Michael Kelso
fictional character in the television series That '70s Show
Michael Christopher Kelso is a fictional character and one of the four male protagonists in Fox's That '70s Show, portrayed by Ashton Kutcher. Described in the series as tall, lanky, and long-haired, Kelso is initially characterized as unintelligent and naïve, although he demonstrates greater maturity after moving to Chicago in the eighth season. Throughout the series, he is portrayed as a stereotypical himbo—an attractive but unintelligent man. Kelso spends much of the series in an on-again, off-again relationship with Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis), and remains preoccupied with her following their repeated breakups, a recurring storyline throughout the show.
Despite his perceived lack of intelligence, Kelso is occasionally shown to possess unexpected insight, suggesting that his shortcomings stem more from a lack of motivation than from immaturity. Near the end of the series, his character undergoes significant personal development after he fathers a child from a one-night stand. To the surprise of his friends, Kelso accepts responsibility for his daughter, moving to Chicago to take a job so he can support her and remain close to her.
Character biography
Kelso was first introduced in "That 70s Pilot" as Eric Forman's less intelligent, loudly obnoxious friend who is dating a preppy, younger student, Jackie Burkhart, whom he first met in 1968 playing "Fort." Later in the season, the couple goes through multiple breakups.
To the frustration of his friends, Michael Kelso frequently asserts his intention to break up with Jackie, yet consistently fails to follow through, hoping she will eventually acquiesce to his desires (but instead, Jackie breaks up with him first). Because of her, he misses out on a Todd Rundgren concert, instead spending the evening making out in the back of the Vista Cruiser.
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This entry incorporates text from “Michael Kelso” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.