popular and famous character in the seri ...
'' and
Wu-Tang Clan
Wu-Tang Clan is an American hip hop group formed in Staten Island, New York City, in 1992. Its original members include RZA, GZA, Ol' Dirty Bastard, Method Man, Raekwon, Ghostface Killah, Inspectah Deck, U-God, and Masta Killa. Close a ...
songs. (This joke refers to Alec Baldwin's role as a storyteller for ''
Thomas and Friends'' in the U.S., seasons 5 and 6. He was also cast in the role of Mr. Conductor in ''
Thomas and the Magic Railroad'' in 2000.) Subsequently, the linguistics department sold his voice to GE for use in their microwaves. He later attended
Harvard Business School
Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA ...
, which he paid for by working as a
Swan Boat operator, and where he was voted "Most" by his classmates.
Post-college, Jack worked as an intern for
Senator
A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the e ...
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
, where Jack displayed an extremely liberal political world-view, even by the standards of a young
Al Gore. At some point, though as yet unexplained, he underwent a complete reversal of his philosophy and became a
conservative
Conservatism is a cultural, social, and political philosophy that seeks to promote and to preserve traditional institutions, practices, and values. The central tenets of conservatism may vary in relation to the culture and civilization in ...
Republican. Jack participated in
Hands Across America
Hands Across America was a public fundraising event on Sunday, May 25, 1986, when 5 to 6.5 million people held hands for 15 minutes in an attempt to form a continuous human chain across the contiguous United States. The attempt to have a comp ...
and at some point personally coined the phrase "what's the upside?" He confessed that
Carly Simon's 1972 hit song "
You're So Vain" was, in fact, written by him.
In the years after working for Kennedy, Jack "thrived" on fear, bow hunting
polar bears, climbing
Mount Kilimanjaro
Mount Kilimanjaro () is a dormant volcano in Tanzania. It has three volcanic cones: Kibo, Mawenzi, and Shira. It is the highest mountain in Africa and the highest free-standing mountain above sea level in the world: above sea level and ab ...
, once driving a rental car into the
Hudson River
The Hudson River is a river that flows from north to south primarily through eastern New York. It originates in the Adirondack Mountains of Upstate New York and flows southward through the Hudson Valley to the New York Harbor between Ne ...
to practice escaping, showering with
Greta Van Susteren and overcoming a
peanut allergy through sheer willpower. Jack once practiced
martial arts under
Chuck Norris, but they had a falling out after he switched to another
dojo
A is a hall or place for immersive learning or meditation. This is traditionally in the field of martial arts, but has been seen increasingly in other fields, such as meditation and software development. The term literally means "place of the ...
.
It is revealed in "
Live from Studio 6H" that, as a young employee in the GE poisons division in 1986, Jack answered phones during a live telethon. During that broadcast,
Tracy Jordan realized his talent for getting laughs as a performer. A 16-year-old
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series ''30 Rock''. She created and writes for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''.
She is po ...
made a prank call, claiming to have been a nurse in the war who was impregnated by General Electric when he was ''Colonel'' Electric. Jack's loyalty to GE and his handsomeness impressed Don Geiss, who transferred Jack to the microwave ovens division. At some point, he also rotated through GE's plastics division, where he befriended the "brilliant plastics engineer / lesbian",
Gretchen Thomas. After years of
market research
Market research is an organized effort to gather information about target markets and customers: know about them, starting with who they are. It is an important component of business strategy and a major factor in maintaining competitiveness. Ma ...
, he finally made his "greatest triumph" in the form of the
Trivection oven
The Trivection oven is a convection microwave created by General Electric, which combines radiant heat, convection, and microwaves for customized cooking. According to GE, it cooks food five times faster than a traditional oven. Alton Brown, host o ...
, a product he created at
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
, having first envisioned it while responding to Liz Lemon's prank call in 1986. It was on the strengths of the Trivection oven that, in mid-2006, he replaced recently deceased Gary to become Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming.
Jack was the architect of bringing
Tracy Jordan on board the
NBC sketch show ''The Girlie Show'', despite the objections of head writer /creator
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series ''30 Rock''. She created and writes for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''.
She is po ...
and producer
Pete Hornberger
''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which aired 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 t ...
. Jack made sure that Tracy was the main star and ensured the show's name was changed to ''
TGS with Tracy Jordan'' after
bribing a
focus group
A focus group is a group interview involving a small number of demographically similar people or participants who have other common traits/experiences. Their reactions to specific researcher/evaluator-posed questions are studied. Focus groups are ...
with
pizza
Pizza (, ) is a dish of Italian origin consisting of a usually round, flat base of leavened wheat-based dough topped with tomatoes, cheese, and often various other ingredients (such as various types of sausage, anchovies, mushrooms, ...
.
Jack's mother still constantly calls him and she wants to move in with him, away from her
retirement home
A retirement home – sometimes called an old people's home or old age home, although ''old people's home'' can also refer to a nursing home – is a multi-residence housing facility intended for the elderly. Typically, each person or couple in ...
in
Jupiter, Florida, which has rocks made of foam because she tends to fall down a lot. However, at the end of the episode, he
blackmail
Blackmail is an act of coercion using the threat of revealing or publicizing either substantially true or false information about a person or people unless certain demands are met. It is often damaging information, and it may be revealed to f ...
s
Josh Girard into taking all his mother's calls for him for the rest of Josh's life (Jack says that his mother will outlive Josh - "she's like
Castro"), since Josh has a flawless "Jack Donaghy" impersonation. In the wake of the episode "
Fireworks
Fireworks are a class of low explosive pyrotechnic devices used for aesthetic and entertainment purposes. They are most commonly used in fireworks displays (also called a fireworks show or pyrotechnics), combining a large number of devices ...
," Jack is demoted to Vice President of East Coast Television when CEO Don Geiss takes his microwave oven programming duties away from him, although a comment to Liz suggests that it may have been given back to him. At some point, he wrote a book entitled ''Jack Attack: The Art of Aggression in Business''.
Acting on Don Geiss' advice, Jack gets engaged to
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, t ...
auctioneer
Phoebe Phoebe or Phœbe may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and characters
* Phoebe (given name), a list of people, mythological, biblical and fictional characters
* Phoebe (Greek myth), several characters
* Phoebe, an epithet of Artemis/ Diana and Selene/ L ...
