Vanessa Gekko

Introduction

Gallery

Quotes

Vanessa Gekko
Species	Human
Sex	Female
Occupation	Hollywoo Talent Agent
Family	Unnamed husband Yancy Charlemagne Three daughters
Behind the scenes
Voiced by	Kristin Chenoweth
First appearance	Prickly-Muffin (mentioned) Say Anything (appeared; debut)
Last appearance	The New Client A Little Uneven, Is All (cameo)

Vanessa Gekko is a recurring character in BoJack Horseman. She was first mentioned in Prickly-Muffin, before her debut appearance in Say Anything in Season 1.

Physical Appearance

Vanessa Gekko is a tall, middle-aged woman with her short dark red hair, and tanned skin, and slightly reptile-like facial features (a possible play on her name and personality type).

She wears a blue dress with silver geometric shapes on it, a yellow bangle on her left wrist and a silver bangle and gold beaded bracelet on her right wrist, and heavy blue eye shadow, and silver teardrop earrings, and a pair of hot pink slingback boots with cutouts at the heel and straps going around the ankles.

Personality

Vanessa Gekko is extremely talented, aggressive, and competitive at her job. She was able to turn down blackmailers for BoJack and instantly became the "top agent" at Vigor.

Even in Princess Carolyn's dreams, she appears better than her, where she is seen swindling her out of a beautiful home.

Often, her actions are a way to antagonize Princess Carolyn, so she plays a villainous role in most of her appearances. She is very arrogant, as she is almost always seen boasting about her accomplishments.

However, she also has a maternal side and deeply cares about her children. She even lets Rutabaga leave work early when his wife goes in labor saying, "family comes first."

Background

History

Vanessa is a Hollywoo talent agent and the rival of Princess Carolyn. She is a seemingly better agent than Princess Carolyn and has a husband and children.

She temporarily shares an office with Princess Carolyn when their agencies merge. In Season 3, she starts working with Rutabaga Rabitowitz at their own agency.

Season 1

Vanessa Gekko is first mentioned in Prickly-Muffin when Sarah Lynn casually accepts while blowing off BoJack's advice, stating she feels she's "at a place where she doesn't need to grow as a person and can constantly surround herself with sycophants and enablers until she dies tragically young."

Before she leaves, she tells Princess Carolyn she will hire her rival Vanessa Gekko to be her agent, due to Carolyn's pestering. Princess Carolyn acts shocked, only to reveal she had planned for this to happen, to set Andrew Garfield to meet with her instead—once Sarah Lynn has left the house.

In Say Anything, she makes her official debut.

Things are coming together for Princess Carolyn's upcoming Eva Braun movie project until her agency Vigor merges with rival agency FME.

Her longtime rival from FME, Vanessa Gekko, begins to share Princess Carolyn's workspace due to the sloppy merger, and also begins to take over Princess Carolyn's Eva Braun project and her clients.

Princess Carolyn is further hindered, by BoJack abandoning his commercial shoot and coming to fawn after her, to which Princess Carolyn points out he does so every time something bad happens to him. However, she finally relents to a date with BoJack after much pestering, to pursue happiness by going on a date with him.

The two enjoy their date but simultaneously get a phone call. Princess Carolyn is called by Vanessa Gekko, telling her that Cate Blanchett, who was previously Princess Carolyn's client, has switched to become Vanessa's client. Dismayed, Princess Carolyn decides to commit to pursuing happiness with BoJack to take her mind off of her career.

Princess Carolyn gathers herself after that evening, swearing to become a "heartless, hard career gal." She is called on the way to work by BoJack, who tells her he is on his way to visit Herb and wishes to get work when he returns. At first, she dismisses him, saying he is not her client anymore, but begins to find him work after finding out Vanessa coldly shredded his contract to drop him.

Princess Carolyn's persistence pays off in the end when she wins back the Eva Braun project from Vanessa, and maneuvers a position for BoJack to star in a new movie project based on the events of the stolen Hollywood "D" from the episode Our A-Story is a "D" Story.

