Andromakennethamblesorton "Kenneth" Ellen Parcell is a fictional character on the NBC comedy television series 30 Rock, portrayed by Jack McBrayer. Originally a supporting character in the first two episodes of the series, the show's producers saw him as a breakout character.
Biography Kenneth is a perpetually cheerful NBC page hailing from Stone Mountain, Georgia (an homage to the hometown of 30 Rock writer Donald Glover), raised in a pig farming family by parents he has alternatively claimed were first cousins"The One with the Cast of Night Court", Deleted scenes. 30 Rock. Season Three. Region 1 DVD. Prod. Universal Studios; dist. Universal Studios Home Entertainment, 2009. and "technically brothers.""Grandmentor" He states that he loves only two things: "everybody and television". After graduating from an all-African-American high school, Kenneth studied at Kentucky Mountain Bible College, majoring in Television Studies and minoring in Bible Sexuality.
Throughout the series, Kenneth has painted a picture of a poverty-stricken, sexually deviant,In the series' 100th episode, Kenneth reveals his conception of intercourse to be the extremely disturbing ritual of laying a woman across his grandmother's lap in the "mating shed" while having albinos there as the "Watchers." inbred, criminal-class family line, declaring Parcells as a whole to be "neither wealthy nor circumcised." Furthering this point, he and his family lived in a militia camp during a period of time in his childhood and three of his nine siblings were given up for adoption. Kenneth has also alluded to his family subscribing to child marriage. During a drinking contest against a group of Teamsters, Kenneth discovers that he has unknowingly had alcohol before (which he calls "hill people milk",) and, because he has been drinking it "since [he] was a baby", he has a high tolerance, managing to keep up on his feet while everyone else competing in the contest gets blind drunk. (This essentially mirrored a scene from No Time for Sergeants, in which Andy Griffith portrayed a similar rube from backwoods Georgia.) Despite his high tolerance for liquor, Kenneth is very susceptible to the effect of caffeine, once going on an espresso-fueled bender and nearly returning to his home state in shame. In the episode "Black Light Attack," he reveals his teeth are wooden prosthetics.
Kenneth has a close relationship with his mother, Pearlene, considering her to be his best friend and crediting her with his optimism. (He quotes her as teaching him that no matter how bad things seem, there is always someone else having a worse day "like being stung by a bee, or getting a splinter, or being chained to a wall in someone's sex dungeon.") Apart from his death from a heart attack, not much else is known about Kenneth's father, although, in a deleted scene of "The One with the Cast of Night Court," Kenneth tells Tracy that Kenneth's father deliberately kept Pearlene unaware of their relationship as first cousins, as she would have not married him otherwise. In "Alexis Goodlooking and the Case of the Missing Whisky," it is revealed that Kenneth's father was the infamous D. B. Cooper, as that alias is seen on a sewn-in patch label on the inside of one of his father's former suits. Kenneth also quotes his father's final words as being "Son, if you want to get ahead in this world—oh God, this hurts! Tell your mother I'm gay!". After Kenneth's father died, his mother's "friend" Ron moved in with him and his mother. Many of Kenneth's comments about his mother and Ron suggest that the two had a sexual relationship, though Kenneth appears to be unaware of this. It is repeatedly implied throughout the series that he harbors a great hatred towards Ron (with Kenneth once commenting that he knew Tracy Jordan like "the back of [his] step-father Ron's hand.") This is confirmed in "Governor Dunston", wherein Ron and Pearlene (played by Bryan Cranston and Catherine O'Hara, respectively), visit Kenneth, who makes his dislike of Ron apparent. Contrary to what Kenneth's comments portrayed Ron to be, Ron is an amiable if dim-witted man who is shown to care for Kenneth like a father. Much to Kenneth's disdain, it is revealed that Pearlene and Ron married seven years prior (something of which Kenneth was unaware, contradicting the previous quote.) But by the end of the episode, he comes to accept Ron as an extension of the family. The series has also established Kenneth as the cousin of American Idol second season runner-up, Clay Aiken.
In "Chain Reaction of Mental Anguish", Kenneth reveals to his boss Jack Donaghy that, after his father died, he befriended a pig, whom he named Harold. Unfortunately, Kenneth's mother had to sell Harold to a slaughterhouse, and, with Harold gone, Kenneth had no reason to remain in Georgia, deciding to move to New York. He needed $300 for his ticket and in order to get the money, Kenneth participated in a pig-eating contest but, to his horror, the pig that he was given to eat was Harold. He has since been plagued by extreme remorse for eating his "father pig." However, Jack is able to convince him that by eating Harold, Kenneth gave his death meaning, as it allowed Kenneth to embark on his new life.
Kenneth may have been newly assigned to the TGS studio at the start of the series; in the pilot episode, Liz referred to Kenneth only as "that NBC page", suggesting they are not close. As the series progressed, however, Kenneth became more familiar with Liz and other staff and crew of TGS with Tracy Jordan.
