Talk:Janitor (Scrubs)

Janitor's Real Name

I brought this up on the Scrubs talk page - Someone had included the trivia that Janitor's real name will be revealed by Bill Lawrence after the show ends. I can't find any sort of information backing this up (interviews, DVD commentary, etc), so I've removed it. Feel free to revert it if anyone can find a source. --Zybergoat 10:28, 18 April 2006 (UTC)

The Janitor's real name is used. In the series 3 episode "My Butterfly", Owen (the man pushing the trolly) refers to the Janitor as 'Kenny'/'Kevin'. 82.42.227.146 15:58, 3 May 2006 (UTC)Rehm

No, the character pushing the laundry cart is a bald woman named Helen, and she says "Hi cutie" to the Janitor. Script here --Zybergoat 06:15, 5 May 2006 (UTC)

Show me where it says on that script that it is official? "Quick, but not perfect." 82.42.227.146 15:33, 10 May 2006 (UTC) Rehm.

It says "Hi cutie" on the DVD subtitles too.--The Wizard of Magicland 11:41, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

I believe his name may be "Tom" - in 511, "My Buddy's Booty", at about 18:51, the man in the blue jacket standing towards the camera sounds like he says "Nice one Tom" to the Janitor when he makes a fool of Dr. Cox. Is he actually saying "Nice one Tom" or "Nice return"? --Fragsta 22:28, 8 July 2006 (UTC)

Actually, he's saying "Nice, you tell him." --EdenMaster

Ahh, I see. Okay, thanks for clearing that up :) --Fragsta 17:01, 21 January 2007 (UTC)

I just read something at MovieMistakes.com - because Neil Flynn actually played the security guard in The Fugitive, and so did the character The Janitor, then Neil Flynn is playing the part of himself - otherwise, Scrubs is set in a different universe to ours. Otherwise the Scrubs team would have a bit of a continuity error on their hands, eh? And we all know they don't like that. --Fragsta 23:22, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

With Fragsta's comment - I think its a bit far to say Scrubs is in a different universe, as theres quite a few references to outside material, like The Fray, Dane Cook, the Iraq War etc. It'd be a little weird to conclude that it's an alternate universe where everything is exactly the same except Neil Flynn had a lookalike that pretended to be him whilst working as a janitor or something.

I don't mean different universe quite like that. What I mean is, are the credits for The Fugitive the same in Scrubs as they are if I watched the credits? If so, we can safely assume that the Janitor's real name is Neil Flynn.

I'm not sure where I read it on here, but I remember it saying that the Janitor's role in The Fugitive explained his reasons for becoming a janitor, or something completely different to that. If you have any idea what episode Dick Van Dyke features in I'll gladly look it up. Crankytoad 19:58, 03 April 2007 (UTC)

In the episode with Dick Van Dyke, when he passes janitor in the hallway, he says "hey, _____" or something to that effect. Would someone look into that? Thnx 72.65.129.40 19:27, 31 March 2007 (UTC)

The Dick van Dyke episode is episode 2-14 My Brother, My Keeper. When Dick van Dyke passes the janitor in the hallway he says: "Well, if it isn't my favourite custodial engineer." So unless you are referring to another scene, he doesn't use his real name there either. Blur4760 19:17, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

There was an episode where the janitor pretended to be a doctor called Dr. Ján Itor. Maybe that is his real name (in the series) User:Shadow Kratos 19:38 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Untitled

K, two things. First of all, I personally think this should be titled "The Janitor", not just "Janitor", but that might be just me. Secondly, this article quotes what the Janitor says to JD (such as his wife only having three fingers) as though it were a true fact of his life; I always take what he says to JD to be mocking, as part of his "bullying role". A lot of what he says may or may not be true, there's really no proof of this.--The Wizard of Magicland 11:41, 14 May 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I agree. It might make more sense to re-label that section as "Alleged Family History" --69.183.42.41 17:59, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

Since he's just referred to as Janitor and Janitor in this sense serves as his name as well as his job, I think Janitor works as the title Pnkrockr 16:18, 4 August 2006 (UTC)

Mmm.. I don't know, I've heard him be referred to The Janitor as much as just Janitor, if not more. With the "Alleged Family History", that would be hard because most of the other points aren't really to do with his family. Crankytoad 20:23, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

His name is just Janitor.The Clydelishes Clyde 23:50, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

POV?

