Victoria Jackson (born August 2, 1959) is an American actress, comedian, and singer who was a cast member of the

NBC The National Broadcasting Company (NBC) is an American English-language commercial broadcast television and radio network. The flagship property of the NBC Entertainment division of NBCUniversal, a division of Comcast, its headquarters are l ...

television

sketch comedy Sketch comedy comprises a series of short, amusing scenes or vignettes, called "sketches", commonly between one and ten minutes long, performed by a group of comic actors or comedians. The form developed and became popular in vaudeville, and is ...

series ''

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 serves a ...

'' (SNL) from 1986 to 1992.

Early life

Jackson was born in

Miami, Florida Miami ( ), officially the City of Miami, known as "the 305", "The Magic City", and "Gateway to the Americas", is a East Coast of the United States, coastal metropolis and the County seat, county seat of Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade C ...

, the daughter of Marlene Esther (née Blackstad) and James McCaslin Jackson, a gym coach. From the age of 5 until she was 18, Jackson's father trained her in gymnastics. After graduating from high school, Jackson attended Florida Bible College in

Hollywood, Florida Hollywood is a city in southern Broward County, Florida, United States, located between Fort Lauderdale and Miami. As of July 1, 2019, Hollywood had a population of 154,817. Founded in 1925, the city grew rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s, and is now ...

, later transferring to

Furman University Furman University is a private liberal arts university in Greenville, South Carolina. Founded in 1826 and named for the clergyman Richard Furman, Furman University is the oldest private institution of higher learning in South Carolina. It became ...

Greenville, South Carolina Greenville (; locally ) is a city in and the seat of Greenville County, South Carolina, United States. With a population of 70,720 at the 2020 census, it is the sixth-largest city in the state. Greenville is located approximately halfway be ...

on a gymnastics scholarship. At Furman, she was cast in her first play. She transferred to

Auburn University Auburn University (AU or Auburn) is a public land-grant research university in Auburn, Alabama. With more than 24,600 undergraduate students and a total enrollment of more than 30,000 with 1,330 faculty members, Auburn is the second largest uni ...

in 1979 for her senior year, changing her major to theater. Midway through her senior year, she left Auburn to pursue an acting career. In the 2000s, Jackson earned a degree in theatre from

Palm Beach Atlantic University Palm Beach Atlantic University (PBA) is a private Christian university in West Palm Beach, Florida. The university's nine colleges focus on the liberal arts with a select collection of professional studies. In 2019, its undergraduate enrollme ...

Acting and comedy

While doing summer stock theater in Alabama, Jackson met former child actor

Johnny Crawford John Ernest Crawford (March 26, 1946 – April 29, 2021) was an American actor, singer, and musician. He first performed before a national audience as a Mouseketeer. At age 12, Crawford rose to prominence playing Mark McCain in the series ' ...

of the 1950s television series ''

The Rifleman ''The Rifleman'' is an American Western television program starring Chuck Connors as rancher Lucas McCain and Johnny Crawford as his son Mark McCain. It was set in the 1880s in the fictional town of North Fork, New Mexico Territory. The show wa ...

'', who cast her in his nightclub act. She moved to Los Angeles in 1981, working various day jobs and performing comedy at night. Her first big break was an appearance on ''

The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson ''The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson'' was an American late-night talk show hosted by Johnny Carson on NBC, the third iteration of the ''Tonight Show'' franchise. The show debuted on October 1, 1962, and aired its final episode on May 22, ...

'', where she recited poetry while doing a handstand. She went on to appear on the show 20 times. In 1984 she appeared in the pilot for ''

W*A*L*T*E*R ''W*A*L*T*E*R'' is a 1984 American television pilot for the third spin-off of ''M*A*S*H'' that was never picked up. It starred Gary Burghoff, who reprised his ''M*A*S*H'' character. The episode chronicles the adventures of Corporal Walter "Rad ...

'', a ''

M*A*S*H ''M*A*S*H'' (Mobile Army Surgical Hospital) is an American media franchise consisting of a series of novels, a film, several television series, plays, and other properties, and based on the semi-autobiographical fiction of Richard Hooker. The ...

