Ever since he was introduced in Season 6, Jackson Avery has been a key cog in the wheel of Grey's Anatomy. As Harper Avery's grandson, he proved that he was equally as good as his famous grandfather. And despite only starting out as a surgical resident, Jackson had plenty of career growth and went on to head the Plastic Surgery department.
According to Shonda Rhimes, the character was only supposed to last a few episodes. But thanks to the good performance of actor Jesse Williams, Jackson became a series regular. As of today, Jackson Avery has appeared in 249 episodes of Grey's Anatomy. Here are a couple of hidden details about the character you missed.
His Petty Reason For A Breakup
In Season 15's eighteenth episode titled "Add It Up," there was a scene where the surgeons were discussing appropriate names as they repaired Toby's vessel. Richard confessed that he had to fire a very good mechanic because he kept referring to him as Ricky.
Taryn then argued that a bad nickname wasn't necessarily a bad thing that should make someone overreact. It was then revealed that Richard wasn't the only one who overreacted. Apparently, Jackson broke up with a girl once because she called him Jackie.
Prom King
Jackson's school days were quite good. Apparently, he was prom king for four straight years. This detail was revealed in Season 14's fifteenth episode titled "Old Scars, Future Hearts."
The revelation happened when Maggie and Jackson were having a chat in a bar. Jackson told her that just because he was a popular kid in school doesn't mean his life was smooth. He had his insecurities too. By the end of the conversation, he offered to take Maggie to dinner and she agreed, despite initially wanting to leave the bar when she saw him.
His Initial Specialty
Jackson has recently been known for his work in Plastic Surgery and ENT. But that's not what he specialized in at first. During his intern year, he declared that Cardiothoracic Surgery was his specialty. This revelation happened in Season 12's eleventh episode titled "Unbreak My Heart."
And in Season 8's twenty-second episode titled "Let The Bad Times Roll," it was revealed that Jackson was originally certified for General Surgery. Having Mark Sloan as a mentor was what helped him get skilled in both Plastic Surgery and ENT.
The Writing On His Badge
From Season 9 to Season 11, Jackson Avery's badge reads "Plastic Surgery" under the department section. However, from Season 12, the writing on the badge can be seen as "Reconstructive Surgery."
This is understandable because the term plastic surgery is slowly being shelved in the medical community. However, a couple of other doctors have still been spotted with the label "Plastic Surgery" on their badges. Perhaps this is something that the producers missed.
He Is A Math Whiz
Still, in the episode "Add It Up," it emerged that Jackson was a Math whizz. The doctors were preparing to treat an 11-year-old child who had chronic pancreatitis. The child named Nora also happened to very good at Math.
Dahlia, who first majored in Math before settling for Medicine, tried to help Nora find a solution to an arithmetic problem but failed. All the other doctors tried but failed. And when Jackson came in and found Maggie working on the problem, he immediately gave the correct answer.
There's A Pig Named After Him
April once named a pig after Jackson. In the Season 9 premiere, Dr. April Kepner was still at her parents' farm. As she was walking a pig from the barn, Owen showed up and begged her to come back to Seattle. He also informed her that Mark had died.
Owen apologized for many things and stated that the only way he could make things right was by convincing her to go back to saving lives. April was convinced and while staring at the pig, she decided to name it after Jackson.
His Favorite Food
Jackson's favorite food is waffles. He has been spotted eating waffles on so many occasions. When someone tries to make him something he doesn't want to, he normally agrees on the condition that they get waffles later.
For example, when he was trying to mend his broken relationship with April in Season 10, she suggested that he attends church with her and the baby. He agreed to do so as long as they got waffles after the church service.
He Is Not Good In Front Of Cameras
Jackson tends to lose his composure and become nervous whenever the cameras are rolling. This was seen when a journalist tried to make a documentary about the Reconstructive Surgery team. Jackson was unable to do his job well in the theater.
The same could also be seen when a parent tried to record their daughter's surgery as it was going on. Jackson also narrated how he got really nervous while delivering his high school graduation speech because cameras were rolling.
His Lucky Pencil
Jackson had a lucky pencil that he normally carried with him before undertaking any major tasks. Sadly. it was broken during the medical board exams in Season 8's twenty-first episode titled "Moment Of Truth."
Jackson accidentally dropped the pencil while shaking the examiner's hand. The examiner then stepped on the pencil and broke it. Jackson was clearly traumatized by what had happened but he chose to leave the pencil behind and walk away, figuring a broken pencil would no longer give him luck.
He Hates Throw Pillows
Throw pillows are very useful for home decor but Jackson doesn't like them. This detail also came to light in the Season 12 episode "Unbreak My Heart."
When Jackson and April came back home with Chinese food after deciding not to wait for a table, Jackson stated that he liked how she had decorated the place. April called him out for lying because she had always known that he never liked throw pillows. The two then argued about divorce before deciding to make love.