Venus Flytrap is a character on the television situation comedy WKRP in Cincinnati (1978–82), played by Tim Reid.
"[2] "Venus Flytrap" is the pseudonym used by disc jockey Gordon Sims, the evening DJ at the radio station WKRP.
In the episode "Sparky", he mentions having played baseball in the minor leagues (at the double-A level) in Texas for a couple of years; however, this is never mentioned again, and from the context of the conversation, it's possible Sims was exaggerating or even fibbing about this experience in order to make a connection with former baseball player/manager Sparky Anderson, who had just been hired at WKRP.
After seeing another soldier called Weird Larry go crazy and commit suicide by jumping out of a helicopter (not to mention the several Viet Cong prisoners thrown out), Gordon had enough of the war and deserted.
He convinces a reluctant Gordon to dress in outlandish, multicolored clothes (on the basis that it will help him act cooler and become a better radio personality) and gives him a new name, based in part on the planet that rules his astrological sign: "Venus".
Andy lies when he introduces Gordon as "Venus Flytrap" to Mama Carlson, as "the number-one night-time DJ in this country."
On the basis of what he went through in the war, as well as the fact that he was near the end of his tour of duty and therefore wouldn't have seen any more combat, the investigating officer decides not to initiate a court-martial but instead recommends a general discharge.
Venus is in jail for about a week until the real robber (briefly played by Reid via a split screen effect) is finally arrested.
He is somewhat conservative on social issues; he is against "hard drugs," sometimes expresses disapproval over the sexual content in modern song lyrics and television shows ("I saw, at eight o'clock, two adults arguing about abortion -- now, is that right?
And unlike the perpetually cash-strapped Johnny, Venus is good at managing money; he is very knowledgeable about playing the stock market.
[1] In the episode "Three Days of the Condo", Venus convinces Johnny to purchase real estate after winning a sizable settlement.
Also unlike Johnny, who is more or less content being a DJ, Venus is determined to go on to bigger things: "I can't spin records all my life."
[1] He eventually succeeds in his ambitions and, by the time of his guest appearance on The New WKRP in Cincinnati, has become a chief executive officer at another media company.
Venus also has a strong friendship with Bailey Quarters and often flirts with Jennifer Marlowe in the same manner as Johnny (namely, in a friendly and humorous fashion).
The reporter laments that there are two gorgeous women co-workers, but because they are black and he is white, he doesn't feel he could ever ask them out; Venus does his best to look nonchalant at the humorous inversion of his own situation.
In the end, Andy has to grudgingly admit over drinks that there was a racial motivation to the way he reacted, and goes overboard trying to prove that he does not, in fact, object to Venus dating his sister, forcing the two of them to dance together at the bar just so he can show that he doesn't have a problem with it.
The episode is also a moment of triumph for Venus, who proves himself as a teacher (a profession he failed at earlier) and earns the respect of a boy who had accused him of "sounding white" on the air.
He initially is not very interested in talking about or remembering his years as Venus Flytrap, having left this persona at the station, but eventually comes to develop a nostalgic fondness for that time in his life.
This episode was written and directed by Max Tash, who was a stage manager and associate producer for the entire run of the original series.