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Janitor (Scrubs)
Encyclopedia
The Janitor is a fictional character, played by actor Neil Flynn
in the American
comedy-drama
Scrubs
.
Neil Flynn was originally billed as a recurring guest star throughout Season 1, although he appeared in all 24 episodes of that season. He was promoted to a series regular beginning with Season 2 and remained a regular through to Season 8. He made his final appearance in the Season 9 premiere, "Our First Day of School
", as a guest star.
Janitor appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except Season 2's "My Lucky Day" and Season 8's "My Last Words
", "My Absence" and "My Full Moon".
, protagonist
J.D. sees Janitor fixing a sliding door
that is stuck, and suggests someone might have stuck a penny
in the door. Janitor immediately accuses J.D. of sabotaging the door, and forms a relationship in which the Janitor tries to sabotage J.D. through much of the series. Although he previously denied it, J.D. admits to the penny issue as an accident in the season eight finale. Janitor admits he saw J.D. do it and claims it was a "character test" that he failed, although J.D. tried to defend himself on the grounds that it had been an accident and he hadn't wanted to create a bad impression at his new job. Some of his practical jokes have been on the severe side, such as destroying J.D.'s bike (twice), trapping him in a water tower, stranding him in the middle of nowhere, leaving him sitting on a bench suspended by a crane for an entire weekend, tricking him into robbing an Asian couple's house and enlisting Ted and Todd to duct tape
him to the ceiling.
Neil Flynn, who plays Janitor, has said:
It is revealed in the episode "His Story III" that he is in someway responsible for a medical intern named Jill having a child.
During the first six seasons he has a crush on Dr. Elliot Reid
, but in Season Seven he meets his future wife Lady, and they get married the following season.
In the first episode of season 9
, a flashback is seen of the Janitor's last appearance the day after J.D. leaves Sacred Heart. Janitor believes that J.D. is simply hiding, as a practical joke, and will reappear. When Turk convinces him that J.D. has left for good, the Janitor hands over his mop to Turk and leaves, never to be seen again.
", J.D. lists some of the things Janitor has told the hospital staff about his life, and many members of the staff indicate that they agree Janitor made up most of it. Many of the stories that he has told J.D. are simply absurd, although he tells Elliot he has siblings that are also his parents. However, later in the episode the Janitor, after having claimed to have been a world class hurdler in college, runs roughly 100m, while jumping a series of obstacles, at nearly world record pace. His childhood and family life are equally mysterious. The occasional cut scene shows that his parents were fastidious and mildly abusive
, which motivated him to take on a janitorial career. Also, in the episode "My Therapeutic Month", he claims that his great-grandfather was the Civil War
general Ambrose Burnside
(mispronounced "Burnsides").
According to a flashback the Janitor was born in 1964.
Janitor speaks Spanish
, Korean
, German
, Italian
and American Sign Language
. When the hospital support staff wants dental coverage, he becomes their spokesman.
On occasion Janitor indicates he does little actual work. He tells J.D. that he spends only an hour and a half a day performing his duties at work. He does, however, defend his sanitary responsibilities in the hospital whenever J.D. questions him about it, and takes inordinate pride in the cleanliness of the hospital's floors. In the episode "My Identity Crisis," the Janitor makes a bet with J.D.: if J.D. loses, he must do the Janitor's job for a day. If J.D. wins, the Janitor will actually do his own job for a day. The bet involved J.D. learning the name of everyone in the hospital and being able to identify all of them to the Janitor. J.D. eventually loses the bet as he knew everybody's name except the Janitor's.
Although he spends most of the series harassing J.D., on occasion he will harass other characters such as Turk. This is usually in response to a perceived wrong, such as another character creating a mess in the hospital or disrespecting him.
Several episodes show the Janitor pretending to be a doctor ("Dr. Ján Ĩtor") and he also greatly enjoys one occasion (in "His Story III
") when he is asked to assist during a medical emergency. On one occasion, he even had a set of broken defibrillator paddles and was pretending to shock a patient (in reality, a pair of pillows and a mop) back to life. He has also been asked by Elliot Reid to pass himself off as her (due to "Elliot" being a traditionally male name) in order to appease a sexist patient.