. However, Liz later discovers that Phoebe is actually an unscrupulous gold digger who is pretending to be English. Jack refuses to believe this since Phoebe had told him that Liz is infatuated with him and he decides to continue with their wedding. The situation is resolved when Jack has a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...
while in bed with Phoebe, and realizes while recovering in the hospital during a conversation with Liz, Phoebe and his mother that he is in fact not in love with Phoebe. During this conversation, Jack's mother uses his heart monitor as a lie detector. Jack recovers from his heart attack and becomes a candidate to succeed Don Geiss as CEO of GE, competing against his arch-rival, Vice-President of West Coast Television
Devon Banks, who, despite being openly
gay, has gotten engaged to Geiss' oblivious daughter
Kathy
Kathy is a feminine given name. It is a pet form of Katherine, Kathleen and their related forms. Kathy may refer to:
In sports
* Kathy Bald, Canadian freestyle swimmer
*Kathy May, American tennis player
*Kathy Radzuweit, German volleyball playe ...
. Jack momentarily wins the coveted job of Geiss' replacement, only to lose it when Geiss slips into a
diabetic coma
A coma is a deep state of prolonged unconsciousness in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light, or sound, lacks a normal wake-sleep cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. Coma patients exhi ...
. Banks makes a power grab, convincing the board of directors that the CEO's seat should stay with the family and getting his fiancée Kathy appointed, with Banks as the power behind the throne. Jack is demoted and humiliated, and leaves GE for a position in
George W. Bush's
administration
Administration may refer to:
Management of organizations
* Management, the act of directing people towards accomplishing a goal
** Administrative Assistant, traditionally known as a Secretary, or also known as an administrative officer, administ ...
. This proves to be hopeless, and Jack attempts to get himself fired. He succeeds this by funding a "
gay bomb," a weapon that would cause enemy soldiers to "go totally gaybones for each other." The
chemical warfare
Chemical warfare (CW) involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from nuclear warfare, biological warfare and radiological warfare, which together make up CBRN, the military a ...
is accidentally released in a secret war bunker, and it is implied that Jack has sex with
Dick Cheney
Richard Bruce Cheney ( ; born January 30, 1941) is an American politician and businessman who served as the 46th vice president of the United States from 2001 to 2009 under President George W. Bush. He is currently the oldest living former ...
. This implication is furthered when Jack later confesses his sins to an ill-prepared priest.
Jack starts out again at GE — in the mailroom. He works his way up to the top again in amazingly rapid fashion, however. Jack contemplates sleeping with Kathy Geiss to save the company from Banks' plan to shut GE down completely for two years, but is able to avoid this with Liz's help. In the end, Kathy signs a contract making Jack her main business advisor, and Banks takes off. Don Geiss emerges from his coma shortly thereafter, but stuns Jack with the news that he has decided to stay on as GE's chairman after all. Jack remains in his position as head of NBC, telling Liz Lemon how many times an episode she can use the phrase "cat anus". Jack discovers that Jimmy Donaghy is not his real father. Similar to the plot of ''
Mamma Mia'', Jack finds that he has three possible fathers. Liz invites them to ''TGS'' saying they won a contest, and Jack quickly finds that his father is Milton Greene, a
Bennington College professor. Getting in an argument with Milton about politics, he says to Liz that he does not want to tell Milton, but Liz convinces him otherwise. After Jack tells Milton that he is Milton's son, Milton tells Jack he needs a
kidney
The kidneys are two reddish-brown bean-shaped organs found in vertebrates. They are located on the left and right in the retroperitoneal space, and in adult humans are about in length. They receive blood from the paired renal arteries; bloo ...
or he will die. Jack finds that he is not a match and organizes a "
We Are the World"-type charity called "Kidney Now," with celebrities singing a song that asks anyone who is a match to give Milton a kidney. One of the celebrities,
Elvis Costello, ultimately proves to be a match and saves Milton's life himself.
Devon Banks comes back at Jack with a revenge plan involving the United States government trying to shut down GE. Jack is able to get out of it, however. Jack is described by his assistant
Jonathan
Jonathan may refer to:
*Jonathan (name), a masculine given name
Media
* ''Jonathan'' (1970 film), a German film directed by Hans W. Geißendörfer
* ''Jonathan'' (2016 film), a German film directed by Piotr J. Lewandowski
* ''Jonathan'' (2018 ...
as being the "best gift giver in the world." One year, Jonathan bought Jack a $95 bottle of
olive oil
Olive oil is a liquid fat obtained from olives (the fruit of ''Olea europaea''; family Oleaceae), a traditional tree crop of the Mediterranean Basin, produced by pressing whole olives and extracting the oil. It is commonly used in cooking: ...
for Christmas and in return Jack had Jonathan's sister released from a
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
n jail. When Liz and Jack finally agree to exchange gifts, they agree on spending zero dollars for each other (with both trying to one-up the other). Jack has Jonathan drive all over
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania (; (Pennsylvania Dutch: )), officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a state spanning the Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes regions of the United States. It borders Delaware to its southeast, Ma ...
to find a program of Liz's production of ''
The Crucible
''The Crucible'' is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692–93. Miller wrote the play as an ...
'', framed in wood from her stage and not reimbursing Jonathan for gas. Liz calls in a bomb threat at
Penn Station Pennsylvania Station is a name applied by the Pennsylvania Railroad to several of its grand passenger terminals.
Pennsylvania Station or Penn Station may also refer to
Current train stations
* Baltimore Penn Station
* Pennsylvania Station (Cinc ...
(getting
Frank,
Toofer, and
Lutz arrested in the process) to keep Jack's high school crush,
Nancy, in town. Finally, Jack brings in Liz's childhood crush,
Larry Wilcox
Larry Dee Wilcox (born August 8, 1947) is an American actor best known for his role as California Highway Patrol officer (later captain) Jonathan "Jon" Baker in the television series ''CHiPs'', which ran from 1977 to 1983 on NBC. A Vietnam vete ...
(in-costume as
Jon Baker), as a date for her.
Donaghy's goal is to lead "the General" and become CEO of General Electric, like his mentors Geiss and
Jack Welch
John Francis Welch Jr. (November 19, 1935 – March 1, 2020) was an American business executive, chemical engineer, and writer. He was Chairman and CEO of General Electric (GE) between 1981 and 2001.
When Welch retired from GE, he receive ...