'' spin-off that the networks did not pick up. Following a role in the short-lived 1985 television series ''

Half Nelson A nelson hold is a grappling hold which is executed by one person from behind the opponent, generally when both are on the mat face down with the opponent under the aggressor. One or both arms are used to encircle the opponent's arm under the armpi ...

'', Jackson received an offer to audition for the cast of ''

''. Because she was not confident her audition had gone well, she performed several impersonations on her next ''Tonight Show'' appearance and sent the tape to ''SNL''s

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 ...

. After viewing the tape, Michaels asked Jackson to join the show. A regular cast member from 1986 to 1992, Jackson often appeared on the show's weekly ''

Weekend Update ''Weekend Update'' is a ''Saturday Night Live'' sketch and satirical news program that comments on and parodies current events. It is the show's longest-running recurring sketch, having been on since the show's first broadcast, and is typic ...

'' segment as a correspondent who would go off topic, reciting poetry and doing backbends or handstands on the desk. She was also known for recurring skit roles where she would impersonate

Roseanne Barr Roseanne Cherrie Barr (born November 3, 1952) is an American actress, comedian, writer, producer, and former presidential candidate. Barr began her career in stand-up comedy before gaining acclaim in the television sitcom '' Roseanne'' (1988– ...

Sally Struthers Sally Anne Struthers (born July 28, 1947) is an American actress and activist. She played Gloria Stivic, the daughter of Archie and Edith Bunker (played by Carroll O'Connor and Jean Stapleton) on ''All in the Family'', for which she won two Emmy ...

and

Zsa Zsa Gabor Zsa Zsa Gabor (, ; born Sári Gábor ; February 6, 1917 – December 18, 2016) was a Hungarian Americans, Hungarian-American socialite and actress. Her sisters were actresses Eva Gabor, Eva and Magda Gabor. Gabor competed in the 1933 Mis ...

. During her tenure on ''SNL'', Jackson was cast in a number of films, including ''

Baby Boom A baby boom is a period marked by a significant increase of birth rate. This demographic phenomenon is usually ascribed within certain geographical bounds of defined national and cultural populations. People born during these periods are often ca ...

'', ''

Family Business A family business is a commercial organization in which decision-making is influenced by multiple generations of a family, related by blood or marriage or adoption, who has both the ability to influence the vision of the business and the willingn ...

'', ''

I Love You to Death ''I Love You to Death'' is a 1990 American black comedy film directed by Lawrence Kasdan and starring an ensemble cast featuring Kevin Kline, Tracey Ullman, Joan Plowright, River Phoenix, William Hurt, and Keanu Reeves. The screenplay by J ...

'', '' UHF'', '' The Pick-up Artist'', ''

The Couch Trip ''The Couch Trip'' is a 1988 American comedy film directed by Michael Ritchie. It stars Dan Aykroyd, Walter Matthau, Charles Grodin and Donna Dixon. It is loosely based on the 1971 novel ''The Couch Trip'', by Ken Kolb. Plot Alleged mental pa ...

'', and '' Casual Sex?''. Her film career continued after her 1992 departure from ''Saturday Night Live'', but mostly in unknown or unnoticed films. On television, she was cast as the lead of her own sitcom, co-starring

George Clooney George Timothy Clooney (born May 6, 1961) is an American actor and filmmaker. He is the recipient of List of awards and nominations received by George Clooney, numerous accolades, including a British Academy Film Awards, British Academy Film A ...

. When there was a change in management at Fox, the show was scrapped without being broadcast. In 1994, she appeared as "Beverly" in the '' In the Heat of the Night'' episode "Good Cop, Bad Cop", and in 2000 she appeared as the unrequited love of a small-town man who can control the weather in ''

The X-Files ''The X-Files'' is an American science fiction on television, science fiction drama (film and television), drama television series created by Chris Carter (screenwriter), Chris Carter. The series revolves around Federal Bureau of Investigation ...

