List of True Jackson, VP characters
The following is a list of characters on the Nickelodeon sitcom True Jackson, VP. This article has character summaries. For an episode list, see List of True Jackson, VP episodes.
Main characters
True Jackson
True Jackson (Keke Palmer) is the titular protagonist of the show. She is a 15-year-old girl who was hired by Max Madigan as a Vice President for Mad Style's Youth Apparel. True is constantly getting into sticky situations that nearly end in her getting fired. Amanda, another VP, is constantly trying to get True fired. True loves to help people, especially Max, even if it may cost her job. She has a huge crush on the mailman, Jimmy. Jimmy also has feelings for her, but she does not know it until the second season. They tried dating, but Mr. Madigan made a rule against co-workers dating. So they decided to stay friends until Jimmy started to hang with the new mail room girl at Mad Style. This caused True to get jealous and reveal that she still has feelings for him. Because of this, Jimmy admitted that he also still has feelings for True and they share a kiss, thus making it evident that they are officially a couple. They are now currently boyfriend and girlfriend. Her catchphrase is "(You/she/he) (said/did) what now?", although throughout the series other characters say that as well. True is smart, funny, and hardworking. She also tells many unusual stories about her family. True isn't a very good cook, but is convinced that everybody loves her cooking. She speaks fluent Icelandic in the episode "True Takes Iceland" and she can also speak fluent Swahili because her mother was born in Ghana while her father was born in New York City (as revealed in the episode "True Intrigue").
Lulu
Lulu [1] (Ashley Argota) is one of True's best friends, they met at space camp. Lulu is incredibly smart in school, but is known not to think things through. One of her best subjects is math. She became True's assistant in the first episode after True fired the previous one, Cricket. It turns out she is a good stock investor buying one company which was then merged to another company and the stock prices tripled, and investing in a company called "Glertokk" (a company she picked because the funny name made her smile) which went up thirty stock points a day later. Her secret is that she thinks that other people think she is dumb around the office. Lulu is shown to have a fear of birds, mentioned in "Company Retreat" and shown in "The Wedding". One of her catch phrases is "Not even!" or "Boom!". She's also dating Mikey J. She is part of the school band, as a triangle player. She can sometimes overreact. On one episode True was forced to fire her but then Lulu proved to True that she was a trusted assistant. According to Ashley Argota in a message from her Twitter account, Lulu does not have a last name.[1]
Ryan Laserbeam
Ryan Leslie Laserbeam (Matt Shively) is another one of True's best friends. Ryan and True became friends when Ryan put gum in True's hair and True got revenge by telling him that every time he blinked, a bird died. He held his eyes open for 40 minutes and then passed out. Despite not actually working at Mad Style, he is often found in True's office. He gets a job to work as their website editor (a person who makes their web pages and updates it every few days). He also mentions he has keys to most of the offices. He also was Amanda's assistant, only Amanda didn't know. His secret was that he broke Max's horse statue. If he has his eyes closed for more than five seconds, he falls asleep. He has somewhat of an obsession with video games, but has also been beaten by True's dog Hercules. Ryan is known to have a strong obsession for carrots. His catch phrases are "Oh, come on!!" and "That's Ridonkulous!!". Ryan seems to be a highly skilled gymnast (such as in the episode "My Boss Ate My Homework" where Ryan becomes a cheerleader). He hates to watch horror movies. He also thinks everyone's a spy. He is in love with Kelsey and also a klutz, also gets hurt and does some clumsy things in almost every episode.
Amanda Cantwell
Amanda Cantwell (Danielle Bisutti) is another VP for Women's Wear and True's frenemy. She is constantly trying to get True fired, and sometimes picks on her. Amanda wants to turn True's office into a gym or closet. On some occasions, however, True and Amanda may work together on things, with Amanda even giving True advice. Amanda seems to be a complete "suck up" to their boss Max, and is the only person in Mad Style who calls him Max. She is allergic to hazelnuts and goats. Usually because of her plans of getting True fired backfire, many unfortunate things happen to her, such as her dress falling off while she is modeling it, and having to feed True and her friends ice cream in a chicken suit. In the episode "True Matchmaker", it is revealed that she (as well as Oscar) is addicted to a soap opera called Space Plantation. In the episode when Max turned the building into a jungle retreat, it is revealed that her secret was that she broke Max's horse statue. She usually snorts like a pig when she is laughing. She was engaged to baseball player Brock Champion in the episode "True Valentine", however they did not get married in the series finale "Mystery in Peru", due to Amanda reverting to a little girl after falling in a fountain of youth.