. This appears to become impossible in 2010 when he learns from his girlfriend
Avery that
Philadelphia-based cable company Kabletown has bought NBC from GE. At first, Jack doubts the story because he hasn't heard anything, but then he finds out from Welch that the sale is happening and that Geiss is dead. Jack connects with an old colleague from GE who left to join Kabletown, and discovers that NBC's new owners don't make anything, they get over 90% of their revenue from men ordering porn on demand. This worries Jack, until he has an idea for Kabletown to create "porn for women," essentially women paying to have men on their TV screens listen to them talk and nod approvingly.
Still, Jack is less than satisfied at Kabletown, in large part because the company manufactures no tangible goods. He misses his days developing products and visiting factory floors during his tenures in GE's poisons, plastics, and microwave ovens divisions. He attempts to remedy his malaise by convincing Kabletown's chairman,
Hank Hooper, to increase corporate synergy by establishing a subsidiary, Kouchtown to manufacture couches and market them to NBC's & Kabletown's viewers. Comically sub-par American craftsmanship and production values, however, doom his initiative. He is able to recover some of the investment by selling the otherwise unmarketable to the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
as torture devices; doing so serendipitously benefits Jack when one of the couches causes an interrogated
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
n to reveal information vital to Avery's rescue.
Through triple-dealing and misdirection that put
Machiavelli to shame, Jack manages to finally dispatch his precocious young nemesis,
Kaylie Hooper
''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which aired 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 th ...
on her grandfather's ("Poppop"'s) birthday and secure the appointment to Kabletown's chairmanship from the retiring Hank. Despite his substantially increased power, wealth, and the hatred from liberals, Jack finds himself even less content than he was prior to the Kouchtown fiasco. After a quick series of innovations at the start of his chairmanship (appointing NBC's ultimately
longest-serving president, effectively eliminating Kabletown's worthless Indian customer service call centre to provide the same service at zero cost, and introducing GE's ''
Six Sigma'' process in place of Kabletown's kitten in spaghetti), Jack abruptly resigns and sets off to sail the world alone in search of happiness. His trip succeeds within a matter of seconds; having barely left the riverbank, he conceives of his greatest innovation: transparent dishwashers that allow the consumer to observe the cleaning action. Within months, he has sold the idea to his former employer, General Electric, and finds himself in his lifelong dream job: chairman of GE.
Despite Jack's belief in the value of change and innovation, he is obsessed with his preferred office design and recreates it wherever he goes. When he takes over as NBC's Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Programming, he orders the late Gary's former office to be immediately remodelled. For a week-long junket to
Boston
Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the capital city, state capital and List of municipalities in Massachusetts, most populous city of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financ ...
to visit Nancy, Jack uses an "office replication service" to recreate the interior design for his temporary workspace at
the local affiliate's studios and is surprised that Liz has not done likewise. When he executive produces ''Kidnapped by Danger: The Avery Jessup Story, brought to you with limited commercial interruptions by Pride Bladder Control Pants. Pride: Make every room a bathroom'', he ensures that his office is meticulously recreated on-set for an accurate depiction. Upon moving upstairs as the new chairman of Kabletown (eschewing Kabletown's primary headquarters in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
, Jack has Hank Hooper's former suite remodelled to perfectly duplicate the office which Jack had left to Kenneth, the only differences being the greater exterior view, more assistants in the anteroom, and a Kabletown sign behind one assistant's desk. Months later, as chairman of General Electric, he likewise remodels
Kathy Geiss' former suite into yet another duplicate, with the GE logo behind the same assistant's desk in the anteroom.
Relationships
Long before the events of the series, Jack had married an
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
woman named
Bianca (
Isabella Rossellini
Isabella Fiorella Elettra Giovanna Rossellini (born 18 June 1952) is an Italian-American actress, author, philanthropist, and model. The daughter of the Swedish actress Ingrid Bergman and the Italian film director Roberto Rossellini, she is note ...
), with whom he made love on the floor of the
Concorde
The Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde () is a retired Franco-British supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation (later Aérospatiale) and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France and t ...
shortly after their wedding, though he claims his mother deliberately had a
heart attack
A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which m ...
to prevent him from going on his
honeymoon
A honeymoon is a vacation taken by newlyweds immediately after their wedding, to celebrate their marriage. Today, honeymoons are often celebrated in destinations considered exotic or romantic. In a similar context, it may also refer to the phase ...
. He and Bianca were eventually
legally separated in 1989 because, in his words, he "couldn't keep up with her on any level." Though they weren't legally
divorce
Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
d, Jack went on to introduce Bianca as though they were. When Bianca shows up, Jack passes Liz off as his girlfriend to make Bianca jealous. When Liz pretends Jack has proposed to her, Bianca attacks her and Jack is finally satisfied that Bianca still wants him. The couple finally officially divorce after 18 years of legal separation. Jack acquires "full stake in the
Arby's
Arby's is an American fast food sandwich restaurant chain with more than 3,300 restaurants system wide and third in terms of revenue. In October 2017, ''Food & Wine'' called Arby's "America's second largest sandwich chain (after Subway)".
Arby ...
franchises
e and Biancabought outside of
Telluride" in the divorce settlement.
Jack had a brief relationship with
Phoebe Phoebe or Phœbe may refer to:
__NOTOC__ People and characters
* Phoebe (given name), a list of people, mythological, biblical and fictional characters
* Phoebe (Greek myth), several characters
* Phoebe, an epithet of Artemis/ Diana and Selene/ L ...
(
Emily Mortimer
Emily Kathleen Anne Mortimer (born 6 October 1971) is a British-American actress. She began acting in stage productions and has since appeared in several film and television roles. In 2003, she won an Independent Spirit Award for her performanc ...
), an allegedly English auctioneer, and goes as far as proposing marriage. Even after Liz discovers that Phoebe is a gold-digger, it is only during a heart-attack-causing argument with his mother Colleen that Jack realizes that he does not love Phoebe, and calls off the engagement at the end of Season 1.
Jack begins a relationship with liberal
Congresswoman Celeste "CC" Cunningham (
Edie Falco
Edith Falco (born July 5, 1963) is an American actress. She is best known for portraying Carmela Soprano on the HBO series ''The Sopranos'' (1999–2007), and Nurse Jackie Peyton on the Showtime series '' Nurse Jackie'' (2009–2015). She also ...
). In spite of their ideological differences, they are a well-matched pair and, after a period of secrecy, eventually go public. Their bliss does not last long, as their long-distance relationship begins to negatively affect both their jobs, and they break up.
