Audrey Liddell

Background

The only child of a former actress, Kay Liddell, Audrey is an 18-year-old girl from Los Angeles with an interesting, romantic past. She lived next door to the Osborne family. Audrey first meets Joey Potter during their freshmen year at the prestigious Worthington College, when they are assigned to room together.

Season 5

At first, Audrey sees Joey as an uptight prude from Capeside, still in love with her high school crush. However, Audrey quickly becomes Joey's friend and confidante, as well as friends with Jack, Jen, Dawson and a love interest for Pacey.

Meanwhile, when Jack joins a frat and Jen and Dawson embark on their first sexual encounter during a getaway weekend, Audrey is used as bait to attract the small-minded boys of the Sigma Epsilon Fraternity, in particular, Eric, the young man who bailed out of having to room with Jack after learning that he was gay. Joey joins Audrey at Sigma's Winter Formal and learns about Jack's little secret. Following the date from hell, Audrey forces Jack to apologize for his indiscretions.

Audrey's shallow mother, Kay Liddell, pays a visit to her in Boston. During dinner, she verbally and constantly shoots down her daughter, calling her a "California blonde" who "lacks focus" and admits that she's embarrassed to be her mother because she had to "shell out a six figured donation" to get Audrey accepted into Worthington. Unable to sit back and watch her friend suffer, Joey saves the day, as the girls make a quick exit to a party, but not before running into Pacey, who is about to leave again, and a very drunk Dawson, who insults Joey, blaming her for his father's death.

In the meantime, Dawson gathers all his friends to help him shoot a film written by his overly-sensitive classmate from Boston Bay, Oliver Churchkirk. Audrey is chosen to play the female lead, and unfortunately for her and Pacey, this involves a steamy make-out scene with Jen's brooding ex, Charlie Todd. Pacey admits to Joey and Dawson that he kissed Audrey during "rehearsals", and must join Joey in 'extracting Audrey from the bathroom'. Being in love with her roommate's ex-boyfriend, Audrey feels she must get permission from Joey to date Pacey; Joey tells both of them that they don't need her permission because she loves them both. So Audrey and Pacey embark on a romantic fling and end up having sex in the back of his car on the night Joey has an unfortunate run-in with a drugged out mugger. Audrey blames herself for this; something she confesses to an indie rocker while accompanying Jen to an interview for her college radio station. It isn't long after this, during a 'morning after' scene, that Pacey asks Audrey how many people she's slept with. While Audrey cleverly dodges the question, Pacey confesses he's slept with seven people, including her. She tests her relationship with Pacey by first telling him she had slept with 27 different people, then later telling him it was 57 people. Once he admits how much he cares about her, she finally confesses that she has only slept with 5 people.

While on spring break in Florida, Audrey's ex-boyfriend from high school, her 'Dawson', aspiring actor Chris Hartford, shows up during an M2M Concert. Pacey spies the two kissing and questions Audrey about her intentions for their not-so-serious relationship. When Pacey finally asks Audrey to be his girlfriend she accepts and they pursue an exclusive relationship. After returning from spring break, Pacey and Audrey discover that Civilization is under a new manager, and that Danny has disappeared. The new boss, Alexandra Pearl, fires Audrey in an event of 're-staffing', but decides to keep Pacey around. After being the recipient of an unexpected (and unwelcome) sexual advance, Pacey convinces Alex to rehire Audrey, but when she does, Audrey quits anyway after not getting the answer she wanted when she asked if Alex hit on Pacey. When she goes to see Pacey at Danny's apartment, she discovers him making out with Alex and leaves. Pacey tries to call Audrey the next day, but she refuses to answer her phone.

After endlessly pursuing her at the airport, Pacey wins Audrey back in the season finale. After that, the duo take a summer-long road trip to Audrey's home in California. They spend the summer in and out of hotels in the midst of Hollywood and spend time with Dawson, who was "out the door before we got up and never home any earlier than midnight."

Season 6

As Audrey and Pacey return from their summer-long adventure, Pacey confesses to Joey that he's grown tired of "Hollywood Audrey". After impressing her father, Pacey successfully earns a job at a brokerage firm, working for the money-hungry jerk, Rich Renaldi. Audrey becomes angry when she feels like Pacey is putting his job before their relationship and gets drunk while attending a college party with Jen and Jack. Jen and C.J. save her from a sexual misadventure with a complete stranger and take Audrey back to her dorm room. In the meantime, Audrey develops a drinking problem after a downspiral in battling depression. She joins a band led by Emma Jones---a waitress at the local bar/restaurant Hell's Kitchen and fellow bartender who's friends with Joey---as the lead singer, but is soon discarded when her drinking goes out of control.

When Pacey learns that she's failing her classes and lets her know of his concern, Audrey breaks up with him during a Halloween party. Meanwhile, Jen develops a crush on C.J.; a guy who works at the local help line. They were introduced at the Halloween party after Jack convinced Jen to call the help line and invite C.J. along. A drunk Audrey ends up sleeping with him (C.J.) after a gig at Hell's Kitchen. During a No Doubt concert in Worcester, Audrey and Pacey are reunited for the first time since their split. When Pacey and Jen learn that Audrey and C.J. slept together, an upset Jen walks away while Pacey proceeds to get into a fist fight with C.J., getting the two of them thrown out of the venue. Emma has to remind Pacey that he and Audrey aren't together anymore; she ended it at a Halloween party just four months earlier.

After running Pacey's BMW through Dawson's kitchen during Christmas dinner, Audrey goes on the run to avoid going to rehab and ends up spending the night with Bob---a complete stranger she met at a bar on the way to L.A. Joey and Eddie embark on a road trip and try to save Audrey in the process, eventually convincing her to turn herself in.

Dawson pays a visit to Audrey in rehab and earns her dish duty after stalking one-time film director, Toni Stark. Audrey finishes rehab towards the end of the season, and returns to Worthington College. She is informed by the Dean that she must sign up for summer school, or she will be expelled. After Eddie suddenly returns, Audrey sarcastically threatens to kill him if he breaks Joey's heart again. During a Lovelines Questionnaire with MTV hosts Drew Pinsky and Adam Carolla, Audrey ends up being the host when Jen chickens out after breaking things off with C.J. While Jen discusses Grams's failing health with her boyfriend, Audrey is left behind at the gig after Joey and Eddie head back to the dorms for some alone time. Drew ends up driving her home. Audrey enrolls in summer school and finishes. An aspiring singer, Audrey performs her first solo gig at Hell's Kitchen, introduced by her childhood friend, Jack Osbourne.

Series finale

In the series finale, Audrey isn't present for the reunion in Capeside, but Joey informs the gang that she is singing back-up for John Mayer and has a boyfriend she calls the 'anti-Pacey'.

Notable relationships