Season 2

In The Shot, at Vigor, Rutabaga Rabitowitz tells Princess Carolyn to meet him in the closet. In the closet, he tells her his ugly divorce has given him a moment of clarity, and he asks her to leave Vigor and to join him in starting his own agency. Princess Carolyn is reluctant, saying she's been working at Vigor for twenty years—she even still waters the plants as nobody ever asked her to stop doing that task.

Rutabaga says that if she's not interested he'll just go ask Vanessa to do it with him. Princess Carolyn is offended and continues by saying things are crazy right now. Rutabaga tells Princess Carolyn how great of an agent and person she is, and says they could make something really special as he holds her close.

Later, at an art gallery, Princess Carolyn imagines herself in the painting living a calm, quiet life; with her rival Vanessa as her maid.

In the painting world, Princess Carolyn appears bored by her simple life. Vanessa claims she got a client and is now the biggest agent around, to Princess Carolyn's dismay, as she questions why she's polluting her perfect serene world. Vanessa guesses it's because doesn't really want a perfect serene life, and tells her if she wanted a simple life she would have a simple life. Princess Carolyn comes back to reality and walks out of the gallery.

Season 3

In Old Acquaintance, it's New Year's Eve, and Rutabaga and his heavily pregnant wife, Katie, are in marriage therapy. The therapist, Dr. Janet, is telling them their marriage is officially fixed.

Rutabaga gets a call from his business partner, Vanessa Gekko, who tells him that the new David Pincher film, Flight of the Pegasus, lost its lead and they need a new actor immediately.

He tells Katie he has to take care of work but promises he'll be there, by the time she gives birth. He heads into the office, where they decide that Chuff Hollister, should be the replacement lead.

At the same time, Princess Carolyn is trying to sell the idea, of BoJack being the lead. Both agencies need to land this gig because neither of them is doing well. Rutabaga assures her they'll come out on top because they’re the good guys.

At VIM, Princess Carolyn tells BoJack about the Flight of the Pegasus trilogy. Ana says that a part like that would make BoJack an actual movie star, and not just an actor. BoJack says if he gets the role, he won't have to do the Horsin' Around reboot, as he doesn't what to turn Bradley down. Ana asks if they have an offer for Pegasus, and Princess Carolyn tells her she'll get it.

Laura calls Princess Carolyn and tells her that BoJack has got the part. Vanessa then calls Princess Carolyn to sign the deal for Kelsey's movie. Princess Carolyn, confident with her success, tells her that she has to work around his Pegasus schedule—or Kelsey will have to offer more money, which she doesn't have.

This upsets Vanessa, and warns Princess Carolyn she's overplaying her hand. Princess Carolyn hangs up, frustrating Vanessa. However, Rutabaga bursts in the room, announcing he's found something by looking through old emails; that'll blow the situation wide open. He hands Vanessa a sheet of paper, and she reacts positively to what's on it. Rutabaga leaves as his wife is in labor.

Laura calls Princess Carolyn, telling her that BoJack is no longer going to be in the Pegasus movie, and claims she did everything she could. As Laura does this, she sits across from Vanessa, having shown her the piece of paper Rutabaga gave her earlier. It was an email from Princess Carolyn, saying not to promote Laura, so she can keep her as an assistant.

In the hospital, Rutabaga and his wife hold their seven newborn babies lovingly. Vanessa arrives to tell Rutabaga, that they saved the agency because they got Chuff Hollister the Pegasus movie. Rutabaga is glad everything worked out and says "You gotta love a happy ending!"

Season 4

In Ruthie, Princess Carolyn plans on getting Courtney Portnoy another acting gig in a movie called Corpse Me If You Can-Can. Princess shows up at Gekko-Rabbitowitz Agency, with her assistant Judah Mannowdog, where she runs into Vanessa.