Jimmy Madigan
Tiberius Jimmy Jeeves Madigan (Robbie Amell) is Max's nephew. He is the mailman at Mad Style, and seems to have a rather unhealthy obsession with mail, postage, stamps, and all mail-related things. True has a major crush on him. It is seen he likely returns True's feelings for him and likes her as more than just a friend, as he has helped her multiple times. Despite their feelings, they can not date each other due to company rules. Those rules were later overturned and they began in the latter part of season 2. Jimmy also played the drums in a band called Fire & Ice (formerly known as Diarrhea), though it was later revealed that the band split up due to a bad performance. In the episode "True Drive", it was revealed by Jimmy's astronaut father that his birth name is actually Tiberius. He was recurring in 13 episodes in season 1, and appears as a main character in season 2. Amell is only credited in the episodes he appears in.
Oscar
Oscar (Ron Butler) is the receptionist of Mad Style. He is the one who tells True when she is late for a meeting. He is very calm and gives good advice. He always seems to know what everyone is doing. He is always making lemon squares, which True and the others enjoy. He, like Amanda, is obsessed with the soap opera Space Plantation. His secret is that he breaks Mr. Madigan's horse statue almost every day, and replaces it with another one each time that happens. He has a sister named Kreuflva and a brother that is the receptionist at The Pentagon. In "The Wedding", it is shown that Oscar has good hearing, being able to hear True and Lulu whispering from a little distance. He has been a vegetarian for 18 years, but will eat anything that Jimmy grills, even if it has meat in it. Like Lulu, his last name has never been revealed. He appeared in all 26 episodes in Season 1 and appears as a main character in Season 2, but starting with the second season, Butler is only credited in the opening credits of episodes he appears in.
Max Madigan
Max Madigan (Greg Proops) is the CEO of Mad Style. He hired True when he saw that she had tweaked his clothing into something she liked. He seems to have a big hatred of Kopelman, possibly because he laughed at one of his earlier designs back in the 80's on live television. His secret was that he thought about selling Mad Style when his horse statue broke. He marries his girlfriend, Doris, at the end of season 1. Max was a recurring character in season 1 and is now a main character as of season 2. Proops is credited in the opening credits only for the episodes he appears in. In the series finale, he retires due to his wife, Doris expecting a child, and lets True take over as CEO. Max is also known as Mr. Madigan.
Recurring characters
Kopelman
Kopelman (Dan Kopelman) is a worker at Mad Style who Max (and sometimes random people and coworkers) dislikes for no reason. The main reason that Max dislikes Kopelman is possibly that he laughed at one of Max's designs in 1982 or 1983. Even though he never talks, he's always accused of doing something wrong and is often told to leave the room, or go home. Kopelman has a nephew that looks just like him that only appeared in the episode "House Party". Max told him to leave the party's meeting. Kopelman loves to eat food, and he is somewhat always near food or associated with food, particularly candy. In the episode "True's New Assistant", he is supposedly attacked by Max's white tiger, which was drawn to him by the smell of meat from the sandwich that Kopelman was eating. Thankfully, he survived, due to him being seen in later episodes. Kopelman bought a new bow tie in the episode "Flirting with Fame", and he seems to like it very much. In all his appearances on the series, Dan Kopelman, who also serves as one of the show's writers and executive producers, is credited simply as "Kopelman". In the series finale, he becomes the only adult employee at Mad Style, due to True running the company after Max's retirement.
Mikey J
Mikey J (Trevor Brown) is Lulu's on and off boyfriend. He once had a house party at his house which True, Lulu, and Ryan were invited to. In the episode "House Party," he was worried about food more than he was with Lulu. In that same episode it is shown that his dad is strict as he didn't want anyone to sit on this one chair. He has a tendency to say "I don't really know how it works" and "that's cool" very frequently. As stated in the episode "True Concert", Mikey J is in the gifted program at school and is involved with many school activities such as student council, band, lacrosse and much others. He didn't know how to dance but True taught him how to dance in "The Dance". He shares his first kiss with Lulu in the series finale.
Kelsey
Kelsey (Jordan Monaghan) is Ryan's on and off girlfriend and she is often asked out by him. It is hinted in episode "True Valentine" and "Testing True" that she might have the same feelings, and chooses to spurn Ryan's advances in order to see what he'll do next. She saved Ryan's life in "True Valentine", also Jimmy thought that she and Ryan were dating and she really didn't seem to mind. She also thought Ryan looked hot during a modeling job in the episode "Trapped in Paris". She is recurring in season 2, whereas she was only seen sparingly in season 1.
