Karen Walker (Will & Grace)
Karen Popeil St. Croix Walker (née Karen Delaney) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace. She is portrayed by actress and singer Megan Mullally.
Although she tries to keep her age secret, Jack McFarland revealed that she was 42 in 2001, meaning she was born in February 1959. She has been married four times — her first husband's name was St. Croix, her second Popeil, her third is Stan Walker (married since 1995), and she was married for twenty minutes to Lyle Finster (John Cleese) in 2004, although she is still married to Walker (see below). She also goes under the alias Anastasia Beaverhausen, and, by her own words, she uses the alias Pilar Palabundo to "beat up businessmen for cash in Chinatown." Her real name may not in fact be Karen, as she changes her name from time to time to throw off the "Feds." (Her mother refers to her as "Kiki", which was her nickname.)
Karen, originally meant to be a supporting character on the show, has emerged as a favorite of viewers and thus made more of a focal point on the show. She is a multi-millionaire thanks to her marriage to obese and extremely wealthy husband Stan Walker.
To entertain herself, Karen took a job as personal assistant to Grace Adler (of the show's title). Though she never accomplishes any work (she cannot name a computer or a fax machine), she does not quit because it keeps her "down to earth;" Grace does not fire her because her business benefits from Karen's social contacts; Karen also pays for Grace's health insurance. Also, Karen never cashed a paycheck, instead, she keeps them in a box on her desk. Through her job, Karen has managed to integrate herself into the social lives of Grace and her best friend Will, and by extension has formed a best-friendship with Jack McFarland, an effeminately gay struggling actor.
Karen is mostly popular for her one-liners and zingers. She is an emotionally complex character wrapped in a facade of disinterest, selfishness and greed. Often indulging in pills and booze, Karen makes observations on those of lower stature with an emotionless and often cruel eye. (For instance, when introduced to the concept of a laundromat, she is informed that "People come here to wash their clothes," to which she replies, "Poor people are so clever!"; once she said to Jack "Honey, you know what's really funny? Poor people with big dreams.") Compared to the pilot episode, Karen now has a much higher-pitched manner of speaking. She is also known for the excessive use of the word "honey" in her speech and for her "killer rack."
Karen's childhood was a rocky road thanks in part to her unstable relationship with her mother, Lois Whitley, a con artist who incorporated the young Karen into her schemes. She is often cruel to her staff, but somehow this comes across as acts of affection.
Karen met Stan Walker in 1985, brushing off three simultaneous relationships (with Martina Navratilova, Sultan Habibi Shoshani Padush Al-Kabir, and a gentleman named Clayton) to be with him only to learn that he was married. After going through two other marriages, she finally got together with Stan ten years later. At some point before this, she also agreed to appear non-naked as the star of the fetishistic porn film, Next to Godliness - a dominatrix flick.
There have been many hints that Karen may have lesbian or bisexual tendencies, as she has no sexual feelings for her husband whatsoever and rarely seems attracted to men at all, while she occasionally has semi-sexual encounters with Grace (mostly kissing and touching). She also had the abovementioned relationship with Navratilova (who was apparently straight before they met) and was once mocked by a roommate (played by Madonna) for her "weird, creepy bisexual vibe." Also, in a sixth-season episode, Karen said to a lesbian realtor, "Stay back, bulldozer, I'm engaged." To this, the realtor replied, "You were last time, too."
Her closest relationship is probably with her maid Rosario Salazar, whom she met and hired in 1985 and for whom she even arranged a marriage with Jack to help her remain a U.S. citizen. Although the duo often bicker and fight, it is only part of the bond they share. In the beginning of the series, it seemed that Rosario didn't speak much English, and Karen had a hard time communicating with her. Karen's way of giving Rosario orders was to add the letter "O" to the end of every word she'd say (example: "Enougho with the April Fresho. *hangs up the phone* Right now she's calling me a bitcho"). In another example of miscommunication, Karen used to end phone calls with Rosario by saying "hola," which means "hello" in Spanish and not "goodbye." When Rosario was first seen on-camera at the end of the first season, it was revealed that she spoke English quite well, and that Karen was being patronizing.
With other staff and help, Karen is deliberately patronizing, referring to them solely by their title both in conversation and to their face: "Driver," "Butler," "Pharmacist," "Back-Up Pharmacist," etc.
Karen's arch rival's include but are not limited to: Beverly Leslie, Candice Bergen (the actress, whom she refers to as "Candy" Bergen), Scott Woolley (until he fell in love with her), and Candace Pruitt (whom Karen refers to as "Candy" Pruitt. Played by Christine Ebersole).
Sometimes Karen unintentionally reveals to her friends a softer side that is carefully hidden. In one such incident, Karen's husband has a heart attack and may die. Karen discovers that her friends have placed a bet to see who can get her to cry first, so she elaborately punishes each of them by leading them on to think she might break down in their presence. In the end, she has an actual breakdown over the incident, which Grace stumbles in on and consoles her during.