"He speaks Spanish and Korean as well as English, being also able to pull off, convincingly, at least 3 different accents of English ("My Friend the Doctor")." It seems that the convincingly part is a POV and my POV is that they are not convincing at all!!! Standardelephant 19:03, 22 May 2006 (UTC)

actually, that they are not convincing is YOUr POV, which we are supposed to avoid? the fact of the matter is the folks at the hospital were indeed convinced by his accent, so who's to say otherwise?

i must declare that i was the one who wrote this so i may be biased, would welcome other comments :) ahwang 06:00, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

I'm merely stating that whether the accents were convincing or not is a point of view, I was stating mine is that they weren't convincing which of course I would not put in an article as it is MY point of view which as you point out shouldn't be in an article. I believe as an Englishman (with quite a strong regional accent) I am quite qualified to know if an English accent sounds right or some mish mash of various stereotypical english accents, having noticed you are from Singapore I must say I would never dream of stating that someone trying to speak Malay in a Singaporean accent was convincing or unconvincing especially when told by a Singaporean that it wasn't. I do see your point about the people at the hospital believing he was English maybe the article could be changed along the lines of him being able to successfully fool the staff into believing he was English Standardelephant 17:19, 26 May 2006 (UTC)

I kinda thought it meant the accents convinced the show characters he was trying to convince. --69.183.42.41 17:59, 23 July 2006 (UTC)

Yeah, I would be concerned with POV if this occurred in real life. But since this is fictional, we are only concerned with the show's POV. That's not to say that a British character on the show would find it unconvincing. --Macrowiz 17:59, 11 March 2007 (UTC)

This could be solved quite easily if you just change it say something like 'everyone in the hospital is fooled by his dialects, with the exception of JD' or similar. That way its not POV as people in the hospital are truly convinced by his (rather shoddy) impressions. Crankytoad 19:25, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Personality

"although his bullying tendencies only seem to be in jest and as a break in his cleaning routine rather than actually being mean-spirited, as he has never actually physically harmed or criminally harassed anyone." This is simply not true. I am sure the kidnapping and placing inside the water tower of J.D. in S05E19 "His Story III" was criminal and physically harmful. Removed for now. 58.6.42.80 23:41, 30 September 2006 (UTC)

Grandfather's OCD

I'm just curious about an explanation of how beating someone with a sockfull of nickels could be considered being OCD? Certainly doesn't seem like it could be an indication of a "correct diagnosis." In fact I'm pretty sure that was the intended joke. I think it should be changed.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.134.222.196 (talk) 22:20, 17 November 2006 (UTC)

I Think the quote was something to effect of "My grandfather had OCD too, every morning when he woke up he would beat us with a sock full of nickels." Though I'm not sure of the exact quote, perhaps that note should be added. 76.18.84.254 05:07, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

Well, the whole quote is:

Casey - Yeah, I've got OCD.

Janitor - Really? my grandpa had that. Every morning he'd take a gymsock, fill it up with nickels and just beat us! (To JD) That's OCD right?

JD - The bad kind..."

So the Janitor does actually believe it was an OCD, does that count though? Crankytoad 19:43, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

Well, if he did it every morning, as he says, it could be considered OCD, as he feels the need to do it every morning. Though, that is just how I see it. Neospawn 16:41, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

I think the joke is in the switcheroo from a buildup suggesting OCD (a seemingly pointless ritual) to the revelation that the ritual has a purpose of mere mundane brutality. —Tamfang 00:24, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

J.D.'s innocence

Even though he doesn't mean to, JD does occasionally do horrible things to the Janitor, such as ruin his shirt, pull the ladder out from him, track mud on his floors, etc.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 66.76.112.227 (talk) 08:34, 29 November 2006 (UTC)

What does this have to do with the article?--SUIT⁴² 06:02, 10 January 2007 (UTC)

The article seems to indicate the Janitor mistreats JD for "no apparent reason" and that JD is innocent. I think the person was rejecting that theory and I would to a bit. I think mostly he does it because JD is a good adversary and because JD has quirks he finds annoying. (As I find them annoying too I sympathize) However JD has essentially admitted that he sometimes look down on people with menial jobs and even sees them as failures. He makes no real attempt, that I've seen, to befriend any menial worker. His efforts to be nice to the Janitor either backfire or can be seen as patronizing from the Janitor's perspective. The Janitor has also been accurate, at times, with his criticism of JD. (Like him telling him that his interns laugh at his jokes to flatter him and not because he's funny) Although the Janitor is so hostile and obsessed on the matter I'd agree it's mostly like a game to him.--T. Anthony 15:34, 27 March 2007 (UTC)

