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.
| Jack Donaghy | |
|---|---|
| 30 Rock character | |
Alec Baldwin as Jack Donaghy | |
| First appearance | "Pilot" (2006) |
| Last appearance | "30 Rock: A One-Time Special" (2020) |
| Created by | Tina Fey |
| Portrayed by | Alec Baldwin Joey La Varco (as a child in "Jack-Tor") Ben Cook (as young Jack in "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish") Garrett Neff (as young Jack in "Live Show") Jimmy Fallon (as young Jack in "Live from Studio 6H") Jake Boyd (as young Jack in "Meet the Woggels!") Lance Drake Mandrell (William Baldwin) (in the in-universe TV movie Kidnapped by Danger in "Kidnapped by Danger") Matt Vogel (Muppet Jack in "Apollo, Apollo") Tyler Bunch (Muppet Jack in Sesame Street "30 Rocks" sketch) |
| In-universe information | |
| Nickname | Jack, Jackie, Jackie Boy, Johnny, Jackie-D, J.D., Larry Braverman, Jake Dellahy, Jim Dennison, Victor Nightingale, John Donovan, J-Town, Jack Attack |
| Title | GE Vice President of East Coast Television and Microwave Oven Programming (eps. 1–19) GE Vice President of East Coast Television Programming (eps. 20–34, 41–93) Homeland Security Director of Crisis and Weather Management (eps. 35–36) Business Advisor to Kathy Geiss (eps. 37-40) President of Telemundo (ep. 46) President of NBC (eps. 93–134) President of TWINKS (ep. 98) Chairman of Kabletown (eps. 134–137) Chairman of General Electric (ep. 138) Arby's franchise owner |
| Occupation | Corporate Executive |
| Family | Unnamed Irish Stowaway (maternal grandmother) Milton Greene (biological father) Colleen Donaghy (mother) Jimmy Donaghy (presumed father) Eddie Donaghy (half-brother) Patrick Donaghy (half-brother) Patricia Donaghy (half-sister) Katherine Catherine (half-sister) Spider-Man Green (half-brother) Bobby (brother-in-law) Margaret (relation not explained) Tim (cousin) |
| Spouse | Bianca (ex-wife) Liz Lemon (ex-wife, annulled) Avery Jessup (ex-wife) |
| Significant others | Phoebe (ex-fiancée) Nancy Donovan Elisa Pedrera Celeste "CC" Cunningham |
| Children | Elizabeth “Liddy” Donaghy (with Avery Jessup) |
| Religion | Nominally Catholic; Capitalism in actual faith |
Donaghy's penchant for wealth, power, authority, conserative 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, three Golden Globe Awards, seven Screen Actors Guild Awards, and one Television Critics Association Award for his portrayal of this character.