MBTI® of Scandal Characters

Popular showrunner Shonda Rhymes has made many TV shows in her career and Scandal happens to be one of the very best ones. The political thriller which ended after its seventh season focussed on Olivia Pope (Ketty Washington), a fixer who had the ability to make high profile scandals disappear.

Kerry’s exceptional portrayal of Olivia Pope earned her two Emmy nominations for “Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series.” But Olivia wasn’t the show’s only shining light. There were plenty of interesting characters and here are the Myers & Briggs personality types of the main ones.

10 Olivia Pope – ESTP

ESTPs enjoy seeking thrills and being heroic. That’s exactly what Olivia Pope is all about. She earned a reputation as the best “fixer” in Washington due to her ability to use any means necessary to solve complex problems for her clients to ensure they got out of trouble.

She even started her own crisis solving firm known as “Olivia Pope & Associates.” And even when she worked for the White House, she did a good job of sweeping plenty of dirt under the carpet.

9 Fitzgerald “Fitz” Grant – ISFP

Fitz was the President of the United States for a long time but he wasn’t so good at his job. All he really cared about was Olivia. He frequently got intimate with her despite the fact that he was married and this makes him a perfect ISFP. People with this alignment live for the moment and worry about the consequences later.

It was also suggested that Fitz only became president after some rigging was done but he didn’t seem to mind. If consequences ever came, he’d handle them later. For the moment, he was enjoying himself and relishing in all the perks that came with his office.

8 Elijah “Eli/Rowan” Pope – ENTJ

Olivia Pope’s father was one of the best villains of the show. As the on-and-off head of the elite black ops program, B613, he did plenty of damage. He was also good at logical thinking and coming up with plans that no other person would have ever thought of.

All these characteristics make him a perfect ENTJ. People with this alignment are also known as “Commanders.” They take charge and make decisions they think are good for everyone, even if these decisions have no moral bearing.

7 Jake Ballard – ISFJ

Jake was a U.S. Navy intelligence officer who served with President Grant when he was still in the military. He went on to spy on Olivia for the president and eventually fell in love with her too. He also worked for B613 and the National Security Agency.

ISFJs are always loyal organizations and figures of authority.  Jake proved this well from how well he did his job while working for both Grant and Rowan. He was ruthless but he was also protective over those he cared about. ISFJs are always known to be overly protective.

6 Mellie Grant – INFP

One thing that’s consistent with INFPs is hope. They always believe that whatever is happening at the moment is a matter of passing concern. And this describes First Lady Mellie perfectly. Fitz mistreated her on several occasions but she never appeared too bothered about it.

She kept on having hopes for a better future, never held grudges, and even worked with Olivia who was having an affair with her husband. Mellie kept on investing in her political career and became a senator before eventually becoming America’s first female president.

5 Huck – ISTJ

Huck was a reliable employee of Olivia Pope & Associates. He was good with tech and good in covert operations too. Chuck would often show no remorse when dealing with bad guys. He sometimes went to the extent of torturing them and murdering them.

This was understandable given that he was a former agent of B613, the top-secret sub-division of the CIA. As an enforcer who was always serious and intimidating, Huck qualifies to be an ISTJ. He also didn’t speak much, another common ISTJ trait.

4 Abby Whelan – ESTJ

Abby was always organized and outspoken, She worked at Olivia’s firm before becoming the White House Press Secretary. Due to her good work, she assumed the position of Chief of Staff after Cyrus Been was dismissed. She later rejoined Olivia’s firm.

ESTJs are also known “Supervisors” and that’s what Abby was all about. She knew how to manage the affairs of the White House and also how to handle the easy-going and stubborn president. She was also brilliant when it came to dealing with the press.

3 Cyrus Beene – ENFJ

ENFJs like to suggest and implement their own ideas and expect others to follow them. They also like to formulate ideas of what could happen in the chief. As the Chief Of Staff, Cyrus always expected the president to take his advice at all times. The same happened when he eventually became Vice President.

Given that people didn’t always buy into his visions, he ended up falling out with a number of people. He also had ambitions to become president because he felt he was the most qualified person for the job. Sadly, he tried to play dirty to get the top office and the chickens came home to roost.

2 Quinn Perkins – ISTP

By the end of the series, Quinn had become the head of Olivia Pope & Associates, which had been renamed to QPA (Quinn Perkins & Associates). Olivia trusted her enough to leave the firm to her. She also had a stint as a field operative for B613.

Whoever, Quinn’s actions weren’t always easy to predict. On some occasions, she was a really good person while on other occasions, she made really questionable decisions. ISTPs are often difficult to understand and so was Quinn.

1 David Rosen – INTP

INTPs are good at realizing when something is off. They try to get the meaning and reasons behind various things. This is exactly what Attorney General David Rosen was like.

Due to his ability to dig deep, he ended up uncovering the Defiance Conspiracy. David also had the most relationships out of all the characters. Sadly, despite being a very likable character he met his demise at the hands of Cyrus Beene.

About The Author

Philip Etemesi
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Philip Etemesi is an author, journalist, screenwriter and film critic based in Nairobi. Kenya. As a child, he preferred watching movies like The Goodfellas instead of Home Alone. His girlfriend constantly has to pull him from the front of the TV but he just keeps returning. Stubborn dude! An animal lover, Philip also has a pet giraffe called Refu.

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