Melissa Francis Talks ‘Avery Jessup’

By Alex Weprin 

This morning Fox Business Network’s Melissa Francis guest-hosted “Fox & Friends,” filling in for Gretchen Carlson. Among the stories covered, “Is living longer always better?”

Francis also spoke to the Detroit News, where she was asked about that longstanding rumor that the character of “Avery Jessup” on the NBC sitcom “30 Rock” is based on her:

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I’m flattered. The funny thing is, I was supposed to go to North Korea for a story five years ago but couldn’t go because I was pregnant with my first child. When I was at CNBC, we all wanted to be on “30 Rock.” Like everybody else, I was constantly angling to get on the show. I wanted to be Jack’s love interest but I can see why they went with a professional actress.

As we’ve reported in the past, the character could also be based on financial journalist Jennifer Rogers who is married to “30 Rock” Executive Producer Robert Carlock.

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