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New Girl character guide

Who is Schmidt in New Girl?

The loft's vain, neat-freak marketing man from Long Island, Schmidt hides a lot of insecurity behind expensive products and bad pickup lines, then grows into a devoted husband and father.

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Schmidt's Sitcomdle clue card

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Show
New Girl
Debut
2011
Network
FOX
Role
Main
Gender
Male

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Show
New Girl
Played by
Max Greenfield
First episode
“Pilot”Season 1, Episode 1, aired September 20, 2011
Role
Main cast
Network
FOX
Occupation
Marketing executive
Show run
2011 to 2018
Also known as
Winston Schmidt

Schmidt is the roommate whose ego is so big the loft keeps a jar for his obnoxious comments. Played by Max Greenfield in an Emmy-nominated performance, he is New Girl's most quotable character and, by the end, one of its most tender.

On New Girl, Schmidt's story runs through Cece Parekh (Wife), Nick Miller (Best Friend), Jess Day (Roommate), Winston Bishop (Roommate), and Coach (Former Roommate).

Schmidt from New Girl: Sitcomdle character card

Who is Schmidt?

Schmidt is one of the three men living in the loft when Jess moves in. He grew up on Long Island and met Nick in college, when he was heavily overweight and painfully uncool. He has spent every year since working on his body, his wardrobe, and his image, and it shows.

He works in marketing, often as the only man in a mostly female office, and he has more money than his roommates, which is why he owns most of the nice things in the loft. He is also a neat freak who cannot stand a messy kitchen or a used towel.

Personality and comedy

Schmidt is arrogant, vain, and wildly overconfident with women, and every time he says something especially obnoxious his roommates make him pay into the "douchebag jar." Max Greenfield plays him with total commitment, whether Schmidt is lecturing about skincare, panicking about a spider, or delivering a speech nobody asked for.

What makes Schmidt lovable is how hard he tries and how much he feels. Under the bravado he is sensitive, loyal, and desperate to belong, and his deep friendship with Nick, which includes plenty of hugging, bickering, and doomed business ventures, is one of the best relationships on the show.

Key storylines

In season one Schmidt starts a secret fling with Jess's best friend Cece, and it turns into real love before his own insecurity drives her away at the end of the season. He spends the next years trying to win her back, including a disastrous stretch in season three when he dates Cece and his college girlfriend Elizabeth at the same time and loses both.

At the end of season four Schmidt finally tells Cece how he feels and proposes, and they marry in the season five finale. In season six they buy and renovate a house, Schmidt is promoted to director of marketing, and the show reveals his long-hidden first name. The final season jumps three years ahead to find him a stay-at-home dad to their daughter, Ruth.

Behind the scenes

Max Greenfield plays Schmidt in all seven seasons. He received a Primetime Emmy nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series in 2012 and a Golden Globe nomination for Best Supporting Actor in 2013.

Schmidt's catalog of insults and boasts was popular enough that a 2012 tie-in book, The Douche Journals, collected his "Schmidtisms." The writers kept his first name a mystery until the sixth season, when it turns out to be Winston, the same as his roommate's.

Key Schmidt episodes

  1. “The Story of the 50”Season 1, Episode 10Schmidt's big 29th birthday goes sideways when his party bus goes to Frankie Muniz instead, and Jess saves the night with a school bus.
  2. “Elaine's Big Day”Season 2, Episode 25Schmidt tries to stop Cece's wedding, and she ends up confessing her feelings for him.
  3. “Clean Break”Season 4, Episode 22Schmidt admits his feelings to Cece and proposes.
  4. “Landing Gear”Season 5, Episode 22Schmidt flies to Portland to bring Cece's mother to the wedding and gets stuck on a plane on the tarmac.
  5. “San Diego”Season 6, Episode 21Schmidt's long-secret first name, Winston, is revealed.
  6. “About Three Years Later”Season 7, Episode 1Three years on, Schmidt is a stay-at-home dad throwing a birthday party for his daughter, Ruth.

Season and episode numbers follow the original broadcast order.

Schmidt: frequently asked questions

Who plays Schmidt on New Girl?

Max Greenfield plays Schmidt. He earned an Emmy nomination in 2012 and a Golden Globe nomination in 2013 for the role.

What is Schmidt's first name?

His first name is revealed to be Winston in the season six episode "San Diego." He goes by his last name to avoid confusion with Winston Bishop.

Do Schmidt and Cece get married?

Yes. Schmidt proposes in the season four finale, "Clean Break," and they marry in the season five finale, "Landing Gear," which aired on May 10, 2016.

What is the douchebag jar?

It is the jar the roommates make Schmidt put money into every time he says something especially smug or offensive.

Do Schmidt and Cece have kids?

Yes. Season seven shows them with a three-year-old daughter, Ruth, and the series finale flashes forward to a son named Moses.

Test yourself: Schmidt quiz

5 questions about Schmidt. Think of your answer, then open the reveal to check it.

  1. Question 1

    Where do Schmidt's roommates make him put money every time he says something obnoxious?

    1. The swear box
    2. The shame bucket
    3. The douchebag jar
    4. The jerk fund
    Show the answer

    Answer: C. The douchebag jar

    The douchebag jar shows up in the very first season, and Schmidt pays into it more often than anyone would like to count.

    See question 2 in the full quiz

  2. Question 2

    What turns out to be Schmidt's long-secret first name?

    1. Nicholas
    2. Maxwell
    3. Julius
    4. Winston
    Show the answer

    Answer: D. Winston

    "San Diego" finally reveals that Schmidt's first name is Winston. He had long ago agreed to go by his last name so nobody would mix him up with Winston Bishop.

    See question 7 in the full quiz

  3. Question 3

    Who is Cece about to marry in an arranged wedding at the end of season two?

    1. Robby
    2. Shivrang
    3. Paul
    4. Russell
    Show the answer

    Answer: B. Shivrang

    The wedding falls apart in "Elaine's Big Day" when Shivrang leaves with his old flame Elaine, and Cece finally admits Schmidt is the one she really loves.

    See question 11 in the full quiz

  4. Question 4

    What do Schmidt and Cece name their daughter?

    1. Ruth
    2. Daisy
    3. Sadie
    4. Elaine
    Show the answer

    Answer: A. Ruth

    Season seven jumps ahead three years and opens with Ruth's third birthday party. She is named after Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg.

    See question 14 in the full quiz

  5. Question 5

    Who plays Schmidt in New Girl?

    1. Janet Hubert and Daphne Maxwell Reid
    2. Mila Kunis
    3. Courteney Cox
    4. Max Greenfield
    Show the answer

    Answer: D. Max Greenfield

    Max Greenfield plays Schmidt.

Take the full New Girl quiz (20 questions)

Sources and corrections

Reference pages used for this guide, including character, cast, and episode details.

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