In any case, I'm not sure about the first one but JD didn't no The Janitor was using the ladder, nor did he mean to track mud on the floors, he specifically tried to avoid The Janitor at that point... Crankytoad 20:23, 23 March 2007 (UTC)

Harvard

It is stated in the article, under Profile, that Janitor went to Princeton. But in His Story III it is said that the Janitor went to Harvard, and going through the episodes i cant find any evidence claiming that he assisted Princeton. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 81.129.189.208 (talk) 01:35, 27 January 2007 (UTC).

Additionally, in My Lucky Night (Season 3), Janitor asserts he went to Harvard while frustrated about a riddle. However, in My Déjà vu, My Déjà vu, I believe he asserts that he went to Yale while frustrated about the same riddle as in My Lucky Night. HoCkEy PUCK 21:55, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

The Yale part, I believe he was talking to Troy, the sloppy joe guy. This is entirely from memory, but I think he said, "Come on, Troy, you went to Yale for god's sake." or something like that. Neospawn 16:45, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

Previous Employment

I think there were a few episodes in the series where the Janitor tells where he was employed prior to Sacred Heart. In one episode, I seem to remember him telling Ted that he used to be a Janitor for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg (to which Ted replied something along the lines of "who's that?"). HoCkEy PUCK 21:57, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

• As I believe it already says in the article, it's virtually impossible to tell when the Janitor is telling the truth about his life and when he isn't.Addyboy 11:53, 21 March 2007 (UTC)

Could his name be Brian?

I was just watching the episode "My Long Goodbye" and realized that, when the Janitor asks to be alone with Laverne, Buckland tells him "I love you Brian." Could this be his "real" name? Cato152.23.65.72 21:17, 11 April 2007 (UTC)

I've watched that scene a bunch of times trying to hear it, but for the life of me I can't make out a "Brian". The scene goes:

Janitor: I'd like to say something in private.

Ted: I love you.

Janitor: Okay, yeah. It's all right.

Maybe you're hearing when the Janitor says "Okay, yeah" or something but I'm quite certain there is no Brian in there...EdenMaster 00:03, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

Try using Closed Captioning next time. — MrBucket^T/_C00:26, 10 April 2007 (UTC) 15:49, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

I have also just watched this (I'm slightly behind) and it definately sounds like Brian. I know that the captions do not say this, but I have noticed that (I always have them on, sort of a habit) that the captions are slightly different alot of the time in Scrubs. I am aware that the name has yet to be revealed 86.149.120.99 (talk) 21:53, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

Being part of JD's imagination

In My Occurance Ben talks about the janitor when he shows J.D. the photographs he's taken of him. Although this doesn't matter since he's real I thought it should be pointed out. EDIT: I just watched the end of that episode and it turns out that the photo thing was just a dream, or something. Cardboard boxA 14:09, 16 April 2007 (UTC) 14:04, 16 April 2007 (UTC)

If I remember correctly in season 1 there is a scene where JD and the Janitor are talking and behind them there is someone in a grey uniform cleaning . This could be an instance where JD is not talking to the real janitor and a sign that the Janitor may not be real at all. The episode is "My Old Man" and happens when the Janitor's "Dad" tells him to do push ups on the hospital floor Ecor200 21:35, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

We know that the Janitor is real now because he has interacted with all the main characters, him being imagined was just a possible ending for if Scrubs only lasted one season--Jac16888 21:12, 13 September 2007 (UTC)

Deaf Sister

Listed under Dubious Claims is: "He claims to have a been taught sign-language by his father to communicate with his deaf sister. ("My Words of Wisdom")"

However, watching this episode I felt that this may not be so dubious. When asked if it was true, he said "Mostly... my father died before I was born", and I felt this was converyed with an air of sincerity that was meant, to indicate that, for once, the janitor was being truthful and releasing information about his life. --Darksun 00:03, 17 April 2007 (UTC)