'' episode "

The Rain King "The Rain King" is the eighth episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series ''The X-Files''. It premiered on the Fox network on January 10, 1999. "The Rain King" was written by Jeffrey Bell and directed by Kim Mann ...

". Jackson had a regular role as Patty in the 2000-01

Comedy Central Comedy Central is an American basic cable channel owned by Paramount Global through its network division's MTV Entertainment Group unit, based in Manhattan. The channel is geared towards young adults aged 18–34 and carries comedy programming ...

sitcom ''

Strip Mall A strip mall, strip center or strip plaza is a type of shopping center common in North America where the stores are arranged in a row, with a sidewalk in front. Strip malls are typically developed as a unit and have large parking lots in front. ...

'' and in the 2003–04 seasons of the Nickelodeon show ''

Romeo! ''Romeo!'' is a sitcom that aired on Nickelodeon from 2003 to 2006, totaling 53 episodes. The filming was done in Vancouver, British Columbia, while the show takes place in Seattle, Washington. The show stars Romeo as a fictionalized version of h ...

''. In 2004 and 2005, she had roles in two romantic comedies, '' Shut Up and Kiss Me!'' and ''

Her Minor Thing ''Her Minor Thing'' is a romantic comedy is directed by Charles Matthau released in 2005, with screenplay written by Jim and Debra Meyers. The film stars Estella Warren, Christian Kane, and Michael Weatherly. The script's working title was "Men ...

''. During this period, Jackson appeared on the game show ''

Hollywood Squares ''Hollywood Squares'' (originally ''The Hollywood Squares'') is an American game show in which two contestants compete in a game of tic-tac-toe to win cash and prizes. The show piloted on NBC in 1965 and the regular series debuted in 1966 on the ...

'' and participated in the show ''

Celebrity Fit Club ''Celebrity Fit Club'' is a reality television series that follows eight overweight celebrities as they try to lose weight for charity. Split into two competing teams of four, each week teams are given different physical challenges, and weighed t ...

''. She played multiple characters in the 2014

direct-to-video Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, TV series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strategy was p ...

movie ''Campin' Buddies''.

Politics

A self-described conservative Christian, Jackson has appeared in productions such as the 2007

Christian comedy Christian comedy is a subgenre of comedy where the material presented is aimed towards a Christian audience. The performances are typically held on church grounds or at off-site, church-sponsored venues. The material often contains Christian ref ...

concert ''Thou Shalt Laugh 2: The Deuce'' as well as a dozen times on ''

Politically Incorrect ''Political correctness'' (adjectivally: ''politically correct''; commonly abbreviated ''PC'') is a term used to describe language, policies, or measures that are intended to avoid offense or disadvantage to members of particular groups in socie ...

'' with

Bill Maher William Maher (; born January 20, 1956) is an American comedian, writer, producer, political commentator, actor, and television host. He is known for the HBO political talk show ''Real Time with Bill Maher'' (2003–present) and the similar la ...

as the "token religious conservative". She has supported the

Tea Party movement The Tea Party movement was an American fiscally conservative political movement within the Republican Party that began in 2009. Members of the movement called for lower taxes and for a reduction of the national debt and federal budget defic ...

through appearances at events as well as her website, which was affiliated with the

Liberty Alliance The Liberty Alliance Project was an organization formed in September 2001 to establish standards, guidelines and best practices for identity management in computer systems. It grew to more than 150 organizations, including technology vendors, ...

. In October 2008, she appeared with other celebrities on ''

The O'Reilly Factor ''The O'Reilly Factor'' (originally titled ''The O'Reilly Report'' and also known as ''The Factor'') is an American cable television news and talk show. ''The O'Reilly Factor'' first aired in the United States on Fox News Channel on October 7 ...

'' in a

National Republican Senatorial Committee The National Republican Senate Committee (NRSC) is the Republican Hill committee for the United States Senate, working to elect Republicans to that body. The NRSC was founded in 1916 as the Republican Senatorial Campaign Committee. It was reorgan ...

advertisement poking fun at

Al Franken Alan Stuart Franken (born May 21, 1951) is an American comedian, politician, media personality, and author who served as a United States senator from Minnesota from 2009 to 2018. He gained fame as a writer and performer on the television comed ...

