Which actress was originally cast to portray Jenna in 30 Rock's original pilot?

Rachel Dratch was originally cast to portray Jenna in 30 Rock’s original pilot.

Dratch, Tina Fey’s longtime comedy partner and fellow Saturday Night Live alumna, played Jenna in the first version of the pilot. The character was initially connected to The Girlie Show, the fictional program that later became TGS with Tracy Jordan. Dratch’s casting reflected her established sketch-comedy background and her creative relationship with Fey.

Before the series reached television, the role was recast. In August 2006, Jane Krakowski was announced as Dratch’s replacement, and Krakowski became the familiar series-long Jenna Maroney. Fey explained that the production wanted a more straightforward acting part for Jenna, while Dratch was considered especially well suited to playing a range of side characters.

Dratch was not removed entirely from the show. She remained involved, appearing sporadically in various roles, including Greta Johansen, a cat wrangler working on TGS. The change therefore concerns the original pilot and the regular Jenna role—not Dratch’s complete absence from 30 Rock. Krakowski’s performance became canonical, but Dratch is the correct answer to the casting-history question.