• But, at the same time, JD pointed out that he's met his father (R. Lee Ermey, remember?), and Janitor was quick with a retort for that as well. It's also not the first time he's said something with emotion, or used a very convincing tone of voice (like when he pretended a child was his son to embarass JD in front of Elliot after saying mean things about him). Bottom line is, Janitor is a chronic liar, you can never be 100% certain what he says is true or not. Everything must be taken with a grain of salt. EdenMaster 06:47, 18 April 2007 (UTC)

Yes, but with the fake son they pretty quickly showed he was just some boy he never met. Usually when he's sincere acting, yet may still be lying, they give some kind of "nudge" to show you that. I'm not positive they meant that to be true, but he did know sign language and I think the deaf sister was intended to be some kind of reality. (Also the idea he'd pay "a man", who as I recall was mean to JD, to pretend to be his father strikes me as more plausible than him making up that his father died before he was born as he'll now have trouble with "crazy dad" stories.)--T. Anthony 06:53, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

1000 WikiPoints...

...to the first person who can garner any meaning whatsoever from the following sentence that's currently in the 'Name' section:

"According to a slip-up by Bill Lawrence on a talk show he may have accidentally referred to a "Zack Braden" being a character that the actor pulled a star out of an extra role, which is what Neil Flynn did."

I mean, huh? Words in order random meaning convey little run-on misplaced auxillary merengue hatchet. 172.132.62.167 16:54, 19 April 2007 (UTC)

• I agree, this sentence is not at all clear. Purple monkey dishwasher. EdenMaster 06:38, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

My guess would be that the sentence is meant to convey the following meaning: "Bill Lawrence accidentally referred to a Zack Braden character in a talk show. According to Lawrence, this Zack Braden is played by an actor who originally appeared as an extra on the show but, despite his extra status, has evolved to be somewhat of a starring character." Only a guess though. Blur4760 09:08, 20 April 2007 (UTC)

Zack Braden

I'm sorry, but I'm buying the whole "Zack Braden" name claim that's running rampant here. Until we get a citation, or at least something better than "Bill Lawrence slipped up and said it", it's just speculation. Besides, we don't even know if it's the Janitor he's referring to. By now, all the episodes of season 6 have seen shot, just not aired. He could be referring to a character that hasn't been seen yet, for all we know. Scrubs has made supporting characters out of plenty of extras (Dr. Mickhead in an excellent example) and they could do it again with another of the many familiar but unnamed extras. I'm removing it for the time being. EdenMaster 04:35, 23 April 2007 (UTC)

$4000  

I edited the Dr.Kelso article, I'm watching the episode as I speak.. Voyagerofdoom 22:47, 4 May 2007 (UTC)

O RLY, You're so cool. 194.72.54.162 (talk) 16:39, 29 January 2008 (UTC)

this is janitor's talk page not bobbies  —Preceding unsigned comment added by 209.159.197.82 (talk) 02:00, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

Baby Crate

As stated, the Janitor says many things that must be taken with a grain of salt. However, he does seem to be messed up in the head, at least a bit. He gives some allusions to what may have caused this. In one episode, I can't remember the name, during a baby shower or something for Turk and Carla, he gave them a "baby crate" as a gift. It was actually a pet carrier kennel. When Carla said something along the line of "We don't have a dog," he says, something like "Dog? It's a baby crate." He is then seen later, not seeming to be acting for anyone, on a phone asking his mom about this discrepency between his own childhood and others'. The main reason that I don't put this on the article is my lack of specific information. However, if someone could verify it, that would make an interesting addition to either the "Dubious Claims" section, or just his general background. 24.34.133.93 23:40, 12 May 2007 (UTC) Stephen B.

I don't think he's messed up. I think he's hilarious. In the Episode "My Extra Mile" Carla said to Janitor, "I know you're not as weird as you want people to think you are." - Shaheenjim 23:57, 14 May 2007 (UTC)

It's suggested in My Identity Crisis that the cleaning chemicals make the Janitor ku-ku.Reub2000 (talk) 03:20, 6 May 2009 (UTC)

Wrong episode

The main picture of this article is in fact not from the first episode, it's from a later episode, in which The Janitor blackmails dr. Cox, because dr. Cox doesn't want to know the ending of a football game. The picture is from a scene in which the Janitor pretends to have a creature on his lap, and when dr. Cox asks what it is, he replies: "It's Leonard! Half kitten, half monkey!" (with a british accent). If someone could find out which episode this is, and write the correct episode under the picture.—Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.109.120.226 (talk • contribs) 14:54, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

