Jack Donaghy

John Francis "Jack" Donaghy (/ˈdɒnəɡiː/ DON-ə-gee) is a fictional character on the NBC sitcom 30 Rock, airing from 2006 to 2013. The character was created by series creator Tina Fey, and is portrayed by Alec Baldwin. He was introduced as the Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming for General Electric. As Vice President, he serves as the protagonist Liz Lemon'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, conservative values, and social status has been acclaimed as a high point of the series and his characterization.^[2][3] Fey intended for the character to serve as an oppositional but complementary counter to Lemon, expressed through various gender, social, and power dynamics.^[4]

Baldwin received two

Storylines and characteristics

John Francis Donaghy had an unhappy and impoverished childhood in

In the years after working for Kennedy, Jack "thrived" on fear, bow hunting polar bears, climbing Mount Kilimanjaro, once driving a rental car into the Hudson River 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.

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 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, he finally made his "greatest triumph" in the form of the Trivection oven, a product he created at General Electric, 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

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 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

Through triple-dealing and misdirection that put Machiavelli to shame, Jack manages to finally dispatch his precocious young nemesis, Kaylie Hooper 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 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, 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

Jack had a brief relationship with Phoebe (Emily Mortimer), 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). 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

Jack has a reunion with

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

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 (whom he almost always refers to by her surname). 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 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 Rockefellers, the Sbarros," 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?" ^[7]

Jack is a conservative

Mitt Romney). Jack idolizes Ronald Reagan who, prior to holding elected office, had been a corporate spokesman for General Electric and host of the General Electric Theater. However, contrary to some conservative stereotypes, he apparently has no issue with homosexuality; 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" prompts Liz to remark, "Wow, you just don't like anyone, do you?" Despite his supposedly Conservative values, in the episode Greenzo, former Vice President Al Gore reveals that Jack was once an intern for Ted Kennedy

and started to describe him as "the most liberal" before being cut off by Jack.

Jack is ostensibly

Cristal champagne

.

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

tuxedos 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, 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

told him that it could hurt his chances at getting Don Geiss's job as Chairman of GE.

According to Liz, Jack "goes to

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

until his father discouraged him.

Though several characters on the show are portrayed as high-functioning alcoholics, 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 abuser, 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 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 goblins." 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 (/ˈdɒnəfiː/, DON-ə-fee; Brian Murray)^[9] – 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".^[10] 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.
• sheep rapists".^[11]
  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 (
  swindler. 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 Eddie's parakeet
  . He also thinks that Liz could be "pretty...if [she] didn't scowl so much."
• Patrick Donaghy (Boris McGiver) – another brother.
• Patricia Donaghy (Siobhan Fallon) – Jack's sister.
• Katherine Catherine Donaghy (Molly Shannon) – 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.
• NBA
  referee who bet on, and/or fixed, professional basketball games.
• Milton Green (Alan Alda) - 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, on whom he is writing a multi-volume biography; this causes the conservative Jack no end of embarrassment and consternation. Betty White 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.
• Kim Jong-un
  . 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.
• Jacqueline Kennedy and impersonating Drew Barrymore's impression of "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 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" that Jack "showered with" her, before her head transplant)
• The Source Awards" and "Everything Sunny All the Time Always
  ")
• Maureen Dowd, journalist (implied in "The Rural Juror")
• Elizabeth Hurley, actress (mentioned in "Black Tie")
• Beyoncé Knowles, singer-actress (mentioned in "Black Tie
  ")
• Martha Stewart, TV hostess (mentioned in "Black Tie")
• Alexis Stewart, daughter of Martha (mentioned in "Black Tie")
• Shakira, singer (mentioned in "Black Tie")
• The C Word
  ")
• Joan Baez, singer (mentioned in "Christmas Special")
• Kathy Hilton, actress and mother of Paris (mentioned, regretfully, in "The Ones")
• Peggy Fleming, American former figure skater (mentioned in "Apollo, Apollo")
• Dusty Springfield, British singer, "Jack's first love"
• Carla Bruni, wife of Nicolas Sarkozy (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")

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.^[13]

References

1. ^ In the process of finalizing their divorce, Bianca cedes her interest in the couple's Arby's franchise in Telluride, Colorado, to Jack in "Up All Night".
2. ^ Miller, Liz Shannon (October 11, 2016). "The 56 Most Important Characters of '30 Rock,' Ranked". IndieWire. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
3. ^ Horner, Rachael (April 2, 2017). "16 Reasons Jack Donaghy Will Always Be the Best '30 Rock' Character". Moviefone. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
4. ^ Carlson, Erin (January 31, 2013). "'30 Rock' Character Study: Why Tina Fey and Alec Baldwin's Friendship-With-Benefits Worked". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved April 26, 2018.
5. ^ Irwin, Neil (October 6, 2012). "Management lessons from Jack Donaghy". Washington Post. Retrieved 9 March 2020.
6. ^ Unscripted with Alec Baldwin and Tina Fey – 1:56-2:38. Retrieved September 5, 2010
7. ^ http://www.tvfanatic.com/quotes/the-astors-the-rockefellers-the-sbarros-i-know-jack-you-th/#ixzz25cVggd00 reviewed Sept 5, 2012.
8. ^ Jack's statement to Tracy in "The Fighting Irish"
9. ^ first name revealed in episode "Goodbye, My Friend"
10. ^ episode "Rosemary's Baby"
11. ^ episode "The Source Awards"
12. ^ Liz uses the Donaghy surname when establishing The Jack and Elizabeth Donaghy High School for Teen Drama, The Arts, and Feelings in "Mrs. Donaghy".
13. ^ Goldberg, Lesley (August 8, 2019). "NBC's Ted Danson-Tina Fey Comedy Was Originally a '30 Rock' Spinoff". The Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved August 9, 2019.

External links

• Jack Donaghy Archived 2016-03-07 at the
  The Internet Movie Database