Jolene Elaine "Jo" Bennett (February 29, 1949) is the CEO of the company Sabre, who buys Dunder Mifflin. She is played by Kathy Bates and starts to appear in season six.
Character overview
Jo Bennett is the CEO of Sabre, a corporation Headquartered in Tallahassee Florida that buys out Dunder Mifflin, and is from the south. She is also a registered pilot and owns two Harlequin Great Danes. In addition, she has also written an autobiography. She makes the office excited, due to her southern charming ways, however, when she realizes that there are two regional managers of Dunder Mifflin Scranton, she decides to choose Jim or Michael. Despite being generally nice, she can be stubborn at times and is used to getting her way. She does not like making mistakes and does not want people to think of her in a negative way. Despite being very successful, she has a flakey working routine according to Gabe.
Season 6
Jo Bennett is Sabre's unconventional CEO, and she first meets Michael Scott after he tries to tell Gabe to talk to her. She claims that Dunder Mifflin was the most mismanaged company she has ever seen. ("The Banker") She makes Gabe do everything, including catching her coat, and dotes on her pair of Harlequin Great Danes. Jo Bennett is quite a character: She has survived breast cancer, gotten her pilot's license, slept with three of the same men as Truman Capote and, presumably, detailed these exploits in her autobiography. She does display a sense of humor,("Sabre") but is also a hard worker. Her sweet Southern exterior belies a steely toughness and an unwillingness to suffer fools gladly; she tells Jim and Michael that, as "grown-ass men," they should be able to decide who takes the Regional Manager job without involving her every time they change their minds. She doesn't appreciate the significance of St. Patrick's Day to Scranton, and keeps the workers late, preventing them from participating in Scranton's biggest party day of the year. When Michael, after having received a dressing-down from Jo, says that he looks forward to their professional relationship, Jo cuts him a long, steely glance and says that she looks forward to that relationship as well, implying that Michael has, thus far, not demonstrated much professionalism. ("The Delivery") In the episode Whistleblower, she is forced to place a recall on all Sabre printers and make a public apology. However, she does not want to out of fear that people would only remember her as someone who made a really bad mistake (an interesting fear, considering her many accomplishments).
Season 7
After Michael's departure Jo appoints Deangelo Vickers, whom she met when he saved one of her dogs from being stolen, as the new regional manager of Dunder Mifflin Sabre, Scranton Branch. She then calls Jim and asks if he would care to be manager after Deangelo can no longer run the office due to a severe head injury. After Jim turns her down she asks Dwight who accepts. She then meets Dwight for a meet and greet and Dwight reveals that he shot a gun in the office causing Jo to ask him to step down and then appoint Creed due to seniority. She then sets up Toby, Jim and Gabe as a search committee for the new manager, but eventually sent Gabe back to Tallahassee and replaced him with Kelly.
Season 8
Jo leaves Dunder Mifflin shortly after Robert California manipulates her into leaving and giving her title of CEO to him. However due to Robert California's complete destruction of the company, she decides to liquidate Sabre, eventually selling Dunder Mifflin to David Wallace.
Trivia
- She wrote an autobiography, titled "Take a Good Look," and gave it to everyone in the office.
- She is friends with Nancy Pelosi.
- She has multiple dogs, the seen ones named Calle, Jo Jr., Cornelius and BoBo
- She collects guns.
- She called Kevin "Teddy Bear" in the episode "Whistleblower".
- Her mother, Bessie, once held the occupation of prison guard.
- She is best friends with Nellie Bertram
Appearances
- "Sabre"
- "Manager and Salesman"
- "St. Patrick's Day"
- "The Whistleblower"
- "Nepotism"
- "WUPHF.com (voice only)
- "Dwight K. Schrute, (Acting) Manager"
- "Search Committee