The picture just shows what he looks like. The "first appearance" test describes when he first appeared. It's not a caption to the picture. They're not related. Please sign your posts. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 22:20, 20 May 2007 (UTC)

I think i have to agree with the first person. it does seem a bit confusing. I'll try to find a picture from the first episode. (also he's blackmailing dr. cox over the heat lakers basketball game. not a football game.--Arsenal0328 19:09, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

hardly any pictures of characters are from their first appearance, because they don't necessarily make good pictures, for example, the first time we see janitor his back is to us, the next time, he's holding a coin in front of face--Jac16888 19:22, 2 June 2007 (UTC)

First season appearances

The list of first season appearances should be removed. It's blatantly obvious at this point in the show that he's not a figment if J.D.'s imagination. The occurrences listed are not really relevant to the character.... If no-one responds to this within one week, I'll just do it myself. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 17:23, 22 May 2007 (UTC)

i feel they are in fact relevant, just to show how he interacted with people and yet could still have been part of J.D.'s imagination. Plus it fits in with the list of his first appearances--Jac16888 18:42, 22 May 2007 (UTC)(of course its possible what i just said was garbage :) )

Even though he turned out not to be a figment of JD's imagination, it's still an interesting bit of trivia that the show's creators initially considered making him one. - Shaheenjim 03:47, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

The list could certainly be condensed drastically. Looking at from this point in time, the Janitor is real. These "proofs" of his possible existence are unnecessary. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 16:13, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

The point of them isn't to prove that he exists. The point is to show that it was possible for him to not exist in the first season. Even though it looked like other characters were interacting with him, they might not really have been interacting with him. - Shaheenjim 16:44, 23 May 2007 (UTC)

The fact that his existence was uncertain in the first season can be described in a single paragraph. An exhaustive list of semi-appearances just seems very forumish to me. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ

well not really, if anything, the ways its set out now is more encylopedic than a simple paragraph--Jac16888 10:30, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

I still fail to see the relevance of en entire list of "possible" interactions with other characters. Janitor is real, so it doesn't matter if he may or may not have interacted with other people in the past. Make a paragraph stating that these possible interactions existed. This huge list does not seem encyclopedic. I just don't see the reason to list out every quasi-interaction when it has been revealed the he does in fact exist. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 15:56, 24 May 2007 (UTC)

but its not a HUGE list, its not very big at all--Jac16888 21:11, 24 May 2007

(UTC)

It's nine epsiodes. That's more than one third of the first season. The list fills the whole screen. Furthermore, it still isn't necessary. I don't see how it improves the article more than a well-written paragraph would. The list seems very trivial, and should be replaced with prose. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 03:09, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

how about replacing it with this table?, its somewhat smaller, and more precise, call it a compromise --Jac16888 16:03, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Few edits and new justifications. From the text, iirc if the show was cancelled in 1st or early 2nd season, janiutor would be imaginary, hence alteration of My Last Day. mattbuck 17:55, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

i'm gonna put it in, now its more complete, and accurate--Jac16888 17:57, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Gravy. mattbuck 17:58, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Table

This table is severely OR. Theorizing about "justifications" for why characters may not have been interacting the the Janitor is bot OR and irrelevant. After the seconds season, the producers decided that he does exist. There is no need to prove (or disprove) his existence. The whole point of the table seems to be "proof" that he might not have existed. However, he did exist, so we cannot "prove" otherwise. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 21:00, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Also, read WP:NOT. Wikipedia is not an indiscriminate collection of data. Read up on policy before replacing the table. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 21:43, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

just read it. and it doesn't say anywhere that wikipedia is supposed to be brief. ok the table contained OR, that didn't occur to me, but i removed all the non-significant items from the list. just because you can keep chucking irrelevant policies at me, doesn't make you right.--Jac16888 21:50, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

It's still full of OR: "It could be interpreted that..." etc. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 22:01, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

ok then, have removed all the interpretations.--Jac16888 22:10, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

My original objections (a list is trivial and forumish) still stand. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 22:12, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

Again: The point of them isn't to prove that he exists. The point is to show that it was possible for him to not exist in the first season. Even though it looked like other characters were interacting with him, they might not really have been interacting with him. - Shaheenjim 22:18, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

you're just being pedantic now, would you not be willing to compromise, as i have done by drastically reducing it. particularly as your concerns have no policy to back them up--Jac16888 22:21, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