However, this turns out to be a set up as Courtney fires her from the managerial position for the failures of Ms.Taken and her and Todd's sham wedding. Determined not to let this get her down, Princess Carolyn calls up Mr. Peanutbutter for a possible new acting gig. Mr. Peanutbutter tells her he's busy helping Woodchuck on the election against Jessica Biel and Katrina.

Season 6

In The New Client, Princess Carolyn gets a call from Amanda Hannity, asking why she is not at the shoot. Princess Carolyn tells Amanda she doesn't think she can make it. She then tells Princess Carolyn, that is too bad, as Vanessa Gekko is at the photo shoot. Princess Carolyn says it's fine if Gekko wants to promote her struggling business, however, she is too busy doing it all to pose for a photo for women who do it all.

Princess Carolyn then arrives at the photo shoot. Once she gets there, she is told they were supposed to bring their kids with them. She then tells Todd to drop off her daughter at the photo shoot. Princess Carolyn tells the other women, about the Birthday Dad project. One of the ladies says that the project sounds incredibly masculine. Vanessa Gekko says the new "women who do it all" is helping other women, not yourself.

Vanessa says the whole discussion is empowering, and Amanda suggests a type of low-key salon where women can exchange ideas. Vanessa says she can host and higher a caterer. Princess Carolyn blurts out she can co-host. This suggestion, then turns into an event, hosted at the foyer at VIM. Gekko tells Princess Carolyn she'll handle all the big picture stuff, and leave the organization to Princess Carolyn, so no one steps on anyone else's toes. Amanda then thanks Princess Carolyn for stepping up to the plate.

The photographer then takes the photos, and Princess Carolyn gets stabbed by her baby's quills, as the picture is being taken.

On her way to work the next day, Vanessa Gekko calls Princess Carolyn, telling her about the dietary restrictions for the event, which has now become a gala.

Princess Carolyn is then at the grocery store, shopping for the gala. Gekko calls her, with a few tweaks to the dietary restrictions.

Princess Carolyn then walks into VIM, only to find the gala has ended, and they are cleaning up. She sees Gekko, who tells her sarcastically it was good of her to show up. Princess Carolyn then tells Gekko to shut up. Gekko asks if Princess Carolyn is OK, as she is not being her usual medium clever self.

Princess Carolyn asks Gekko for advice. She says work makes sense to her, and she's good at it, but she doesn't feel the same about her baby. She says, of course, she loves her daughter, but she doesn't know if she loves her. She then says, she feels like a terrible person, for even thinking it.

Vanessa then asks her if she loves every single client and their projects. Princess Carolyn says of course she does. Gekko tells her no she doesn't, but it is her job to keep those projects alive, and in the same way, she has a new job to keep her baby alive. She goes on to tell her the job is a ruthless one, and she doesn't have time to second guess herself, she just has to keep going and do the job.

Princess Carolyn remarks, she and Gekko have so much in common, she doesn't know why they spent so much time hating each other. Gekko says she never hated Princess Carolyn, and questions if Princess Carolyn hated her. Princess Carolyn detracts her statement by saying no.

In A Little Uneven, Is All, she is seen during the assistant walkout scene.

Relationships

• Princess Carolyn (rival/current friend)
• Mr. Witherspoon (temporary boss)

• Rutabaga Rabitowitz (close friend, business partner)

Episode Appearances

Season 1

• Prickly-Muffin (Mentioned)
• Say Anything

Season 2

• The Shot (Mentioned)

Season 3

• Old Acquaintance

Season 4

• Ruthie

Season 6

• The New Client
• A Little Uneven, Is All (Cameo)

Trivia

• It was first believed that Vanessa Gekko would appear as an actual gecko in the series. Her appearance as a human was possibly a joke made by the writers.
• However, it does appear she has reptile-like facial features despite being human. This could be interpreted as a symbol of her ruthlessness and aggressiveness.
• It's mentioned Gekko has three girls in Say Anything when she is first introduced. However, in The New Client, it's shown that she has a son named Yancy. It is unclear if this is a continuity error.