Ms. Park
Ms. Patti Park (Joy Osmanski) is True's strict teacher. Her first appearance was in "Testing True". In "True Drama", she says that she's the janitor, lunch lady, and is in the Drama Club. In different episodes, every time someone misbehaves, she says that they have detention. She also briefly dated Mr. Jameson, True's science teacher in "True Valentine". She even gave Mr. Madigan detention once after he swallowed True's flash drive in "My Boss Ate My Homework". True and Lulu imply that she can "do anything".
Doris Madigan
Doris Madigan (née Aidem) (Melanie Paxson) is the school librarian that True introduces to Max. She falls in love with Max. Max proposes to her later in the first season but Doris initially declines his proposal, though states she wants him to propose to her when on a lawnchair on the side of the roof, but he declines and tries to make a mannequin that looks him do it but it falls over so he has to do it. Max eventually chooses to propose the way Doris wanted him to, but accidentally flies in the air prematurely because the balloons attached to the lawn chair end up lifting him in the air. Max and Doris had their wedding in zoo. Her cousin is Al Gore. She can't see without glasses though she has been seen without them on and being able to see. She moves every six months to a different house so she doesn't feel cramped in one place. She does this with other things too. She can also be hyper, as seen in the episode "The Wedding".
Shelly
Shelly (Taylor Parks) is another best friend of True's. The two have known each other since they were little, but hadn't seen each other for a while since she started working at Mad Style. In the episode "House Party", Shelly says to True that she's changed since she worked at Mad Style and that it seems like she's too busy to hang out with her anymore. True tells her that she still the same person that she's always been and, after Mr. Madigan tells her to cut back on work after it interferes too much with her social life, she and Shelly reconnect. Shelly is also invited to True's Slumber party in "Pajama Party", where she discusses that she had a dream about her and Mikey J. dating, which makes Lulu angry. Lulu tries to wonder why Shelly has feelings about her boyfriend, but Shelly just tells Lulu that it was only a dream and she doesn't have those feelings for Mikey J. In the episode "Class Election", True and Shelly team up and run for Class president and Vice president for their class, against Mikey J./Lulu and Kyle Sandbox/Kelsey.
Hibbert
Hibbert (Stephen Hibbert) is another employee at Mad Style. He doesn't talk that much though but seems to agree with True a lot. In "Amanda Hires a Pink", when Ryan goes through the vents and ends up at Hibbert's office (he calls Hibbert a cheese-bag). Hibbert calls the Russian embassy, addresses himself as the "Sand Man" tells them to take Ryan and replace his bones with cat bones in Siberia. Then Ryan thought he was a spy. Hibbert reveals he is a lawyer in "True Fear" when he threatens to sue Jimmy for taking his burrito.
Mr. Jamerson
Mr. Jeff Jamerson (Vincent Ventresca) is True's science teacher. He was the temporary assistant in "True's New Assistant" and dated with Ms. Park in "True Valentine". He also appeared in the episode "Principal for a Day".
Ella
Ella (Jo-Anne Krupa) (often referred to as Ella from accounting) was first mentioned in the pilot, but first appears in the episode "True's New Assistant" when Ryan injures her and sends her to the hospital. Ryan also eats most of her Get Well Soon Cookie and several tubs of applesauce in trying to keep her company. True's assistant for a week is her science teacher, Mr. Jameson, while Lulu fills in for Ella in accounting, doing all of her work in no time at all and solving a complex equation that is upside down. She is usually seen tap dancing and speaks with an English accent.
Guest characters
- Chad Brackett (Stephen Dunham) was Amanda's boyfriend in "Telling Amanda" and ex-boyfriend in "The Reject Room". He cheated on her with an attractive blonde and didn't really love her. At the end Chad comes to True's house and says he knows Amanda is there. She throws up on him, as a result of eating too much of True's vile pudding pie, which "tastes kind of earthy, like a chocolate swamp".
- Amanda "Pinky" Turzo (Jennette McCurdy) is the leader of a clique at True's school called "The Pinks". She claims True's office "looks like a rainbow that threw up". When Amanda discovers that Pinky makes True distracted, she hires her as her assistant. Pinky also causes mischief with items in Amanda's office. Amanda will tell her, "Pinky, put that down! It's not a toy". Pinky will respond with something like "You're face is a toy" or "Then... can I play with your face???" Her social group "The Pinks" will all say "hello" sarcastically after commenting on somebody, then a person responding saying "Hello" as well. She is a secondary antagonist, but to date, she only appeared in 2 episodes "Amanda Hires a Pink" (season 1) and "True Drama" (season 2).
