Louise Jefferson

Living... in the Upper East Side of Manhattan after years in Harlem and Queens. Her new luxury apartment is a giant step up from the modest house she used to have next to Archie Bunker and his family.

Profession... housewife and stay-at-home mom. Louise, or “Weezy” to her husband, raised their son Lionel, who is now in college studying to be an engineer. She thought moving to a high-rise apartment and being able to afford a maid would make her life easier, but the wisecracking Florence is a lot to handle. 

Interests… volunteering at the Help Center. George loves money but Louise is not as quick to adjust to her new wealthy status. Giving back to the community helps her deal with her newfound life of luxury.

Relationship Status... married to George Jefferson, owner of Jefferson Cleaners. When she married George, she married his whole family, including his mother who is convinced Louise is not good enough for her wonderful son. Nobody else who knows them both thinks that.

Challenge... keeping her hot-headed husband under control. Everything sets him off – whether it’s their obnoxious neighbors, or problems at work, or white people being white people – and it’s up to Weezy to keep him from doing anything stupid. Luckily, he’s no match for her. When his son starts dating a mixed race girl, he says he doesn’t want white people in his family. She says, “Why not? I’m sure she won’t mind a father-in-law who’s a jackass.”       

Personality... kind, understanding, calm, and collected. She puts out a lot of fires in the Jefferson household, like when she plans a surprise birthday party for her husband only to find him upset because no one is available to attend the party he’s throwing himself. But she always handles such problems with grace. Louise is a great friend to everyone she meets, like the Willis family, whose daughter might one day marry her son.