Karen Walker (Will & Grace)

Karen Walker
Will & Grace character
First appearance"Pilot"
(episode 1.01)
Last appearance"It's Time"
(episode 11.18)
Created byMax Mutchnick
Portrayed byMegan Mullally
In-universe information
AliasShu-Shu Fontana
Anastasia Beaverhausen
Sister Frances Beaverhausen
Pilar Palabundar
Lupita
NicknameCruella (by Will)
Miss Karen, Mami (by Rosario)
Kare, Kay, Kare Bear (by Jack)
Kiki (by Lois Whitley)
GenderFemale
TitleChairman, CEO, and Board Member
(Walker, Inc.)
OccupationCurrent
  • Businesswoman
  • Personal assistant to Grace Adler
  • Socialite

Former

FamilyMr. Delaney
(father; deceased)
Lois Whitley
(mother; deceased)
Virginia "Ginny" Delaney
(sister)
Spouses
  • Mr. St. Croix
    (ex-husband)
  • Dick Popeil
    (ex-husband)
  • (m. 1995; div. 2003)
      (m. 2005; div. 2018)
        (m. 2020)
      • (m. 2004; div. 2004)
      ChildrenMason Walker
      (stepson, via Stanley)
      Olivia Walker
      (stepdaughter, via Stanley)
      Lorraine Finster
      (former stepdaughter, via Lyle)
      RelativesSylvia Walker
      (mother-in-law, via Stanley)
      Kimmie Walker
      (sister-in-law, via Stanley)
      Jonny Walker
      (brother-in-law, via Stanley)
      Dan Lee Walker
      (brother-in-law, via Stanley)
      Barry
      (cousin)
      Gina
      (cousin)
      Sumner Davis
      (nephew)

      Karen Walker (née Delaney; formerly St. Croix, Popeil, and Finster) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Megan Mullally. Although Karen was originally conceived as a supporting character role for Will & Grace, her escapades became a more prominent part of the show due to the popularity of the character with the audience. She was a multi-millionaire thanks to her marriage to Stanley Walker (an unseen character), until it was discovered that all of his money was loaned after their divorce in the series finale. However, at the end of the series, she regains this status.

      The 2017 revival of the series retconned that revelation as one of Karen's daydreams; she is still rich and still married to Stan. However, in the tenth season, Karen and Stan go through another divorce after she is caught cheating on him with his friend, a government agent by the name of Malcolm Widmark (Alec Baldwin), and she struggles with her loneliness and erratic emotions.

      Karen has been described by Grace Adler (Debra Messing) as "a spoiled, shrill, gold-digging socialite who would sooner chew off her own foot than do an honest day's work." She is also a promiscuous alcoholic/drug addict with an often tenuous grip on reality and very few morals. She’s best friends with Will Truman’s (Eric McCormack) equally narcissistic friend Jack McFarland (Sean Hayes). After Mullally spoke her lines in her normal speaking voice in the pilot, she increased her delivery in pitch in subsequent episodes until her distinct nasal voice became one of the character's trademarks. In 2010, Karen Walker was ranked No. 23 on the TV Guide Network special 25 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.