, a fellow ''Saturday Night Live'' alumnus then running for the United States Senate from Minnesota. Beginning in 2008, Jackson stated that she believed

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II ( ; born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who served as the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, Obama was the first African-American president of the U ...

to be a communist. In 2015, she claimed that Obama was an "

Islam Islam (; ar, ۘالِإسلَام, , ) is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic Monotheism#Islam, monotheistic religion centred primarily around the Quran, a religious text considered by Muslims to be the direct word of God in Islam, God (or ...

jihad Jihad (; ar, جهاد, jihād ) is an Arabic word which literally means "striving" or "struggling", especially with a praiseworthy aim. In an Islamic context, it can refer to almost any effort to make personal and social life conform with Go ...

ist" and a member of the

Muslim Brotherhood The Society of the Muslim Brothers ( ar, جماعة الإخوان المسلمين'' ''), better known as the Muslim Brotherhood ( ', is a transnational Sunni Islamist organization founded in Egypt by Islamic scholar and schoolteacher Hassan ...

, with members of the organization in his cabinet, and that Obama's support for legal

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

and

same-sex marriage Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same Legal sex and gender, sex or gender. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 33 countries, with the most recent being ...

showed he was not a Christian. In 2011, Jackson criticized the TV show ''

Glee Glee means delight, a form of happiness. Glee may also refer to: * Glee (music), a type of English choral music * ''Glee'' (TV series), an American musical comedy-drama TV series, and related media created by Ryan Murphy * ''Glee'' (Bran Van 30 ...

'' for showing a kiss between two male actors, citing the

Bible The Bible (from Koine Greek , , 'the books') is a collection of religious texts or scriptures that are held to be sacred in Christianity, Judaism, Samaritanism, and many other religions. The Bible is an anthologya compilation of texts of a ...

to justify her criticism. When accused of

homophobia Homophobia encompasses a range of negative attitude (psychology), attitudes and feelings toward homosexuality or people who are identified or perceived as being lesbian, gay or bisexual. It has been defined as contempt, prejudice, aversion, h ...

, Jackson countered that the label was merely a "cute liberal buzzword" and suggested that ''Glee'' be replaced with a show promoting celibacy. In 2011, Jackson joined the staff of ''Patriot Update'' as a writer and video blogger and host of the talk show ''Politichicks''. Co-hosts included Ann-Marie Murrell, Jannique Stewart, and Jennie Jones. Jackson wrote a satirical song for "Politichicks" titled "Shariah Law", with the song's lyrics claiming, "They uslimslike beheadings and pedophile weddings". Among her work for Patriot Update was a piece on

Occupy Wall Street Occupy Wall Street (OWS) was a protest Social movement, movement against economic inequality and the Campaign finance, influence of money in politics that began in Zuccotti Park, located in New York City's Financial District, Manhattan, Wall S ...

that was critical of the protesters. In 2012, White Hall publishers, part of the Liberty Alliance, released Jackson's autobiography, ''Is My Bow Too Big? How I went from Saturday Night Live to the Tea Party''. In 2012, after

Todd Akin William Todd Akin (July 5, 1947 – October 3, 2021) was an American politician who served as the U.S. representative for from 2001 to 2013. He was a member of the Republican Party. Born in New York City, Akin grew up in the Greater St. Louis ...

's remarks regarding pregnancies resulting from

rape Rape is a type of sexual assault usually involving sexual intercourse or other forms of sexual penetration carried out against a person without their consent. The act may be carried out by physical force, coercion, abuse of authority, or ag ...

, Jackson said, "If I got raped, I would have the baby. And if I didn't want to keep it because I had these horrible nightmares, I would adopt it out. But I think that God can turn a bad thing into a good thing, and that if I got raped and a beautiful baby who was innocent was born out of it, that would be a blessing." In 2014, Jackson filed a petition as an independent candidate for one of two District 2 seats in

Williamson County, Tennessee Williamson County is a county in the U.S. state of Tennessee. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 247,726. The county seat is Franklin, and the county is located in Middle Tennessee. The county is named after Hugh Williamson, ...

