Jacqueline White (Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt)

Jackie Lynn "Jacqueline" White (formerly Vorhees) is a fictional character on the Netflix original sitcom Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Portrayed by Jane Krakowski, she is a wealthy and insecure socialite. Krakowski was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award in 2015 and won a Critics' Choice Television Award in 2016 for her performance.

Jacqueline White
Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt character
First appearance	"Kimmy Goes Outside!"
Last appearance	"Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt: Kimmy vs the Reverend" (Special)
Created by	Tina Fey
Portrayed by	Jane Krakowski
In-universe information
Alias	Jackie Lynn White (birth name) Jacqueline Voorhees (former married name)
Gender	Female
Occupation	Philanthropist Flight attendant Talent agent
Family	Virgil White (father) Fern White (mother) Julian Voorhees (ex-husband) Russ Snyder (ex-husband)
Children	Buckley Voorhees (son) Xanthippe Voorhees (ex-stepdaughter)

Character life

Born Jackie Lynn White to Fern (Sheri Foster) and Virgil White (Gil Birmingham) of the Lakota people, White grew up hating her Native American heritage and wishing she were white. She left home and purchased contact lenses to make her eyes blue, dyed her hair blonde, and changed her name to Jacqueline.

She became a flight attendant, and met then-married billionaire businessman Julian Voorhees (Mark Harelik). The two began an affair, and upon Jacqueline becoming pregnant, Julian divorced his current wife Helene (Christine Ebersole), leaving him with custody of their daughter Xanthippe (Dylan Gelula). Jacqueline had her son Buckley several months later, followed by Jacqueline and Julian's wedding.

Julian was frequently out of town on business ventures, leaving Jacqueline at home with Buckley, Xanthippe, the housekeeper Vera, and the dog, a genetically modified Shih Tzu. Buckley was taken care of by a number of nannies, but they always left due to his hyperactivity and Xanthippe's bad girl attitude or were fired. Jacqueline has undergone a fair amount of plastic surgery and has done several unique activities for physical fitness.

She continued her socialite life for several years, and at some point published a cookbook, before eventually meeting Kimmy Schmidt, who she hired as an assistant and a new nanny for Buckley. She ends up growing fond of Kimmy, and confesses that she thinks Julian's been cheating on her with somebody in Japan. She does several things to try to catch him in the act, all of which fail, before realizing he was sleeping with their therapist.

Despite some hesitation about financial loss, Jacqueline divorces Julian, putting Xanthippe back in the custody of her birth mother, and leaving Buckley in Jacqueline's custody. There is nothing to suggest that her parents are aware of Buckley's existence; they have never spoken of him and Jacqueline has never mentioned him in the presence of her parents. Even when Jacqueline's parents watch football with her at her New York apartment, Kimmy is in attendance, but not Buckley.[1] However, in only the previous episode, a framed photograph of Buckley is clearly visible in Jacqueline's apartment.[2] When Buckley's tutor is constructing Buckley's family tree, Buckley does not provide any information about his grandparents, suggesting that he has never met them.[3]

Following the divorce, Jacqueline decides to return to her roots. She cherishes a morning star necklace that her grandmother gave her as a reminder of her heritage. Her parents are aware that the necklace is in her possession,[3] but later on claim that her grandmother was buried with it.[1] She is found unhelpful and idiotic in her old home, and ends up returning to New York, which she struggles to maintain her socialite status while bonding with Buckley and trying to use her status to support oppressed Native Americans.

Jacqueline discovers that her boyfriend's family owns the Washington Redskins. She plots to make the family change the name, as it is racist to her Lakota heritage. During a planned fight, Russ suddenly proposes, prompting Jacqueline to run away as he pursues. After he is hit by an electric car, the couple marry while Russ is in a full-body cast, unable to speak. She convinces Russ's father to rename the team from the Redskins to the Gun-Takers, which she justifies saying that the outrage will gain attention.

Meanwhile, Russ's condition improves. The bandages are removed, and she discovers that her husband has become extremely attractive, and their relationship becomes more sexual. Russ shortly embraces his newfound attractiveness and changes as a person due to it. Russ's family accepts him now that he is much more attractive, and he chooses his brothers and father over Jacqueline, ending their relationship.

After getting Titus Andromedon a gig at a sports event, Jacqueline becomes a talent agent.

Critical response

Krakowski has received critical acclaim for her performance. In 2015, she was nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[4] In 2016, she won the Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.[5]

Several commentators criticized the reveal that the character was a Native American passing as white, due to the casting of a white actress such as Jane Krakowski to play the character, with some characterizing the portrayal as offensive or as whitewashing.[6][7]

Year	Category	Nominee	Result
2015	Primetime Emmy Award	Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Nominated
2016	Critics' Choice Television Award	Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series	Won

References

1. "Kimmy Pulls Off a Heist!" S3 E10 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Netflix. 2017.
2. "Kimmy Goes to the Church!" S3 E9 Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. Netflix. 2017.
3. "Kimmy Goes on a Date!" S1 E3, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, Netflix. 2015.
4. "Jane Krakowski - Television Academy". Television Academy. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
5. Sharf, Zack. "Critics' Choice Awards 2016: La La Land Wins Best Picture - IndieWire". www.indiewire.com. Retrieved 2016-12-20.
6. Hill, Libby (March 10, 2015). "What's Up With the Native American Subplot on Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt?". Vulture. Retrieved May 13, 2018.
7. "'Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt' Has Two Native American Actors. It Needed Three". Indian Country Today Media Network. March 13, 2015. Retrieved October 24, 2018.