Karen Walker (Will & Grace)

Karen Walker (Will & Grace)

Karen Walker (née Delaney; previously St. Croix, Popeil, and Finster) is a fictional character on the American television sitcom Will & Grace, portrayed by Megan Mullally. She is arguably the show's breakout character.

Although Karen was originally conceived as a supporting character role for Will & Grace, her escapades became a more prominent part of the show based on viewer reaction. She was a multi-millionairess thanks to her marriage to "Stan Walker" (an unseen character) until the money ran out following Stan's untimely death. At the end of the series she regains this status due to Beverly Leslie leaving his fortune to Jack McFarland.

Karen has been described by Grace Adler 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 borderline alcoholic and assumed drug addict with an often tenuous grip on reality and very few morals. She is good friends with Will Truman’s equally narcissistic best friend Jack McFarland. Karen Walker was stated to be worth $730 million by Will Truman on the episode "Grace Expectations" and on the episode "24" she claimed that her husband's fortune was $985 million to Lorraine Finster. After speaking her lines normally in the pilot, her delivery increased in pitch in subsequent episodes until her distinct nasal voice became one of the character's hallmarks.

In 2010, Karen Walker was ranked #23 on the TV Guide Network special, 25 Greatest TV Characters of All Time.