After accidentally breaking both of his mother's hips, Jack is forced to allow her to move in with her. He hires an attractive
Puerto Rican nurse,
Elisa Padriera (
Salma Hayek
Salma Hayek Pinault ( , ; born Salma Valgarma Hayek Jiménez; September 2, 1966) is a Mexican and American actress and film producer. She began her career in Mexico with starring roles in the telenovela ''Teresa'' (1989–1991) as well as th ...
), to care for his mother. Jack falls in love with Elisa and proposes marriage to her. Later, after Elisa confesses to murdering her former husband, they choose to not marry.

Jack has a reunion with
Nancy Donovan (
Julianne Moore
Julie Anne Smith (born December 3, 1960), known professionally as Julianne Moore, is an American actress. Prolific in film since the early 1990s, she is particularly known for her portrayals of emotionally troubled women in independent films, ...
), his old high school crush. He is torn between her and his new flame, CNBC anchor
Avery Jessup (
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...
). After having sex with Nancy, he confesses that he is in love with both Nancy and another woman. Avery and Nancy meet by chance, and Nancy discovers that Avery is pregnant. Nancy is the one who tells Jack. Unbeknownst to Avery, Liz and Jack are accidentally married to each other in the Caribbean. The officiant whom Jack and Avery had hired for their wedding did not speak English and in due course honestly mistook Liz for the bride because she answered his request for a vow of commitment "oui" while wearing a white tennis dress and a white mosquito net (her clothes having been lost in an luggage mishap) and standing next to Jack at the altar (as best man after
Bob Ballard failed to make it). Liz uses the situation to blackmail Jack into restoring ''TGS''s budget, in exchange for signing the annulment documents and ceasing to give his
egally ''their''money away to fund projects like The Jack and Elizabeth Donaghy High School for Teen Drama, The Arts, and Feelings. With Jack and Avery properly married, their daughter is born while in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tota ...
(despite their efforts to cross the border and ensure she is born in America so she will be
constitutionally eligible to become
President
President most commonly refers to:
*President (corporate title)
* President (education), a leader of a college or university
*President (government title)
President may also refer to:
Automobiles
* Nissan President, a 1966–2010 Japanese f ...
). Despite Avery's concerns about the closeness of Jack and Liz's mentor-protégé relationship, the couple name their daughter Elizabeth Donaghy. They, however, call her "Liddy" as an honor to
Elizabeth "Liddy" Dole,
G. Gordon Liddy, and Jack's martial arts teacher, Lih De. Their
pediatrician
Pediatrics ( also spelled ''paediatrics'' or ''pædiatrics'') is the branch of medicine that involves the medical care of infants, children, adolescents, and young adults. In the United Kingdom, paediatrics covers many of their youth until th ...
is, by unhappy coincidence, named
Dr. Kevorkian. Avery is kidnapped and held hostage in
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
. While Avery is held captive, Jack finds consolation in Avery's mother,
Diana
Diana most commonly refers to:
* Diana (name), a given name (including a list of people with the name)
* Diana (mythology), ancient Roman goddess of the hunt and wild animals; later associated with the Moon
* Diana, Princess of Wales (1961–1997) ...
. The two end up sharing a kiss in the days before Avery returns home. Jack never masturbates during Avery's absence, as he claims to have never "Mommy Daddy sheet monstered" himself. Avery returns to the United States in exchange for a North Korean spy, Jack having unwittingly facilitated the exchange when he sold horribly uncomfortable Kouchtown couches to the
CIA
The Central Intelligence Agency (CIA ), known informally as the Agency and historically as the Company, is a civilian foreign intelligence service of the federal government of the United States, officially tasked with gathering, processing, ...
as interrogation tools. Jack and Avery plan to renew their vows but eventually divorce each other because of Jack's relationship with Avery's mother and Avery's relationship with Scott Scottsman, a fellow former captive. Jack also admits that he and Avery only married because of Avery's pregnancy.
After his marriage ends, Jack settles into a pattern of casual sexual relationships, including dating several women at once, each to fulfill a different need — including heiress
Pizzarina Sbarro (
Nina Arianda) — which he calls "
Great Escaping". He also admits to Liz that he slept with Jenna "a lot" in Season 3. In the series finale, He reconnects with ex-girlfriends Nancy and Elisa, convincing them to embark in a group relationship despite both women's devout Catholicism and Elisa's imprisonment in a Puerto Rican prison.
Personality
In a 2008 interview with ''
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
'', as well in various other interviews,
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
has said that Jack Donaghy is inspired by ''
Saturday Night Live
''Saturday Night Live'' (often abbreviated to ''SNL'') is an American late-night live television sketch comedy and variety show created by Lorne Michaels and developed by Dick Ebersol that airs on NBC and Peacock. Michaels currently serve ...
'' creator and showrunner
Lorne Michaels
Lorne Michaels (born Lorne David Lipowitz; November 17, 1944) is a Canadian-American producer, screenwriter, and comedian. He is best known for creating and producing ''Saturday Night Live'' (1975–1980, 1985–present) and producing the '' La ...
. In a different interview on
NPR's "
Wait Wait Don't Tell Me
''Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!'' is an hour-long weekly news radio panel show produced by WBEZ and National Public Radio (NPR) in Chicago, Illinois. On the program, panelists and contestants are quizzed in humorous ways about that week's news ...
", Baldwin stated some of his inspiration for Donaghy was drawn from Michaels.
Despite being brilliant and slick, Jack is portrayed as a scrupulous network executive with an affinity for overtly backhanded compliments which are usually directed towards ''TGS'' head writer
Liz Lemon
Elizabeth Miervaldis Lemon is a fictional character and the protagonist of the American television series ''30 Rock''. She created and writes for the fictional comedy-sketch show ''The Girlie Show'' and later ''TGS with Tracy Jordan''.
She is po ...
(whom he refers to by her surname more often than not). Although his first priority is to run a successful business, Jack often shows a human side, as when he doesn't fire
Kenneth Parcell after beating him at
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
when Kenneth bet his job, or when he rushes to take Liz home after oral surgery despite being with his then girlfriend, Avery. He has made it clear that he respects Liz's abilities and considers her a friend, albeit by calling for her advice at odd times. He briefly tried to develop a friendly relationship with the writers, particularly Liz, and made it clear that his feelings were hurt when Liz told him to stay out of the writers' room (although he apparently couldn't let go of his pride to say this directly).