"The point is to show that it was possible for him to not exist in the first season." THAT is original research. A simple cited paragraph about the producer's intent is what we need. And Jac, please avoid calling me names. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 22:29, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

i wasn't name calling, i was making a point about your behaviour and unwillingness to compromise. like the policy on RFC tells us to.--Jac16888 22:41, 25 May 2007 (UTC)

I just made a big change to that section, summarizing it. I think it still makes the point, though. Check it out, and feel free to reverse it if you want. - Shaheenjim 02:00, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

That's MUCH better. I cleaned up the grammar a bit and now it looks good. - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 02:05, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

I would've objected to deleting the information, but I have no objection to summarizing it. I actually agree that the summary is an improvement. One paragraph would've been too short, but three paragraphs works. I also just made it a separate section. I wasn't sure what to name the section, though. - Shaheenjim 03:58, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

From his edits, it looks like Jac16888 is now onboard with the latest verison too. If the matter is settled, should we delete this section of the discussion page now? I'm not sure what the protocol is with this type of thing. - Shaheenjim 20:25, 26 May 2007 (UTC)

Hobbies

In the most recent episode, My Conventional Wisdom, he says that he is looking for a new role playing group due to being kicked out for using an actual warhammer. He then takes up rolep laying as the chief of medicine. 24.18.249.148 21:22, 22 June 2007 (UTC)

Tom

In season 5, episode 11 ("My Buddy's Booty"), Dr. Cox walks up to the Janitor who is surrounded by friends and Cox says, "Can I talk to you for a second?" Janitor then replies, "What's the matter, Sally? Vending machine out of bras again?" The group then giggles. The man standing next to him softly replies, "Nice one, Tom." This then reveals that the Janitor's true name is Tom. (If you want proof go here) —Preceding unsigned comment added by 12.208.250.43 (talk • contribs) 22:59, July 30, 2007

This has been said a million times, and it's wrong. If you actually pay attention to the video, he says "nice, you tell 'em". And if you need further proof, how about the fact that it is common knowledge that the Janitor's name will not be revealed until the very last episode of Scrubs, and even more so, the writers haven't actually decided what his name is going to be--Jac16888 19:10, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

I watched the YouTube clip several times, on maximum volume. There is clearly an "L" sound between the "T" and the "M". He's saying, "Nice, you tell 'em!". The lack of a name is a major aspect of the character. I cannot fathom why so many people think that the writers would "slip up" and "accidentally" reveal his name. Every line that a character speaks is carefully written by one of the show's writers. If they plan to change a fundamental aspect of a character, they're not going to do so through barely-audible background conversation. (The same argument applies to "Kenny" as well.) - SigmaEpsilon → ΣΕ 23:27, 31 July 2007 (UTC)

Thank you. Why do so many people not realise that the whole point is that we don't know his name--Jac16888 12:24, 1 August 2007 (UTC)

I'm taking the tom specuation part out of the article. It serves aboslutely NO purpose what so ever. It was simply one person not hearing something correctly. Also read the above arguments.--Arsenal0328 (talk) 17:31, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

And i'm restoring it for the simple reason that, although most people here know its not tom, very often, people watch the episode, think it is tom, go "Oh My God" i have to tell people, then they come here and change his name to Tom, there are many people on the internet who believe his name is tom, no matter how much proof is against them. Before we inserted that little passage, people were adding tom practically every day, its just a little way to prevent that and save the people watching a little time--Jac16888 (talk) 18:19, 9 March 2008 (UTC)

Without straining my ears (which ain't what they once was), I can say for sure that the rhythm is all wrong for "Nice one, Tom." The comma clearly is after the first word, not the second. I've grumbled before about actors delivering lines with unnatural rhythm (a perennial one is "It happened three. Maybe four years ago.") but this one would be hard to botch. —Tamfang 00:17, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

It will never be revealed

In the podcast commentary for My Identity Crisis it is revealed that the Janitor's name will never be revealed. The podcast is located at: http://www.nbc.com/Scrubs/commentary/season7/nbc_scr_podcast_704_full_111507.mp3. It is said right at the end. Dlh1989 02:42, 2 December 2007 (UTC)

Janitor=Josh?