Janitor shows a softer side on several occasions. He harbors a schoolboy crush on Elliot Reid
, whom he usually refers to as "Blonde Doctor," and who is seemingly oblivious to the Janitor's true nature of tormenting the other staff members. In the episode "His Story III
", Janitor spends the day talking to a patient unable to speak or move, just to keep him company. At the end of the day, when Dr. Cox brings the patient a new computer with which to communicate, the patient says "Thank you", then specifies that he was not thanking Dr. Cox, but instead the Janitor for actually spending time with him. In the episode "My Long Goodbye
", he joins the others in saying a heartfelt farewell to Nurse Laverne Roberts. Later, as the hospital mourns Laverne's passing at a bar, Janitor buys them a round of drinks and raises his glass in salute. He reveals he is a "Wiener Cousin" with Kelso.
Flynn had a small role in The Fugitive
. The show's writers took advantage of this, placing Janitor (in his fictional role) as the real actor in the film. J.D. notices this during the episode "My Friend the Doctor" as he watches the movie. When J.D. confronts Janitor, he (eventually) admits that it really was him, but admonishes him not to inform anyone else about this.
In "My Old Man", Janitor's father is portrayed as someone who treated him the way a drill instructor would treat a new recruit. His father is played by actor R. Lee Ermey
, who famously played a drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket
. However, Janitor later tells J.D. that his father died when he was young. When J.D. remembers meeting his father, Janitor responds that "No, you met a man."
In "My Jerks
", the new Chief of Medicine fires the Janitor for pulling a prank on J.D. that could have resulted in serious injury. At the end of the episode, he remains fired and does not appear in the following episode, but is replaced. He returns in "My Saving Grace" and is rehired by "My Happy Place". He achieves this by telling the administrator handing out paychecks that he is still working there. He also tricks her into doubling his pay.
Janitor is the self-appointed leader of the "Brain Trust", an unofficial club at the hospital that consists of a rotating cast of Sacred Heart staff members such as Ted, The Todd, Doug Murphy (a.k.a. Nervous Guy), and Lloyd Slawski (a.k.a. Lloyd the delivery guy). The brain trust was originally made up of three other members, but he became fed up with them during lunch, and joined the table behind him where the new members were sitting.
The Janitor is notorious for his lies. In the episode "My Friend the Doctor", J.D. asks around the hospital and discovers that people know him in four personalities, which are Nigel the Brit, Klaus the dimwitted German, simple, stuttering Ephraim, and of course the Janitor, but only to J.D. and his friends.
throughout the series. In several episodes, he calls himself "Janitor" (even in his own mind), and in many episodes he refers to himself as "Dr. Ján Ĩtor."
In "My Hero
", Janitor chastises J.D. for not even knowing his name while Janitor knows many personal details about J.D.'s life (though it's later shown Janitor has been breaking into J.D.'s locker and reading his journal). When J.D. protests that he does in fact know Janitor's real name, Janitor asks him to say it aloud and quickly claps his hand over his name badge so J.D. can't read it. In "My Jerks
" the new Chief of Medicine, Dr. Maddox (played by Courteney Cox Arquette) examines his name tag only to find it says "The Janitor."
In "My Manhood
", Janitor speaks to Dr. Cox that he says "Now I’ve been called a great many horrible names in my life. Backstabber. Zebra-poacher. Josh! And I’ve accepted these, because to each of them there is a degree of truth. But, I am not nor will I ever be stupid."
In "My Soul On Fire, Part 2", the priest (played by Bill Lawrence) is twice interrupted while attempting to address The Janitor by name, deciding ultimately to skip over it and continue with the ceremony.
Bill Lawrence gave a hint towards the Janitor's name at a speech at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia
on January 29, 2009. He said that the only clue he had given was that Janitor's name is the same as the janitor on Clone High
(Glenn, voiced by Neil Flynn).
In the Season 8 finale
he tells J.D. that his name is Glenn Matthews; "My Finale" was previously intended to be the series finale, in which the Janitor's real name would be revealed. When J.D. asks why the Janitor is only revealing his name now, the Janitor points out that J.D. has never before asked what his name is, and proves that J.D. has already forgotten it. However just a few seconds later, someone else walks by and calls the janitor by a different name (Tony/Tommy).
commentary on several episodes, the Janitor character was initially to be used as a figment of J.D.'s imagination if the show had been canceled during the first season or the first half of the second. This would have been revealed to the audience in the finale.