However, he still has distinct personality flaws. For example, he changes the name of ''The Girlie Show'' without consulting Liz and then refuses to tell Jenna that Liz had nothing to do with it, because he thinks Liz needs to learn how to handle her employees. After discovering that a product he helped create for Tracy Jordan was dangerous, he decides to sell it overseas to get around U.S. safety regulations. At the very least, however, he said he admired Tracy's integrity for choosing to back out of the enterprise.
Nevertheless, Jack remains close enough to his NBC coworkers to attend their social functions. In asking Avery to be his "plus+one" at the wedding of ''TGS'' receptionist
Cerie Xerox, Jack notes "You do not want to miss this wedding, it's going to be New York royalty: the
Astors
The Astor family achieved prominence in business, society, and politics in the United States and the United Kingdom during the 19th and 20th centuries. With ancestral roots in the Italian Alps region of Italy by way of Germany,
the Astors settled ...
, the
Rockefellers, the
Sbarro
Sbarro, LLC is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in New York-style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine. In 2011, the company was ranked 15th in foreign sales among U.S.-based quick-serve and fast-casual compan ...
s," to which a delighted Avery replies "I know Jack. You think I don't want to know what Pizzerina Sbarro is going to be wearing?"

Jack is a conservative
Republican (initially supporting
Mitt Romney
Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American politician, businessman, and lawyer serving as the junior United States senator from Utah since January 2019, succeeding Orrin Hatch. He served as the 70th governor of Massachusett ...
). Jack idolizes
Ronald Reagan who, prior to holding elected office, had been a corporate spokesman for
General Electric
General Electric Company (GE) is an American multinational conglomerate founded in 1892, and incorporated in New York state and headquartered in Boston. The company operated in sectors including healthcare, aviation, power, renewable energ ...
and host of the
General Electric Theater
''General Electric Theater'' was an American anthology series hosted by Ronald Reagan that was broadcast on CBS radio and television. The series was sponsored by General Electric's Department of Public Relations.
Radio
After an audition s ...
. However, contrary to some conservative stereotypes, he apparently has no issue with
homosexuality
Homosexuality is romantic attraction, sexual attraction, or sexual behavior between members of the same sex or gender. As a sexual orientation, homosexuality is "an enduring pattern of emotional, romantic, and/or sexual attractions" to pe ...
; he sets up Liz Lemon on a date with his
lesbian friend,
Gretchen Thomas, and
Devon Banks' homosexuality is immaterial to Jack's intense loathing of, and rivalry with, him; Jack considers Devon to be the "gay me". Jack himself participated in a gay orgy under the influence of nerve agent being developed for a "gay bomb" during his brief tenure in the
U.S. Department of Homeland Security. He convinces Hank Hooper to purchase the gay-themed network, TWINKS, and attempts to run it. Jack speaks disparagingly of most demographics; his mockery of Northern liberals and Southern conservatives in the same sentence in "
Season 4 Season 4 may refer to:
* "Season 4" (''30 Rock'' episode), an episode of ''30 Rock''
See also
*
* Season One (disambiguation) Season One may refer to:
Albums
* ''Season One'' (Suburban Legends album), 2004
* ''Season One'' (All Sons & Daughte ...
" prompts Liz to remark, "Wow, you just don't like anyone, do you?" Despite his supposedly Conservative values, in the episode
Greenzo
"Greenzo" is the fifth episode of NBC's second season of ''30 Rock'' and twenty-sixth episode overall. It was written by Jon Pollack and directed by series producer Don Scardino. It aired on November 8, 2007 in the United States. Guest stars in ...
, former Vice President
Al Gore reveals that Jack was once an intern for
Ted Kennedy
Edward Moore Kennedy (February 22, 1932 – August 25, 2009) was an American lawyer and politician who served as a United States senator from Massachusetts for almost 47 years, from 1962 until his death in 2009. A member of the Democratic ...
and started to describe him as "the most liberal" before being cut off by Jack.
Jack is ostensibly
Irish Catholic
Irish Catholics are an ethnoreligious group native to Ireland whose members are both Catholic and Irish. They have a large diaspora, which includes over 36 million American citizens and over 14 million British citizens (a quarter of the Briti ...
, and names his fists after
St. Patrick and
St. Michael (though he later states that he "has no faith, only capitalism"). He is a firm believer in
capitalism
Capitalism is an economic system based on the private ownership of the means of production and their operation for profit. Central characteristics of capitalism include capital accumulation, competitive markets, price system, private ...
, stating that "business
gets me off", and that
negotiation
Negotiation is a dialogue between two or more people or parties to reach the desired outcome regarding one or more issues of conflict. It is an interaction between entities who aspire to agree on matters of mutual interest. The agreement c ...
is his favorite thing in the world since it is, in his words, "the essence of capitalism." Jack's business background clashed with the show's staff when he insisted on having the show use
product placement
Product placement, also known as embedded marketing, is a marketing technique where references to specific brands or products are incorporated into another work, such as a film or television program, with specific promotional intent. Much of th ...
(or "product integration" as he calls it). Citing ''
Six Sigma'', Jack has also tried to involve himself with the staff. Much to Liz' annoyance, he has even tried to "help" her with issues in her personal life, his reasoning that the quality of her life will reflect the quality of her work. He starts his own
winery
A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...
, "Donaghy Estates", after purchasing a
vineyard
A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vine ...
on the north fork of
Long Island. Despite the wine being reviewed in ''
Robert Parker's Wine Newsletter'' as tasting like "the
urine
Urine is a liquid by-product of metabolism in humans and in many other animals. Urine flows from the kidneys through the ureters to the urinary bladder. Urination results in urine being excreted from the body through the urethra.
Cellular ...
of
Satan
Satan,, ; grc, ὁ σατανᾶς or , ; ar, شيطانالخَنَّاس , also known as the Devil, and sometimes also called Lucifer in Christianity, is an entity in the Abrahamic religions that seduces humans into sin or falsehoo ...
after a hefty portion of
asparagus
Asparagus, or garden asparagus, folk name sparrow grass, scientific name ''Asparagus officinalis'', is a perennial flowering plant species in the genus '' Asparagus''. Its young shoots are used as a spring vegetable.
It was once classified ...
," he attempts to market it to the
hip-hop community as a replacement for
Cristal champagne
Cristal is the flagship ''cuvée'' of Champagne Louis Roederer, created in 1876 for Alexander II, tsar of Russia.
History
Champagne increased in popularity with the Russian nobility from 1855 onwards. An especially popular brand was Louis Roeder ...
.