For the first few seasons of the show, Karen lived with husband Stan Walker. An obese man whose business possibly keeps Taco Bell and Pizza Hut afloat and who has been wearing a toupee since his teens, Stan was an unseen character during the show's run, despite being mentioned in many episodes. His two children, Mason (known to Karen as "the fat one") and Olivia, by Stan's previous wife (described by Karen in one episode as "that bitch Kathy!"), were often in the incompetent care of Karen.
In the fourth season, Stan was jailed for tax evasion and told Karen to date other men. She could not bring herself to do so until she met rich bachelor Lionel (Rip Torn), but just as their affair began Stan was released from jail. However, after Karen caught him with his mistress Lorraine Finster (Minnie Driver) - a cafeteria worker at the prison - the couple separated and Karen moved into a ritzy hotel. After beginning divorce proceedings at the end of the fifth season, Stan died suddenly.
During season six, Karen pursued romantic liaisons and ended up marrying Lyle Finster (John Cleese), Lorraine's father. However, after twenty minutes of marriage - a sudden ceremony in Las Vegas — she asked for a divorce.
Karen has been the head of Walker, Inc. since her husband's death. However, at the end of season seven, it was revealed that Stan faked his death and had been in hiding. Karen began dating Malcolm (Alec Baldwin), a government agent who had helped Stan do this. However, she ultimately reconciled with Stan, and Malcolm left on a government mission to Sri Lanka. Later in the eighth season, however, Karen and Stan experienced significant marriage difficulties. They finally chose to divorce, only for Karen to learn - in the show's series finale - that his money was borrowed, and she was broke.
Karen then pressured Jack into a relationship with Beverly Leslie, who was wealthy enough to support Jack and in turn keep Karen in the lifestyle to which she was accustomed. Conveniently, the diminutive Leslie left his millions to Jack before being swept off a high balcony by a strong gust of wind. Jack then became the 'sugar daddy' in his relationship with Karen, which has otherwise not changed.
The series finale showed that - for at least twenty years after the show - Karen lived with Rosario and Jack in a happy relationship reminiscent of their old days. Thanks to plastic surgery, she had also not aged a day. Though in many episodes it has been said that Karen had sold her soul to the devil, so her young apperence from the final episode could be a reflection of her eternal life.
Karen's Staff
This list is not complete and it has been stated that she has a staff of more than 30 people.
- Rosario
- Several other unnamed maids who vanish when Karen approaches
- Driver (who drives Karen's limo, boat, and plane except when Lyle did); he is very old. It can be assumed that Karen has had several drivers, as during Season Three she mentions that driver was killed by policemen.
- Butler
- Gardener
- Pharmacist (or Pharmy)
- Back-Up Pharmacist (or Back-Up Pharmy)
- Plastic Surgeon
- Pastry Chef (a pansexual who slept with both Karen and Will)
- Mustard Spreader
- Back-Up Maid (who was Lorraine Finster's maid)
- Pants Hoister
- Helicopter Pilot (It is unclear if she even has a helicopter, as in one episode Will, in an attempt to fire her over extensive staff, said Helicopter Pilot should be fired as she doesn't have one. However, in another episode she flies Joe, Larry, and herself to Atlantic City.)
- Manicurist
- Pedicurist
- Karen 2 (a woman who looks just like Karen in case one of the kids requires a hug from "mom" in the middle of the night)
- Jeweler
She also includes Will as a member of her staff ("Lawyer") at times and has also had Picasso working for her. She mentions that her staff is interchangeable, "Cook sometimes cleans, Cleaner sometimes cooks, Driver sometimes provides an alibi."
Quotes
- "Grace, desperate times call for desperate measures. It's time to get your head out of the dumps and your legs in the air!"
- "Grace, the bitch we hate is on line one."
- "I always worked before I married money. I joke. Of course I mean Stan. I joke. Of course I mean money."
- "You backstabbing boy bitch! You are never seeing her again, do you hear me?! You stay away from that London hog, or I'll put fishhooks in your nipples and fly you off the Chrysler Building! You got that?!"
- "Oh Jackie, thank you. At last, I'm out of Stan's shadow. Well, if I leave the Tri-State area."
- "Ba-ba-ga-ga-da-pa-pa! You played with me, and you lost. Let that be a lesson to you. I think you forgot, kiddies, Karen Walker doesn't do emotions. Now get the hell out of here."
- "No. It's all a lie. I'm not who you think I am. I'm not good or real. I'm evil and imaginary. And I'm rich. Filthy rich!"
- "Oh for God's sake, just climb on top of each other and get it over with, already!"
- "You say potato, I say vodka."