In the first season the Janitor seems to be acknowledged by other characters; however, these could have been explained as coincidences, or the interacting as being part of J.D.'s imagination. For example, in "My Bad
", Elliot seems to acknowledge him when she throws a coffee cup down next to him and sarcastically says "Sorry!" In "My Nickname" Janitor gives J.D. the nickname "Scooter", and later Dr. Cox refers to J.D. by that name. In "My Way or the Highway", Janitor gives advice to several patients (recommending surgery
) and one even indicates that Janitor is in the room.
The first time that Janitor interacts with another major character besides J.D. is in the season two episode "My Karma", in which he blackmail
s J.D. and Turk. From the beginning of Season 2, Flynn joins the rest of the main cast appearing in the show's extended opening credits, but the credits were changed back due to objections by NBC
, who wanted longer episodes instead. Flynn has not been represented in the credits since. However, he was still acknowledged as a main cast member by the producers as of the second season. Since the start of season two, Janitor has had encounters with most of the other regular characters. He has even had an entire episode ("His Story III
") devoted mostly to him.
many of his lines. Although it is often stated that Flynn ad-libs all of his lines, on several parts of the Season One DVD commentaries and special features, both Flynn and series creator Bill Lawrence
say that it is generally a mix of ad-libbed lines and the original script, with Flynn usually building on the original lines. Lawrence has also said that the rest of the cast have followed Flynn's lead and that he will occasionally enter the rehearsal room with no idea what scene is taking place due to its lack of resemblance to the original script. Janitor's alter ego
, Dr. Ján Ĩtor, is a happy consequence of one such moment of inspiration.
Flynn originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox (which ultimately went to John C. McGinley
). However, Lawrence asked Flynn if he would consider another part—the mysterious custodian who makes tormenting J.D. his life's work. Sam Lloyd
once commented on Flynn's improvising: "I opened my script up once and it said 'Janitor: Whatever Neil says,' and I just started laughing."
The role of Janitor was originally devised as a one-time gag in the series' pilot episode, Lawrence admitted: "When we watched the pilot, we knew instantly we had to keep this guy around."
In flashback scenes of Janitor's childhood, he is played by Brandon Waters.
Neil Flynn
Neil Richard Flynn is an American actor and comedian, known for his role as Janitor in the medical comedy-drama Scrubs. He currently portrays Mike Heck in the ABC sitcom The Middle.-Early life:...
in the American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
comedy-drama
Comedy-drama
Comedy-drama is a genre of theatre, film and television programs which combines humorous and serious content.-Theatre:Traditional western theatre, beginning with the ancient Greeks, was divided into comedy and tragedy...
Scrubs
Scrubs (TV series)
Scrubs is an American medical comedy-drama television series created in 2001 by Bill Lawrence and produced by ABC Studios. The show follows the lives of several employees of the fictional Sacred Heart, a teaching hospital. It features fast-paced screenplay, slapstick, and surreal vignettes...
.
Neil Flynn was originally billed as a recurring guest star throughout Season 1, although he appeared in all 24 episodes of that season. He was promoted to a series regular beginning with Season 2 and remained a regular through to Season 8. He made his final appearance in the Season 9 premiere, "Our First Day of School
Our First Day of School
"Our First Day of School" is the ninth season premiere of U.S. comedy-drama Scrubs. It first aired on ABC, on December 1, 2009. The episode is the first episode of Scrubs following its re-design, and takes place in a different location to the first eight seasons; rather than being set in a...
", as a guest star.
Janitor appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except Season 2's "My Lucky Day" and Season 8's "My Last Words
My Last Words
"My Last Words" is the 152nd episode of the television series Scrubs, and the second of its eighth season. The episode first aired on January 6, 2009 on ABC, following the show's departure from NBC. It immediately followed "My Jerks", the first episode of the 8th season. The episode was written by...
", "My Absence" and "My Full Moon".
Fictional character biography
In the series' pilot episodeMy First Day
"My First Day" is the pilot episode of the American comedy-drama Scrubs. It originally aired on October 2, 2001 on NBC. The episode was written by series creator Bill Lawrence and directed by Adam Bernstein....
, protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
J.D. sees Janitor fixing a sliding door
Sliding door
A sliding door is a type of door which opens horizontally by sliding, whereby the door is either mounted on or suspended from a track. Types of sliding doors include pocket doors, Arcadia doors, and bypass doors...
that is stuck, and suggests someone might have stuck a penny
Penny
A penny is a coin or a type of currency used in several English-speaking countries. It is often the smallest denomination within a currency system.-Etymology:...
in the door. Janitor immediately accuses J.D. of sabotaging the door, and forms a relationship in which the Janitor tries to sabotage J.D. through much of the series. Although he previously denied it, J.D. admits to the penny issue as an accident in the season eight finale. Janitor admits he saw J.D. do it and claims it was a "character test" that he failed, although J.D. tried to defend himself on the grounds that it had been an accident and he hadn't wanted to create a bad impression at his new job. Some of his practical jokes have been on the severe side, such as destroying J.D.'s bike (twice), trapping him in a water tower, stranding him in the middle of nowhere, leaving him sitting on a bench suspended by a crane for an entire weekend, tricking him into robbing an Asian couple's house and enlisting Ted and Todd to duct tape
Duct tape
Duct tape, or duck tape, is cloth- or scrim-backed pressure sensitive tape often sealed with polyethylene. It is very similar to gaffer tape but differs in that gaffer tape was designed to be cleanly removed, while duct tape was not. It has a standard width of and is generally silver or black...
him to the ceiling.
Neil Flynn, who plays Janitor, has said:
It is revealed in the episode "His Story III" that he is in someway responsible for a medical intern named Jill having a child.
During the first six seasons he has a crush on Dr. Elliot Reid
Elliot Reid
Dr. Elliot Reid is a fictional character played by Sarah Chalke in the American comedy-drama Scrubs. She has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two Season 8 episodes, "My Last Words" and "My Lawyer's in Love"....
, but in Season Seven he meets his future wife Lady, and they get married the following season.
In the first episode of season 9
Scrubs (season 9)
The ninth and final season of the American comedy-drama television series Scrubs premiered on ABC on December 1, 2009 and concluded on March 17, 2010 and consists of 13 episodes...
, a flashback is seen of the Janitor's last appearance the day after J.D. leaves Sacred Heart. Janitor believes that J.D. is simply hiding, as a practical joke, and will reappear. When Turk convinces him that J.D. has left for good, the Janitor hands over his mop to Turk and leaves, never to be seen again.
Personality
Well-documented facts about Janitor's personality and personal history are sparse, given his penchant for lying. In "My Bright IdeaMy Bright Idea
"My Bright Idea" is the 16th episode of season five and the 109th episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired on March 28, 2006 on NBC.-Plot:...
", J.D. lists some of the things Janitor has told the hospital staff about his life, and many members of the staff indicate that they agree Janitor made up most of it. Many of the stories that he has told J.D. are simply absurd, although he tells Elliot he has siblings that are also his parents. However, later in the episode the Janitor, after having claimed to have been a world class hurdler in college, runs roughly 100m, while jumping a series of obstacles, at nearly world record pace. His childhood and family life are equally mysterious. The occasional cut scene shows that his parents were fastidious and mildly abusive
Child abuse
Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of a child. In the United States, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Department of Children And Families define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or...
, which motivated him to take on a janitorial career. Also, in the episode "My Therapeutic Month", he claims that his great-grandfather was the Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
general Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Burnside
Ambrose Everett Burnside was an American soldier, railroad executive, inventor, industrialist, and politician from Rhode Island, serving as governor and a U.S. Senator...
(mispronounced "Burnsides").
According to a flashback the Janitor was born in 1964.
Janitor speaks Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, Korean
Korean language
Korean is the official language of the country Korea, in both South and North. It is also one of the two official languages in the Yanbian Korean Autonomous Prefecture in People's Republic of China. There are about 78 million Korean speakers worldwide. In the 15th century, a national writing...
, German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
, Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
and American Sign Language
American Sign Language
American Sign Language, or ASL, for a time also called Ameslan, is the dominant sign language of Deaf Americans, including deaf communities in the United States, in the English-speaking parts of Canada, and in some regions of Mexico...
. When the hospital support staff wants dental coverage, he becomes their spokesman.
On occasion Janitor indicates he does little actual work. He tells J.D. that he spends only an hour and a half a day performing his duties at work. He does, however, defend his sanitary responsibilities in the hospital whenever J.D. questions him about it, and takes inordinate pride in the cleanliness of the hospital's floors. In the episode "My Identity Crisis," the Janitor makes a bet with J.D.: if J.D. loses, he must do the Janitor's job for a day. If J.D. wins, the Janitor will actually do his own job for a day. The bet involved J.D. learning the name of everyone in the hospital and being able to identify all of them to the Janitor. J.D. eventually loses the bet as he knew everybody's name except the Janitor's.