As demonstrated many times throughout the series, Kenneth is incredibly selfless, one of the most notable examples occurring in the episode "Believe in the Stars," when he and others are trapped in an elevator. Jack claims that there is enough air for eight people, but, as the elevator contains nine, he announces that one occupant must die. Kenneth is appalled by Jack's statement, and when Jack tells him that he has placed a pistol loaded with one bullet in the emergency box, Kenneth removes the gun, holds it to his head and pulls the trigger (not just once, but twice, when it does not discharge the first time.) Finding the gun inoperable, he wraps his belt around his neck and urges the others to strangle him. Jack, disgusted by Kenneth's altruism, abruptly opens the elevator door and demands, "What is wrong with you?"
When he is passing out from a severe allergy episode, Kenneth exclaims that his real name is Dick Whitman (a reference to the AMC drama, Mad Men.) Kenneth has demonstrated a knack for conceptualizing rather unusual television shows, one of which (a game show called Gold Case) was actually developed, although it turned out to be ill-conceived and was promptly shut down. In a pretend interview with Conan O'Brien, Kenneth shares his dreams of making "hit movies" with Zach Braff, and that he is also skilled at clogging.
Kenneth has been shown to be able to speak numerous foreign languages, including Mandarin, French, German, and Latin. He can also speak backwards with ease, is capable of ventriloquism, and claims that he can take commands from animals. He is an unintentionally skilled poker player, with his thoughts being indecipherable to his opponents, since, according to TGS writer Frank Rossitano, "he doesn't have any." Kenneth has also been shown to wear a concealed firearm.
Kenneth has technically died two different times: his first death occurs in "The Ones", when he deliberately underwent anaphylaxis and, as a result, was clinically deceased for five minutes. (He later claims that he believes he "brought something back with [him,]" as his breath crystallizes in the air and an ominous shadow passes over him.) He dies once again in the episode "College", when he contracted hypothermia on the balcony to Jack's office and briefly died, returning with a message from God, which he forgot. Possibly in connection with his first death, later episodes show Kenneth arguing with an unknown entity whom he addresses as "Jacob" (which may or may not be a reference to the character from Lost who possesses the power to grant immortality.) Most of Kenneth's arguments with Jacob concern the fate of the TGS staff. It has also been established that Kenneth perceives people as singing Muppets, and in one instance, when walking past an HD camera, appeared as a Muppet himself. In "Ludachristmas", Kenneth states that he had "a 'coke' problem, during [his] 'Wall Street' days." However, a flashback reveals that he actually had developed an addiction to the soft drink Coca-Cola, when he was employed at Blockbuster Video, during the time that the 1987 film Wall Street was popular on home video. He has been shown to require medication to keep him from acting like a donkey. As the series has progressed, Kenneth's morality has become questionable, with dubious behavior including rooming with John Mark Karr in college and sharing an apartment with an elderly catatonic woman who he keeps in his closet.
There have been many comments, made by both Kenneth himself and others, that hint at him possessing a supernatural nature. In the episode "Operation Righteous Cowboy Lightning", Kenneth reveals to Liz that he is unable to see his reflection, as when he looks into a mirror, "There is only a white haze" (however, this statement conflicts with an earlier episode, "Klaus and Greta.") The episode "Standards and Practices" implies that Kenneth has some sort of clone, as when Liz asks him "Do you have a second, Kenneth?", he misunderstands and nervously blurts out "No, there's only one of me.". When Tracy regains his ability to smell in "Nothing Left to Lose", he notices that Kenneth has no scent at all, a discovery which Kenneth cheerfully brushes off. Kenneth accidentally reveals to Hazel Wassername in "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?" that he does not sleep. "St. Patrick's Day" also establishes a physical deformity: a rabbit foot-resembling tail he had until he was 16 years old, which he gives to Hazel for good luck.
A relationship with Hazel is first hinted at in "What Will Happen to the Gang Next Year?." After Kenneth discovers that Hazel sabotaged his chances to become an NBC page again, she manipulates him by claiming to have developed feelings for him and successfully seduces him. It is confirmed that they are now dating in the seventh season premiere, however, it is also revealed that she is only using Kenneth to get close to Tracy so that Tracy would cast her in a movie and in effect launch her career in show business, a plan which fails because of Tracy's devotion to Kenneth. Kenneth and Hazel still remain in the relationship up until she is fired for her actions in the episode "Aunt Phatso vs. Jack Donaghy."
Despite his positivity, Kenneth has more situational awareness than he lets others normally see, in one instance explicitly confessing to Jack that the only grasp he has on his optimism is by lying to himself. In general, Jack has stated that Kenneth's Myers–Briggs Type Indicator "shows a rare combination of extroverted, intuitive, and aggressive" (which is the same as his own), claiming that "in five years we'll all either be working for him... or be dead by his hand." A little more than six years later, Jack fulfills his own prophecy by appointing Kenneth to replace him as president of NBC, thus making all but Jonathan and himself work for Kenneth.
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