. She received 632 votes, not enough to secure either seat against the incumbent candidates.

Personal life

Jackson married a fellow performer, fire-eating magician Nisan Mark Eventoff, in 1984, and had a daughter, Scarlet (born 1986). They divorced in 1991. Shortly thereafter, she reconnected with her high school sweetheart, Paul Wessel, then a Miami-Dade SWAT team police officer, and they married and had a daughter, Aubrey (born 1994). When her husband retired in 2013, the couple moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Filmography

*'' Bizarre'' (1985) *''

Stoogemania ''Stoogemania'' is a 1986 comedy film, directed by Chuck Workman and starring Josh Mostel as a huge fan of The Three Stooges for whom the line between reality and fiction begins to blur. ''Stoogemania'' was made in an attempt to cash in on the Th ...

'' (1986) - Nurse Grabatit *''

'' (1987) - Eve *'' The Pick-up Artist'' (1987) - Lulu *'' Casual Sex?'' (1988) - Melissa *''

'' (1988) - Robin *'' Dream a Little Dream'' (1989) - Kit *'' UHF'' (1989) - Teri Campbell *''

'' (1989) - Christine *''

'' (1990) - Lacey *''

Sesame Street ''Sesame Street'' is an American educational children's television series that combines live-action, sketch comedy, animation and puppetry. It is produced by Sesame Workshop (known as the Children's Television Workshop until June 2000) a ...

'' (1991) - Sid *''The Undercover Kid'' (1993) - Cat *'' In the Heat of the Night'' (1994) - Beverly *''

The Weird Al Show ''The Weird Al Show'' is an American television show hosted by "Weird Al" Yankovic. Produced in association with Dick Clark Productions and taped at NBC Studios, it aired on Saturday mornings on the CBS TV network. The show ran for one season, f ...

'' (Sept-Dec 1997) - Herself *''

Nightmare Ned ''Nightmare Ned'' is an American animated television series which ran from April 19 to July 5, 1997, on ABC. The show was produced by Walt Disney Television Animation and Creative Capers Entertainment, and created by Terry Shakespeare, G. Sue Sh ...

'' (1997) - Sarah Needlemeyer (voice) *''No More Baths'' (1998) - Charlotte * ''

Touched by an Angel ''Touched by an Angel'' is an American fantasy drama television series that premiered on CBS on September 21, 1994, and ran for 211 episodes over nine seasons until its conclusion on April 27, 2003. Created by John Masius and executive produced b ...

'' (1998) *''

'' (1999) - Shelia Fontaine *'' Elmo Aardvark: Outer Space Detective'' (2000) - Vava LaVoom * ''The Wheels on the Bus'' (2005) - Moon Mouse *''Brother White'' (2012) - Victoria *''Fat Chance'' (2015) - Nancy * ''

The Matchbreaker ''The Matchbreaker'' is a 2016 American romantic comedy film produced and directed by Caleb Vetter, and starring Wesley Elder, Christina Grimmie, Osric Chau, Victoria Jackson, and Tessa Violet. The film follows a man whose occupation is breaki ...

'' (2016) - Mrs. Taylor *''Altar Egos'' (2017) - Barbara

Books

*''Is My Bow Too Big? How I went from Saturday Night Live to the Tea Party'', 2012 *''Lavender Hair: 21 Devotions for Women with Breast Cancer'', 2017

References

External links

Victoria Jackson Official Website
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Jackson, Victoria 1959 births Actresses from Miami American evangelicals American film actresses American sketch comedians American television actresses American voice actresses Auburn University alumni American anti-abortion activists Florida Republicans California Republicans Furman University alumni Living people Palm Beach Atlantic University alumni American women comedians Tea Party movement activists 20th-century American comedians 21st-century American comedians American autobiographers Women autobiographers 20th-century American actresses 21st-century American actresses American anti-communists Tennessee Independents