Although he spends most of the series harassing J.D., on occasion he will harass other characters such as Turk. This is usually in response to a perceived wrong, such as another character creating a mess in the hospital or disrespecting him.
Several episodes show the Janitor pretending to be a doctor ("Dr. Ján Ĩtor") and he also greatly enjoys one occasion (in "His Story III
His Story III
"His Story III" is the 19th episode of season five and the 112th episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired on April 18, 2006 on NBC....
") when he is asked to assist during a medical emergency. On one occasion, he even had a set of broken defibrillator paddles and was pretending to shock a patient (in reality, a pair of pillows and a mop) back to life. He has also been asked by Elliot Reid to pass himself off as her (due to "Elliot" being a traditionally male name) in order to appease a sexist patient.
Janitor shows a softer side on several occasions. He harbors a schoolboy crush on Elliot Reid
Elliot Reid
Dr. Elliot Reid is a fictional character played by Sarah Chalke in the American comedy-drama Scrubs. She has appeared in every episode during the first eight seasons except two Season 8 episodes, "My Last Words" and "My Lawyer's in Love"....
, whom he usually refers to as "Blonde Doctor," and who is seemingly oblivious to the Janitor's true nature of tormenting the other staff members. In the episode "His Story III
His Story III
"His Story III" is the 19th episode of season five and the 112th episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired on April 18, 2006 on NBC....
", Janitor spends the day talking to a patient unable to speak or move, just to keep him company. At the end of the day, when Dr. Cox brings the patient a new computer with which to communicate, the patient says "Thank you", then specifies that he was not thanking Dr. Cox, but instead the Janitor for actually spending time with him. In the episode "My Long Goodbye
My Long Goodbye
"My Long Goodbye" is the 15th episode of season six of the American comedy-drama Scrubs. It was written by Dave Tennant and directed by Victor Nelli, Jr....
", he joins the others in saying a heartfelt farewell to Nurse Laverne Roberts. Later, as the hospital mourns Laverne's passing at a bar, Janitor buys them a round of drinks and raises his glass in salute. He reveals he is a "Wiener Cousin" with Kelso.
Flynn had a small role in The Fugitive
The Fugitive (1993 film)
The Fugitive is a 1993 American thriller film based on the television series of the same name. The film was directed by Andrew Davis and stars Harrison Ford and Tommy Lee Jones. The film was one of the few movies associated with a television series to be nominated for the Academy Award for Best...
. The show's writers took advantage of this, placing Janitor (in his fictional role) as the real actor in the film. J.D. notices this during the episode "My Friend the Doctor" as he watches the movie. When J.D. confronts Janitor, he (eventually) admits that it really was him, but admonishes him not to inform anyone else about this.
In "My Old Man", Janitor's father is portrayed as someone who treated him the way a drill instructor would treat a new recruit. His father is played by actor R. Lee Ermey
R. Lee Ermey
Ronald Lee Ermey is a retired United States Marine Corps drill instructor and actor.Ermey has often played the roles of authority figures, such as his breakout performance as Gunnery Sergeant Hartman in Full Metal Jacket, Mayor Tilman in the Alan Parker film Mississippi Burning, Bill Bowerman in...
, who famously played a drill instructor in Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick. It is an adaptation of the 1979 novel The Short-Timers by Gustav Hasford and stars Matthew Modine, Vincent D'Onofrio, R. Lee Ermey, Arliss Howard and Adam Baldwin. The film follows a platoon of U.S...
. However, Janitor later tells J.D. that his father died when he was young. When J.D. remembers meeting his father, Janitor responds that "No, you met a man."
In "My Jerks
My Jerks
"My Jerks" is the 151st episode and television season premiere of the eighth season of the ABC Studios television series Scrubs. The episode first aired on January 6, 2009 on the American Broadcasting Company, following the show's departure from NBC. It was immediately followed by the second...
", the new Chief of Medicine fires the Janitor for pulling a prank on J.D. that could have resulted in serious injury. At the end of the episode, he remains fired and does not appear in the following episode, but is replaced. He returns in "My Saving Grace" and is rehired by "My Happy Place". He achieves this by telling the administrator handing out paychecks that he is still working there. He also tricks her into doubling his pay.