Jack dyes his hair and has it cut every two days (he declares that "your hair is your head-suit"), and is shown to be very formal. He almost always appears in a suit and he considers
tuxedo
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
s appropriate evening wear for any occasion ("It's after six. What am I, a farmer?"). In contrast, Liz and the other writers wear casual clothing most of the time and appear generally laid-back. Liz suggests that Jack finds
Asian women in their twenties especially attractive, though he has intimate relationships with women of other races including African-American
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th ...
, Puerto Rican
Elisa Pedrera and numerous Caucasians. He appears to agree with the other Kabletown executives that the most desirable
trophy wives are half-Asian women. Jack collected cookie jars and displayed them at conventions using the alias "Victor Nightingale", but gave his collection to Kenneth when a
private investigator
A private investigator (often abbreviated to PI and informally called a private eye), a private detective, or inquiry agent is a person who can be hired by individuals or groups to undertake investigatory law services. Private investigators of ...
told him that it could hurt his chances at getting Don Geiss's job as Chairman of GE.
According to Liz, Jack "goes to
Sbarro
Sbarro, LLC is an American pizzeria chain that specializes in New York-style pizza sold by the slice and other Italian-American cuisine. In 2011, the company was ranked 15th in foreign sales among U.S.-based quick-serve and fast-casual compan ...
when he's angry, the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed ...
when he's horny, and
Christie's
Christie's is a British auction house founded in 1766 by James Christie. Its main premises are on King Street, St James's in London, at Rockefeller Center in New York City and at Alexandra House in Hong Kong. It is owned by Groupe Artémis, t ...
when he's
depressed
Depression may refer to:
Mental health
* Depression (mood), a state of low mood and aversion to activity
* Mood disorders characterized by depression are commonly referred to as simply ''depression'', including:
** Dysthymia, also known as p ...
." He states in an ''NBC Business News'' interview that the individuals first on his speed dial are
Warren Buffett
Warren Edward Buffett ( ; born August 30, 1930) is an American business magnate, investor, and philanthropist. He is currently the chairman and CEO of Berkshire Hathaway. He is one of the most successful investors in the world and has a net w ...
on his
BlackBerry
The blackberry is an edible fruit produced by many species in the genus ''Rubus'' in the family Rosaceae, hybrids among these species within the subgenus ''Rubus'', and hybrids between the subgenera ''Rubus'' and ''Idaeobatus''. The taxonomy of ...
and
Jimmy Buffett
James William Buffett (born December 25, 1946) is an American singer-songwriter, musician, author, and businessman. He is best known for his music, which often portrays an "island escapism" lifestyle. Together with his Coral Reefer Band, Buffe ...
on his
iPhone. Jack is a talented painter and flautist, and can also do a
backflip, which he states is "90% confidence." Jack has also expressed an interest in science and admits that as a child he wanted to be a
marine biologist
Marine biology is the scientific study of the biology of marine life, organisms in the sea. Given that in biology many phyla, families and genera have some species that live in the sea and others that live on land, marine biology classifies sp ...
until his father discouraged him.
Though several characters on the show are portrayed as high-functioning
alcoholics
Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol that results in significant mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognized diagnostic entity. Predomina ...
, Jack appears to be the only one who is chemically dependent on alcohol. This is evidenced by the fact that he experiences physical withdrawal symptoms when he attempts to stop drinking. Jack also appears to be an opportunistic
substance abuse
Substance abuse, also known as drug abuse, is the use of a drug in amounts or by methods which are harmful to the individual or others. It is a form of substance-related disorder. Differing definitions of drug abuse are used in public health, ...
r, given that, in various episodes, he drinks Kenneth's cough syrup in lieu of alcohol, sniffs paint (and Jenna's breath) to alleviate his alcohol withdrawal symptoms, scoffs at the notion of sober air travel, takes mysterious purple pills offered to him by Dr. Spaceman, and is shown on the cover of a 1985 GE Quarterly Newsletter claiming that a wheelbarrow full of
cocaine
Cocaine (from , from , ultimately from Quechua: ''kúka'') is a central nervous system (CNS) stimulant mainly used recreationally for its euphoric effects. It is primarily obtained from the leaves of two Coca species native to South Am ...
was just out of view. While trying to adjust to life as a housewife, Liz finally realises that Jack did not have everything figured out and was "just an alcoholic with a great voice."
Family
The Donaghys come from
County Steve, Ireland, where they were "whiskey testers and
goblin
A goblin is a small, grotesque, monstrous creature that appears in the folklore of multiple European cultures. First attested in stories from the Middle Ages, they are ascribed conflicting abilities, temperaments, and appearances depending on t ...
s." The family dispute how to pronounce their surname, with some pronouncing it as "Donag-ee", "Dona-hee" or even "Dona-fee". Jack's very eccentric family sees much drama and infighting, and includes:
*Jimmy Donaghy (, ;
Brian Murray) – Jack's father is closely allied with Eddie. Jack considers both of them a disgrace to the Donaghy name (which they both pronounce differently from Jack and each other). Jack also believes his father belongs in the "Smiling Irish Bastard Hall of Fame". It is later revealed that Jimmy is not Jack's biological father, as he was absent when Jack was conceived. Jack's mother had a sexual relationship with a man named Milton Green during this time, making him Jack's biological father.
*
Colleen Donaghy
''30 Rock'' is an American television comedy series created by Tina Fey, which aired 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 th ...
(
Elaine Stritch
Elaine Stritch (February 2, 1925 – July 17, 2014) was an American actress, best known for her work on Broadway and later, television. She made her professional stage debut in 1944 and appeared in numerous stage plays, musicals, feature films ...
) – Jack's overbearing mother who lives in a
Florida
Florida is a state located in the Southeastern region of the United States. Florida is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the northwest by Alabama, to the north by Georgia, to the east by the Bahamas and Atlantic Ocean, a ...
retirement home; her
maiden name
When a person (traditionally the wife in many cultures) assumes the family name of their spouse, in some countries that name replaces the person's previous surname, which in the case of the wife is called the maiden name ("birth name" is also u ...
was Murphy, a family Jack considers to be "a bunch of mud farmers and
sheep rapists". Despite Colleen being overbearing she actually likes Liz Lemon. She mistook Liz for Jack's fiancée, which was actually Phoebe; when Jack told her that it wasn't Liz whom he was marrying, Colleen's response was "Why the hell not?"
*Eddie Donaghy (, ;
Nathan Lane
Nathan Lane (born Joseph Lane; February 3, 1956) is an American actor. In a career spanning over 40 years he has been seen on stage and screen in roles both comedic and dramatic. Lane has received numerous awards including three Tony Awards, ...
