Janitor (Scrubs)

Janitor
Scrubs / Clone High character
First appearance	"My First Day" Scrubs October 2, 2001
Last appearance	"Clone Alone" Clone High June 22, 2023
Created by	Bill Lawrence
Portrayed by	Neil Flynn
Voiced by	Neil Flynn (Clone High)
In-universe information
Gender	Male
Occupation	Janitor at Sacred Heart hospital

The Janitor is a fictional character and antagonist of the American comedy-drama television series, Scrubs and the American adult animated science fiction sitcom, Clone High. ^{[1] [2]}

Plot summary

An incident in the pilot episode establishes an adversarial relationship between J.D. and him, which persists throughout the series. This tends to take the form of the Janitor pulling mean-spirited pranks on J.D., although he gives J.D. a pass after J.D.'s father Sam dies. In the last episode of Season 8, the Janitor reveals his name to J.D. as "Glenn Matthews", though he is referred to immediately afterward by a passerby as "Tommy", leaving his true name ambiguous. However, as part of the bonus features of the complete series DVD release, Bill Lawrence confirmed that Glenn Matthews is definitively the character's name, a callback to when Flynn had guest-starred as Janitor in Lawrence's animated series Clone High , depicted as working at the school before his son's death, and repeatedly called "Glenn" by the school's principal. ^[3]

In the Season 9 premiere, Turk tells J.D. that the day after he left Sacred Heart, the Janitor asked when J.D. was returning, either oblivious to, or in denial of, J.D.'s departure, and upon coming to the realization that J.D. no longer worked at Sacred Heart, promptly walked off the job and quit. He is not seen for the remainder of the season due to Neil Flynn leaving the show to begin working as a series regular on The Middle . In the 2023 revival of Clone High, Flynn reprises his role as Janitor, once again working at Clone High; ^[4] in "Clone Alone", Janitor signs Joan of Arc's Clone High 2023 yearbook, telling her (and signing) that "You're a lone wolf, just like me! – Janitor", before howling. ^[5]

Production

Flynn is an improvisational comedian and, as such, ad-libs many of his lines. Flynn originally auditioned for the role of Dr. Cox. However, Lawrence asked Flynn if he would consider another part: the mysterious custodian who makes tormenting J.D. his life's work.

While the Janitor was intended as a running gag for only the pilot episode, series creator Lawrence stated, "When we watched the pilot, we knew instantly we had to keep this guy around." ^[6]

References

1. Schwartz, Ryan (January 14, 2026). "Will The Scrubs Revival Bring Back The Janitor And Kelso? Zach Braff Shares An Update". TVLine.
2. Port, Arielle (September 5, 2025). "The Scrubs Reboot Original Cast Return Is Almost Complete - But It's Still Missing Two Huge Pieces". ScreenRant.
3. Paitsel, Nicole (January 30, 2009). "'Scrubs' is ending, creator tells W&M audience". Dailypress. Archived from the original on May 10, 2009. Retrieved May 10, 2009.
4. "Some Talking but Mostly Songs". Clone High. Season 2. Episode 5. June 8, 2023. HBO Max.
5. "Clone Alone". Clone High. Season 2. Episode 10. June 22, 2023. HBO Max.
6. "Last Comic Standing – About the Show – Neil Flynn: Scrubs Talent Scout, Houston". NBCUniversal Media LLC. Archived from the original on 2012-11-03. Retrieved 2013-02-05.