Janitor is the self-appointed leader of the "Brain Trust", an unofficial club at the hospital that consists of a rotating cast of Sacred Heart staff members such as Ted, The Todd, Doug Murphy (a.k.a. Nervous Guy), and Lloyd Slawski (a.k.a. Lloyd the delivery guy). The brain trust was originally made up of three other members, but he became fed up with them during lunch, and joined the table behind him where the new members were sitting.
The Janitor is notorious for his lies. In the episode "My Friend the Doctor", J.D. asks around the hospital and discovers that people know him in four personalities, which are Nigel the Brit, Klaus the dimwitted German, simple, stuttering Ephraim, and of course the Janitor, but only to J.D. and his friends.
Name
The mystery of the Janitor's name is a running gagRunning gag
A running gag, or running joke, is a literary device that takes the form of an amusing joke or a comical reference and appears repeatedly throughout a work of literature or other form of storytelling....
throughout the series. In several episodes, he calls himself "Janitor" (even in his own mind), and in many episodes he refers to himself as "Dr. Ján Ĩtor."
In "My Hero
My Hero (Scrubs)
"My Hero" is the 23rd episode of the American sitcom Scrubs. It originally aired on May 14, 2002 on NBC.-Synopsis:Ben takes his leukemia diagnosis pretty well, much better than Jordan and J.D. Dr. Cox tells Ben, Jordan and J.D. that they can beat the cancer, earning J.D.'s hero worship. Later, Dr...
", Janitor chastises J.D. for not even knowing his name while Janitor knows many personal details about J.D.'s life (though it's later shown Janitor has been breaking into J.D.'s locker and reading his journal). When J.D. protests that he does in fact know Janitor's real name, Janitor asks him to say it aloud and quickly claps his hand over his name badge so J.D. can't read it. In "My Jerks
My Jerks
"My Jerks" is the 151st episode and television season premiere of the eighth season of the ABC Studios television series Scrubs. The episode first aired on January 6, 2009 on the American Broadcasting Company, following the show's departure from NBC. It was immediately followed by the second...
" the new Chief of Medicine, Dr. Maddox (played by Courteney Cox Arquette) examines his name tag only to find it says "The Janitor."
In "My Manhood
My Manhood
"My Manhood" is the eighth episode of season seven and the 147th episode of the American sitcom Scrubs. It aired on April 17, 2008 on NBC.-Plot:...
", Janitor speaks to Dr. Cox that he says "Now I’ve been called a great many horrible names in my life. Backstabber. Zebra-poacher. Josh! And I’ve accepted these, because to each of them there is a degree of truth. But, I am not nor will I ever be stupid."
In "My Soul On Fire, Part 2", the priest (played by Bill Lawrence) is twice interrupted while attempting to address The Janitor by name, deciding ultimately to skip over it and continue with the ceremony.
Bill Lawrence gave a hint towards the Janitor's name at a speech at The College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg, Virginia
Williamsburg is an independent city located on the Virginia Peninsula in the Hampton Roads metropolitan area of Virginia, USA. As of the 2010 Census, the city had an estimated population of 14,068. It is bordered by James City County and York County, and is an independent city...
on January 29, 2009. He said that the only clue he had given was that Janitor's name is the same as the janitor on Clone High
Clone High
Clone High is a Canadian-American animated television series that aired for one season on MTV and Teletoon....
(Glenn, voiced by Neil Flynn).
In the Season 8 finale
My Finale
"My Finale" is the hour-long season finale for season eight of the American sitcom Scrubs. It was originally broadcast as episode 18 of season eight on May 6, 2009, and was intended to be the series finale. However, the show unexpectedly returned for a ninth season...
he tells J.D. that his name is Glenn Matthews; "My Finale" was previously intended to be the series finale, in which the Janitor's real name would be revealed. When J.D. asks why the Janitor is only revealing his name now, the Janitor points out that J.D. has never before asked what his name is, and proves that J.D. has already forgotten it. However just a few seconds later, someone else walks by and calls the janitor by a different name (Tony/Tommy).
Figment of J.D.'s imagination
As revealed in the DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
commentary on several episodes, the Janitor character was initially to be used as a figment of J.D.'s imagination if the show had been canceled during the first season or the first half of the second. This would have been revealed to the audience in the finale.
