Raising Hope Wiki
Register
Advertisement
Raising Hope Wiki
CHARACTER
Virginia Chance
Martha
First appearance "Pilot"
Last appearance "The Father Daughter Dance"
Portrayed by Martha Plimpton

Desiree Cooper (8-9 Years Old)

Kelly Heyer (Teen)

Information
Name Virginia Slims Chance
Gender Female
Relatives Maw Maw (Grandmother)

Paw Paw (Grandfather) †

Louise Thompson (Mother)

Burt Chance (Husband)

Jimmy Chance (Son)

Hope Chance (Granddaughter)

Sabrina Collins (Daughter-in-law)

Relationships Burt Chance (Husband)

Virginia Slims Chance (neé Thompson) is the daughter of Louise Thompson, granddaughter of Barbara June and Wilfred Thompson, mother of Jimmy Chance and wife of Burt Chance. She is one of the main characters in Raising Hope.

Character Biography

Early Life

Virginia Thompson was born on June 4, 1971 to Louise Thompson, who was 20 years old and felt she wasn't the mothering type, so she decided to put Virginia up for adoption. Barbara June wanted Louise to keep the baby, and Louise told her to keep her herself but make up a story about what happened to her so Virginia wouldn't come looking for her, so Barbara June told Virginia that her mother passed away after hitting her head on a lawn duck.

When Virginia was fifteen she began dating Burt Chance, who was seventeen. When she was fifteen she conceived her son Jimmy in a parked car at the catholic church and gave birth on prom night, making her a mother at sixteen.

Virginia had to work a lot to let her son have the childhood she wanted for him and often left him at home sitting and staring at a picture of a deer or spending time with his Great Maw Maw (Barbara June) which he did not like.

When Virginia was thirty-nine she became a grandmother when Jimmy's daughter, Hope, was born. Virginia gave up smoking when Hope moved in with them and instead gave the money to Jimmy to pay for Hope's daycare.

Virginia has a rocky relationship with her cousin Delilah because Delilah would always try to one-up her when they were growing up, and always had nicer clothes than Virginia.

As a result of this, Virginia told Burt (who was Delilah's boyfriend at the time) that Delilah told her to tell him that she was "on her period, had diarrhea and had decided to become a lesbian", stealing him away from Delilah.

She also had to wear a back brace in her teen years due to scoliosis. However, Burt cured this.

Personality

Virgina is the most educated and intelligent one out of the Chances. She is sarcastic, enjoys making fun of people (including her son) but is a kind and caring person. One example of this is the fact that she still takes care of Maw Maw, her grandmother, even though Maw Maw bites, forgets who she is, and once chased Virginia, Burt, Jimmy and Sabrina around the house with a gun because she thought that they were Mongeese.

Virginia is addicted to adding new additions to her Porkchester pig figurine collection.

Maw Maw' is Virginia's grandmother and raised her after her mother left and let Virginia and Burt live in her house while they raised Jimmy.

  • Wilfred Thompson is Virginia's now-deceased grandfather, who raised her along with Maw Maw.

Parents

  • Louise Thompson, Virginia's mother who had her when she was twenty. Louise left when Virginia was very young because she decided she wasn't the mothering type, and Maw Maw told Virginia that her mother had died by hitting her head on a lawn duck.
  • Arnold, aka "Deja Vu Man" (among others), is Virginia's gay birth father, as revealed in "Deja Vu Man". He is portrayed by Jeffrey Tambor.

Cousins

  • Delilah, Virginia's wealthy cousin; the two have hated each other since childhood, leading to Virginia eventually stealing Burt away from Delilah.

Husband

  • Burt Chance*, Virginia's husband. She stole him from her cousin Delilah, who is revealed to still be in love with him, though the feelings aren't mutual.

Children

  • Jimmy Chance, Virginia's son, who she gave birth to when she was sixteen.

Grandchildren

Sabrina Collins

Is Virginia's daughter in law through her marriage to Jimmy.

Shelly

Shelly is Sabrina's cousin making them related by law. Shelly owns a daycare for babies, dogs and old people that Hope attended.

Trivia

  • She is revealed to have had a pet gerbil named Martha, a nod to the name of the actress portraying Virginia, Martha Plimpton.
Advertisement