) – Jack's brother with whom he's been in constant rivalry for years and who apparently works as a
swindler
A charlatan (also called a swindler or mountebank) is a person practicing quackery or a similar confidence trick in order to obtain money, power, fame, or other advantages through pretense or deception. Synonyms for ''charlatan'' include '' ...
. It is revealed that they both played very harsh tricks on each other during their childhood, such as Eddie blinding Jack with a bottle rocket, and Jack
microwaving
A microwave oven (commonly referred to as a microwave) is an electric oven that heats and cooks food by exposing it to electromagnetic radiation in the microwave frequency range. This induces polar molecules in the food to rotate and produce th ...
Eddie's
parakeet
A parakeet is any one of many small to medium-sized species of parrot, in multiple genera, that generally has long tail feathers.
Etymology and naming
The name ''parakeet'' is derived from the French wor''perroquet'' which is reflected in ...
. He also thinks that Liz could be "pretty...if
hedidn't scowl so much."
*Patrick Donaghy (
Boris McGiver) – another brother.
*Patricia Donaghy (
Siobhan Fallon) – Jack's sister.
*Katherine Catherine Donaghy (
Molly Shannon
Molly Helen Shannon (born September 16, 1964) is an American actress and comedian who was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 1995 to 2001. In 2017, she won the Film Independent Spirit Award for Best Supporting Actress for her role in ...
) – Jack's other sister; married to a man named Bobby.
*Margaret (Alice Kremelberg) – a teenage relative seen sitting silently and scowling through the family reunion; she is implied to be his illegitimate sister, but it is also mentioned that she "certainly has Mom's smile." Her grin seems to imply that she enjoys when her new-found family fights.
*
Tim Donaghy – Jack's cousin, a former
NBA
The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United ...
referee who bet on, and/or fixed, professional basketball games.
*
Milton Green (
Alan Alda
Alan Alda (; born Alphonso Joseph D'Abruzzo; January 28, 1936) is an American actor, screenwriter, and director. A six-time Emmy Award and Golden Globe Award winner, he is best known for playing Captain Benjamin "Hawkeye" Pierce in the war come ...
) - Jack's affable biological father. Milton is a professor at
Bennington College, and in desperate need of a new kidney when they first meet. Jack mounts a celebrity event to find Green a kidney. He subsequently receives one from
Elvis Costello. Milton is a stereotypically liberal Vermont resident and a devotee of
Jimmy Carter
James Earl Carter Jr. (born October 1, 1924) is an American politician who served as the 39th president of the United States from 1977 to 1981. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as the 76th governor of Georgia from 19 ...
, on whom he is writing a multi-volume biography; this causes the conservative Jack no end of embarrassment and consternation.
Betty White
Betty Marion White (January 17, 1922December 31, 2021) was an American actress and comedian. A pioneer of early television, with a television career spanning almost seven decades, White was noted for her vast work in the entertainment indus ...
reads at least one volume.
*Spider-Man Green - Milton Green's son and Jack's half-brother. He named himself, a tradition in Milton's family at which both Jack and Avery scoff.
*
Avery Jessup (
Elizabeth Banks
Elizabeth Banks (born Elizabeth Irene Mitchell; February 10, 1974) is an American actress and filmmaker. She is known for playing Effie Trinket in ''The Hunger Games'' film series (2012–2015) and Gail Abernathy-McKadden in the ''Pitch Perf ...
) - Jack's ex-wife and mother to their daughter, Liddy. She is kidnapped to
North Korea
North Korea, officially the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the northern half of the Korean Peninsula and shares borders with China and Russia to the north, at the Yalu (Amnok) and ...
and involuntarily married to
Kim Jong-un
Kim Jong-un (; , ; born 8 January 1982) is a North Korean politician who has been Supreme Leader of North Korea since 2011 and the leader of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) since 2012. He is a son of Kim Jong-il, who was North Korea's se ...
. Avery was the First Lady of North Korea from 29 December 2011 until 10 May 2012. Avery returns to the United States in exchange for a North Korean spy. Jack and Avery plan to renew their vows, but eventually divorce each other because of Jack's relationship with Avery's mother and Avery's relationship with Scott Scottsman, a fellow former captive. Jack also admits that he and Avery got married because of their baby.
*Elizabeth "Liddy" Donaghy - Jack's Canadian-American daughter whom he sired with Avery. She is called Liddy in honour of
Liddy Dole,
G. Gordon Liddy, and Jack's martial arts instructor Li Di. Jack trains her to say his trademark, "Good God, Lemon," and she attends baby leadership conferences.
*
Elizabeth "Liz" Lemon Elizabeth Donaghy'">Liz_Lemon.html" ;"title="riefly 'Liz Lemon">Elizabeth Donaghy'(
Tina Fey
Elizabeth Stamatina "Tina" Fey (; born May 18, 1970) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and playwright. She is best known for her work on the NBC sketch comedy series ''Saturday Night Live'' (1997–2006) and for creating the ...
) - Jack's accidental ex-wife to whom he is technically married when the officiant of his and Avery's wedding mistook Liz as the bride because she was wearing tennis whites and a mosquito net. In the course of a feud between them during their brief marriage, Liz holds a press conference (dressed as Jacqueline Kennedy and impersonating Drew Barrymore's impression of Edith Bouvier Beale, "Little Edie" Beale) and announces that she and Jack have donated $5 million to The Jack and Elizabeth Donaghy High School for Teen Drama, The Arts, and Feelings. During a meeting with NBC human resource mediator
Jeffrey Weinerslav, the two realize that they have had the longest and most meaningful relationship either of them has ever had, and apologize to each other with Liz agreeing to sign the annulment papers and Jack promising to restore ''TGS''’s budget.
Celebrity love interests
Before his marriage, Jack usually dated women who are
celebrities
Celebrity is a condition of fame and broad public recognition of a person or group as a result of the attention given to them by mass media. An individual may attain a celebrity status from having great wealth, their participation in sports ...
or powerful figures in the media. Often, he hints that he is having or has had a relationship with them, but it is rarely explicitly stated. These women include:
*
Greta Van Susteren, journalist (implied in "
Jack-Tor
"Jack-Tor" is the fifth episode of the first season of the American situation comedy ''30 Rock'', which aired on November 16, 2006 on the NBC network in the United States, and on November 8, 2007 in the United Kingdom. The episode was written b ...
