Bailey Quarters - Personal Life

Personal Life

Bailey has an on-again, off-again romance with Dr. Johnny Fever. In the early episodes, it is suggested that Bailey looks up to Johnny as her mentor in the world of broadcasting, but that she also has a schoolgirl crush on him, a relationship that by the fourth season develops into what Smithers characterized as "more adult", giving both characters another dimension to develop. which leads her to ask him out on a date in the second-season opener, "For Love Or Money." However, their relationship never seems to go farther than the occasional date. (It is implied at the end of "For Love or Money" and "Mike Fright" that they have had at least casual sexual relations, though in both cases, it could be discounted as hyperbole.) In season four's "Rumors," when Johnny stays at Bailey's place for a few days, Bailey is infuriated by the gossip that they are sleeping together, disappointing Johnny, who was hoping that the rumors would come true.

Unlike her friend Jennifer, who mostly dates wealthy older men, Bailey seems to have a different taste in men, dating not only Johnny, but (in the episode "In Concert") a manic-depressive divinity student with a serious drinking problem. In the episode "The Americanization of Ivan", Bailey is the focus of a Russian defector's attentions; although he wishes her help in defecting to the U.S., the Russian is also smitten with her good looks. In the episode "Jennifer Falls in Love", Bailey enters a nearly daydream-like state when merely listening to Jennifer's description of her new blond repairman boyfriend named Steel, and is almost incapable of coherent conversation when she finally meets him.

Her occasional references to her family suggest that she does not get along well with her parents, which may explain why she left Chicago. In one episode, she mentions that a visit home consists of relatives asking her if she's "Involved? Engaged? Pregnant?" In another episode, she attempts to describe her relationship with her father, but is left speechless with anger. In a third episode, Mr. Carlson mentions that "I talked to Bailey's father and he said I could shoot her."

Bailey's best friend at the station is Jennifer, who she often discusses relationship matters with (such as obliquely referring to her crush on Johnny, or giving Jennifer advice on how to deal with Herb). She also has a strong friendship with Venus Flytrap.