- Cammy (Allie DeBerry) is friends with Pinky and part of "The Pinks" at True's school she is just as self-centered as Pinky but with levels.
- Cricket (Suzy Nakamura) was True's first assistant when True was hired. She turned out to think True was too young and naive to handle her job, and eventually was fired by True.
- Coral Barns (Yvette Nicole Brown) was a replacement assistant for Amanda after she fired her previous assistant Abigail Barns, Coral's sister. Coral sought revenge and fed Amanda mints loaded with caffeine until she would go mad.
- Jobi Castanueva (Ian Gomez) is the overseer of Fashion Week and was formerly one of Amanda's assistants. She treated him poorly and told him he would never make it in the fashion business, and as a result he refused to allow Mad Style into Fashion Week. This led to True sneaking her outfit in to the Young Designers Showcase.
- Simon Christini (Andy Richter) is Max's rival in the fashion business. He and Max used to own Christini and Madigan Fashion Co. before they split. He tried to lure True to his company in order to hurt Max. After being advised by Amanda, True decided to stay at Mad Style. He and Max compete in extreme versions of regular games, such as playing live chess with the employees of their respective company playing the roles of the chess pieces. It is briefly implied that he plans to take over the world with a "Zombie Army".
- Dakota North (Nathalia Ramos) is a famous celebrity who appeared in the episode Babysitting Dakota. She appeared to be cruel and mean at first, but after meeting True, she turned out to be misunderstood and actually very nice.
- Dave, or "The Turk" (David Anthony Higgins) was Amanda's lazy assistant later fired and a skateboarding champion, "The Turk".
- Rose Pinchbinder (Julie Warner) is the very mean Mad Style accountant. She gets mad at True for using her credit card on nonsense but later excuses it for True being nice to her and holding the elevator for her. She gets mad at Amanda, Oscar, and Kopelman as well for buying nonsense things. She is said to be so mean she gives Amanda nightmares.
- Justin Webber (Tyler James Williams) is a secret rapper who moves to True's school and True grows a major crush on him. True tells Lulu she likes him and Lulu ask her "What do you know about him?" and asked her various questions about him. Since True didn't know any of them (despite them being the exact things she had asked him in their conversation), she said I don't know to all of them and Lulu explodes saying, "OMG! You guys are made for each other!". At the end, Justin has to leave to his European tour a month early and True breaks up with him.
- Justin Bieber appears in the first episode of season 2 - "True Concert" as himself. He is hired to sing his hit single "One Time", but is injured before going on stage. True then gets Care Bears on Fire as a replacement act.
- Care Bears on Fire appears in "True Concert" as themselves. They replace Justin Bieber in True's school concert as Bieber was injured.
- John Cena appears in "Pajama Party" as himself. Ryan and Jimmy attend a screening of his movie and end up attending Cena's many other events, such as being on set while watching him shoot a scene for his next movie and taking part of a Hockey game with him and fellow celebrities. It turns out to be just a dream Ryan had as he was sleeping.
- Vivian (Victoria Justice) appears in "True Crush". She shows up at Mad Style on the night of the Last Minute Ball. When she goes to the Last Minute Ball with Jimmy, True becomes upset, but in the end admits that Vivian is still really nice. She has yet to be seen, but was mentioned in "The Dance", where Jimmy reveals that he and Vivian broke up.
- Prince Gabriel (Nathan Kress) appears in "True Royal". He is a young prince for whom True designs a tuxedo, and he has a butler. He has yet to be seen or even mentioned again after that.
- Officer Jake Hooley (Kevin Farley) appeared in "Max Mannequin", "True Date" and "Ditch Day". He is a klutzy police officer who thought that Ryan was Max Madigan (who used Max's mannequin of himself to avoid knowing him), but tears off his learner's permit in "Max Mannequin". In "True Date", he handcuffed Ryan's left wrist with him alongside with Jimmy because they didn't buy tickets at the subway train station. In the episode "Ditch Day", he played a mall cop.
- Brock Champion (Andrew Larkin, uncredited) appears as the model for a photo shoot who Amanda really liked but True really disliked him in the episode "True Dance" and as the baseball player for Peruvian baseball league in the episode "True Valentine". They became engaged in that episode, however they did not get married in the series finale "Mystery in Peru", due to Amanda reverting to a little girl after falling in a fountain of youth.
- Principal Ruckman (Michael Rockwell, uncredited) appears in various episodes. He is True's principal and dislikes Ryan pranking, as seen in the episode "Little Buddies".