In the first season the Janitor seems to be acknowledged by other characters; however, these could have been explained as coincidences, or the interacting as being part of J.D.'s imagination. For example, in "My Bad
My Bad
"My Bad" is the sixth episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired on October 30, 2001 on NBC.-Plot:Dr. Cox's suspension puts his future at the hospital in doubt....
", Elliot seems to acknowledge him when she throws a coffee cup down next to him and sarcastically says "Sorry!" In "My Nickname" Janitor gives J.D. the nickname "Scooter", and later Dr. Cox refers to J.D. by that name. In "My Way or the Highway", Janitor gives advice to several patients (recommending surgery
Surgery
Surgery is an ancient medical specialty that uses operative manual and instrumental techniques on a patient to investigate and/or treat a pathological condition such as disease or injury, or to help improve bodily function or appearance.An act of performing surgery may be called a surgical...
) and one even indicates that Janitor is in the room.
The first time that Janitor interacts with another major character besides J.D. is in the season two episode "My Karma", in which he blackmail
Blackmail
In common usage, blackmail is a crime involving threats to reveal substantially true or false information about a person to the public, a family member, or associates unless a demand is met. It may be defined as coercion involving threats of physical harm, threat of criminal prosecution, or threats...
s J.D. and Turk. From the beginning of Season 2, Flynn joins the rest of the main cast appearing in the show's extended opening credits, but the credits were changed back due to objections by NBC
NBC
The National Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network and former radio network headquartered in the GE Building in New York City's Rockefeller Center with additional major offices near Los Angeles and in Chicago...
, who wanted longer episodes instead. Flynn has not been represented in the credits since. However, he was still acknowledged as a main cast member by the producers as of the second season. Since the start of season two, Janitor has had encounters with most of the other regular characters. He has even had an entire episode ("His Story III
His Story III
"His Story III" is the 19th episode of season five and the 112th episode of the American situation comedy Scrubs. It originally aired on April 18, 2006 on NBC....
") devoted mostly to him.
Production notes
Flynn is an improv comedian and, as such, ad-libsAd libitum
Ad libitum is Latin for "at one's pleasure"; it is often shortened to "ad lib" or "ad-lib"...
many of his lines. Although it is often stated that Flynn ad-libs all of his lines, on several parts of the Season One DVD commentaries and special features, both Flynn and series creator Bill Lawrence
Bill Lawrence (producer)
William Van Duzer Lawrence IV is an American screenwriter, producer, and director best known as the creator of Scrubs and co-creator of Cougar Town. Lawrence is married to the actress Christa Miller whom he cast in both television series; they have three children together...
say that it is generally a mix of ad-libbed lines and the original script, with Flynn usually building on the original lines. Lawrence has also said that the rest of the cast have followed Flynn's lead and that he will occasionally enter the rehearsal room with no idea what scene is taking place due to its lack of resemblance to the original script. Janitor's alter ego
Alter ego
An alter ego is a second self, which is believe to be distinct from a person's normal or original personality. The term was coined in the early nineteenth century when dissociative identity disorder was first described by psychologists...
, Dr. Ján Ĩtor, is a happy consequence of one such moment of inspiration.
Flynn originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox (which ultimately went to John C. McGinley
John C. McGinley
John Christopher McGinley is an American actor, most notable for his roles as Perry Cox in Scrubs, Bob Slydell in Office Space, Sergeant Red O'Neill in Oliver Stone's Platoon and Marv in Stone's Wall Street. He has also written and produced for television and film...
). However, Lawrence asked Flynn if he would consider another part—the mysterious custodian who makes tormenting J.D. his life's work. Sam Lloyd
Sam Lloyd
Sam Lloyd may refer to:*Samuel T. Lloyd III, dean of Washington National Cathedral*Sam Lloyd, recurring guest character on several television shows including Scrubs and Desperate Housewives-See also:...
once commented on Flynn's improvising: "I opened my script up once and it said 'Janitor: Whatever Neil says,' and I just started laughing."
The role of Janitor was originally devised as a one-time gag in the series' pilot episode, Lawrence admitted: "When we watched the pilot, we knew instantly we had to keep this guy around."
In flashback scenes of Janitor's childhood, he is played by Brandon Waters.