DeDe is the mother of Claire and Mitchell Pritchett and the ex-wife of Jay. She is quite quirky, sometimes manipulative and occasionally very aggressive. She and Jay were married for 35 years, but Jay had wanted a divorce for many years before it finally happened. DeDe is believed to have been more accepting of Mitchell's coming out than Jay was, and her fondness for Mitchell, and his enjoyment of it, allows her to get Mitchell to do things he doesn't really want to do.