Jean-Ralphio Saperstein
Jean-Ralphio Saperstein is a fictional character played by Ben Schwartz in the American comedy television series Parks and Recreation. He is the cocky friend of Tom Haverford (Aziz Ansari) and, like Tom, believes himself a pickup artist and baller, although he is looked upon with contempt by most people around him except Tom. He tries to dress stylishly, and he makes up and raps spontaneous rhymes and often speaks in slang terms, such as variations of the suffix -izzle as popularized by rapper Snoop Dogg; for example, while comforting Tom at one point, Jean-Ralphio encourages him to "Turn that frizown upside-dizzity".
At the end of the third season, Tom leaves his city hall job to start an entertainment company with Jean-Ralphio. Their venture quickly falls apart, and they both move on to other schemes. Jean-Ralphio's twin sister Mona-Lisa and their obstetrician father are also introduced in later seasons.
Character biography
Jean-Ralphio is first introduced in "The Set Up", when Tom brings him in for an interview to be Ron Swanson's new assistant; he is quickly rejected. In "Woman of the Year", when Tom is trying to find investors to help him buy a share of the Snakehole Lounge nightclub, Jean-Ralphio contributes $5,000 of the $10,000 Tom needs. Unable to raise the rest, the two approach Donna Meagle about investing along with them, but after a sales pitch from Jean-Ralphio, Donna rejects them and tells Tom, right in front of Jean-Ralphio, "I hate that guy."
