Who is Gina Linetti in Brooklyn Nine-Nine?

Show

Brooklyn Nine-Nine

Played by

Chelsea Peretti

First episode

“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 17, 2013

Role

Main cast

Network

FOX

Occupation

Civilian administrator, later internet celebrity

Show run

2013 to 2021Moved from FOX to NBC for its last three seasons.

Also known as

Regina Linetti, Linetti

Gina Linetti runs the front desk of the 99th Precinct with her phone in one hand and her ego on full display. Played by Chelsea Peretti, she is Captain Holt's assistant, Jake's childhood friend, and the most confident person in any room.

On Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Gina Linetti's story runs through Raymond Holt (Boss), Jake Peralta (Childhood Friend), Charles Boyle (Stepbrother), Amy Santiago (Coworker), and Rosa Diaz (Coworker).

Who is Gina Linetti?

Gina is the civilian administrator of the 99th Precinct and, once he arrives, Captain Holt's assistant. She has known Jake Peralta since they were kids, and he got her the job. As the only civilian in the squad, she often sees a case from an angle the detectives miss, though she would rather be texting.

She openly admits that she does not value most of her coworkers as people, Jake excepted, and she says so with a smile. She has been engaged eight times without marrying, and her history with Jake includes framing him as a school snitch to keep him out of trouble.

Personality and comedy

Gina is pure, unapologetic confidence. She narrates her life like a celebrity profile, dances whenever she likes, and treats social media as her true calling. In one episode, a group of psychology professors at Holt's party conclude that her ego and id overlap completely, a condition they thought was only theoretical.

Her odd-couple pairing with the stiff, formal Holt is one of the show's great double acts. She mocks his lack of emotion, and he quietly respects her bluntness. Beneath the attitude, she is perceptive, protective of the people she likes, and smarter than she pretends.

Key storylines

In season two, Gina's secret fling with Charles Boyle overlaps with their parents falling in love, and she ends up as his stepsister. She follows Holt to the public relations division when he is promoted out of the precinct and returns with him. At the end of a season four two-parter, she is hit by a bus while praising one of Charles's texts.

Gina has a daughter, nicknamed Iggy, with Charles's cousin Milton, and spends the first half of season five on maternity leave. In season six she realizes her talents belong elsewhere, leaves the Nine-Nine, and becomes an internet celebrity with her own online advice show. She returns for the series finale's last heist.

Behind the scenes and legacy

Chelsea Peretti originally read for the tough detective role that became Rosa Diaz, but the creators wrote Gina specifically for her. Peretti left the main cast in season six's "Four Movements" and returned as a special guest in "Return of the King" and the series finale.

Gina's maternity leave was written to match Peretti's real pregnancy. Peretti, a stand-up comedian, had been a writer and story editor on Parks and Recreation, co-creator Michael Schur's previous show, before joining the cast. Her one-liners, dance breaks, and endlessly quotable self-regard kept her a fan favorite long after she left the precinct, and the writers brought her back for the finale's last heist.

Gina Linetti: frequently asked questions

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