" that Jack "showered with" her, before her head transplant)
*
Condoleezza Rice
Condoleezza Rice ( ; born November 14, 1954) is an American diplomat and political scientist who is the current director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. A member of the Republican Party, she previously served as the 66th ...
,
U.S. Secretary of State (possibly alluded to in "
Pilot
An aircraft pilot or aviator is a person who controls the flight of an aircraft by operating its directional flight controls. Some other aircrew members, such as navigators or flight engineers, are also considered aviators, because they a ...
"; implied in "
The Break Up
''The Break-Up'' is a 2006 American romantic comedy-drama film directed by Peyton Reed, starring Vince Vaughn and Jennifer Aniston. It was written by Jay Lavender and Jeremy Garelick from a story by them and Vaughn, and produced by Universal ...
"; confirmed in "
The Source Awards" and "
Everything Sunny All the Time Always")
*
Maureen Dowd
Maureen Brigid Dowd (; born January 14, 1952) is an American columnist for ''The New York Times'' and an author.
During the 1970s and early 1980s, Dowd worked for '' The Washington Star'' and ''Time'', writing news, sports and feature articles ...
, journalist (implied in "
The Rural Juror")
*
Elizabeth Hurley
Elizabeth Jane Hurley (born 10 June 1965) is an English actress and model.
As an actress, her best-known film roles have been as Vanessa Kensington in '' Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery'' (1997) and as the Devil in '' Bedazzled'' ( ...
, actress (mentioned in "
Black Tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
")
*
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Beyoncé's boundary-pushing artistry and vocals have made her the most influential female musician of the 21st century, according to ...
, singer-actress (mentioned in "
Black Tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
")
*
Martha Stewart
Martha Helen Stewart (, ; born August 3, 1941) is an American retail businesswoman, writer, and television personality. As founder of Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, she gained success through a variety of business ventures, encompassing pub ...
, TV hostess (mentioned in "
Black Tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
")
*
Alexis Stewart
Alexis Gilbert Stewart (born September 27, 1965) is an American television host and radio personality. She is the only child of Martha Stewart and her ex-husband Andrew. She was the co-host of '' Whatever with Alexis and Jennifer'' on Sirius Satel ...
, daughter of
Martha
Martha ( Hebrew: מָרְתָא) is a biblical figure described in the Gospels of Luke and John. Together with her siblings Lazarus and Mary of Bethany, she is described as living in the village of Bethany near Jerusalem. She was witness ...
(mentioned in "
Black Tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
")
*
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll ( , ; born 2 February 1977), professionally known by the mononym Shakira, is a Colombian singer and songwriter. Born and raised in Barranquilla, she has been referred to as the " Queen of Latin Music" and is ...
, singer (mentioned in "
Black Tie
Black tie is a semi-formal Western dress code for evening events, originating in British and American conventions for attire in the 19th century. In British English, the dress code is often referred to synecdochically by its principal element ...
")
*
Katie Couric
Katherine Anne Couric ( ; born January 7, 1957) is an American journalist and presenter. She is founder of Katie Couric Media, a multimedia news and production company. She also publishes a daily newsletter, ''Wake Up Call''. From 2013 to 2017, ...
, journalist (mentioned in "
The C Word
"The C Word" is the 14th episode of the first season of the American television comedy series ''30 Rock''. It was written by series creator Tina Fey and directed by Adam Bernstein. The episode originally aired on NBC in the United States on Febr ...
")
*
Joan Baez
Joan Chandos Baez (; born January 9, 1941) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, and activist. Her contemporary folk music often includes songs of protest and social justice. Baez has performed publicly for over 60 years, releasing more ...
, singer (mentioned in "
Christmas Special
Christmas themes have long been an inspiration to artists and writers. A prominent aspect of Christian media, the topic first appeared in in literature and Christmas music. Filmmakers have picked up on this wealth of material, with both adaptat ...
")
*
Kathy Hilton
Kathleen Elizabeth Hilton ( Avanzino; formerly Richards; born March 13, 1959) is an American socialite, fashion designer, actress, and television personality. She is the mother of socialite Paris Hilton and fashion designer Nicky HiltonBooth M ...
, actress and mother of
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
(mentioned, regretfully, in "
The Ones
The Ones are an American electronic dance music group. Their 2001 hit single " Flawless" peaked within the top ten of the charts in Belgium and the United Kingdom. The trio consisted of three male vocalists Paul Alexander, JoJo Americo, and Nas ...
")
*
Peggy Fleming
Peggy Gale Fleming (born July 27, 1948) is an American former figure skater and the only American in the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, France to bring home a Gold Medal. She is the 1968 Olympic Champion in Ladies' singles and a three-time ...
, American former figure skater (mentioned in "
Apollo, Apollo
"Apollo, Apollo" is the sixteenth episode of the third season of American television comedy series ''30 Rock'', and the 52nd episode of the series overall. It was written by executive producer Robert Carlock and directed by Millicent Shelton. Th ...
")
*
Dusty Springfield
Mary Isobel Catherine Bernadette O'Brien (16 April 1939 – 2 March 1999), known professionally as Dusty Springfield, was an English singer. With her distinctive mezzo-soprano sound, she was a popular singer of blue-eyed soul, pop and dra ...
, British singer, "Jack's first love"
*
, wife of
Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012.
Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Sei ...
(hinted in "
Black Light Attack!", in which Jack says he has had office relationships only with women he could transfer or introduce to Sarkozy)
*
Nikki Finke, journalist (mentioned in "
Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky
"Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky" is the tenth episode of the sixth season of the American television comedy series ''30 Rock'', and the 113th overall episode of the series. It was directed by Michael Slovis, and written by ...
")
See also
*
Neil Bremer, the protagonist of ''
Mr. Mayor'', originally developed as an older Jack Donaghy before Alec Baldwin dropped out of the project and was replaced with
Ted Danson
Edward Bridge "Ted" Danson III (born December 29, 1947) is an American actor. He achieved stardom playing the lead character Sam Malone on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'', for which he received two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards. H ...
.
References
External links
Jack Donaghy at
The Internet Movie Database
IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, p ...
{{DEFAULTSORT:Donaghy, Jack
30 Rock characters
Fictional businesspeople
Fictional characters from Boston
Fictional Department of Homeland Security personnel
Fictional Republicans (United States)
Television characters introduced in 2006
Fictional alcohol abusers
Fictional Princeton University students
American male characters in television
Fictional Irish American people