What about Josh ofr the Janitor's name?? In My Masculinity he says that. I'd definitly say this is the most likely one so far. --Jak (talk) 22:19, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

What he said was, that he had been called josh, among other things, and that there was a grain of truth to it. This is not a definitive result. Untill he specifically states his name, for certain, he is, and will remain known as "janitor" on wikipedia. And it was My Manhood-Jac16888 (talk) 22:55, 26 April 2008 (UTC)

Oh he has BEEN CALLED Josh. Thanks!--75.67.211.239 (talk) 15:58, 27 April 2008 (UTC)

Grammar?

Second bullet under "Production notes" The word 'irony' is clearly misused. Suggest a rephrase? — MrBucket^T/_C 16:09, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

couldn't really see how it was misused, but have attempted to re-write to clarify, hope its ok.--Jac16888 16:27, 17 July 2007 (UTC)

Is he respected?

Would you say that the Janitor is well respected among the hospital staff? I edited the article to say he was, but a couple people removed that statement. I think he is. When the hospital support staff wants dental coverage, he becomes their spokesman. And he used to be the president of the Janitor's Union. - Shaheenjim 03:01, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

i would say that he is respected, mainly out of his ability to create fear, and the fact he can often get what he wants by manipulating people. i suppose it depends on how you define respect--Jac16888 17:57, 2 August 2007 (UTC)

He went to Harvard

It was revealed in the episode with "the coin riddle" that he attended Harvard. -Cam^T|C 16:41, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

Nearly all the Janitor's claims like that are disputable and in DVD commentary it is stated as highly unlikely that that one is actually trueAddyboy 19:41, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

All claims the janitor makes, such as as that, are listed in the dubious claims section, since we have no idea when he's telling the truth and when he isn't--Jac16888 19:48, 6 August 2007 (UTC)

Bike

How many times does a man have to read that the Janitor has destroyed J.D.'s bike? Lots42 01:23, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

errm, twice. Cos thats how many times its happened. If it says it more times than that feel free to remove any extras--Jac16888 11:57, 16 September 2007 (UTC)

Uniform

Janitors uniform isnt mentioned. He initially had a dark grey uniform, then a "Robins Egg Blue" uniform ordered by Dr. Kelso, then a slightly darker blue uniform with no origin. Should this be put in? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 70.177.196.157 (talk) 04:21, 22 October 2007 (UTC)

It seems to be pretty pointless information. So no. 68.77.91.91 02:07, 8 November 2007 (UTC)

The Speculation Warning

We (a general we) should be careful of the speculation warning at the top of the page. Janitor is a confirmed and repeated liar, so any article about him will be default contain speculation. Lots42 (talk) 09:11, 8 March 2008 (UTC)

father

are we actually sure that janitor was refering to r. lee ermey because there was one episode where another man who looks like the janitor just older (i belive it was neil flynn) and the janitor could be thinking that jd was refering to him —Preceding unsigned comment added by Stingsteve (talk • contribs) 02:28, 17 March 2008 (UTC)

I remember both episodes, it was very clear that R. Lee Emrey's character was supposed to be, at least at the time, the Janitor's dad. The older patient in the episode you mention was just done as a writing 'trick'. Cox also met a patient with anger problems who looked like him, that is Cox. Lots42 (talk) 12:15, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

Meat off the floor

If we're going to mention the bit where the Janitor made J.D. eat meat off the floor, the 'disgusting' quote could mean the cleaning chemicals the Janitor knew was on the meat. Lots42 (talk) 12:13, 1 July 2008 (UTC)

The Imagination Part Again

Yes, the Janitor might have been declared just part of J.D.'s imagination. But do we really need a listing of his -probable- interactions with others in the original series? It doesn't make sense to me. Lots42 (talk) 07:10, 22 August 2008 (UTC)

alcohol

At a few points in the show, it is shown that the Janitor is intoxicated. I'd question weather he is ever really sober. It seems like an important aspect of his personality. Reub2000 (talk) 00:33, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

No the Janitor was not fibbing about his thermos being filled with Gum and Tonic, since it was obviously strong enough to cause Ted to pass out. The fact that the Janitor was able to nonchalantly sip on the same concoction and not show any signs of intoxication means that the Janitor has built up a tolerance to alcohol after many years of drinking. This would be a pretty significant part of the character. The fact that he does this while working says a lot about his attitude towards his job. This isn't the only time that he has been intoxicated while working, suggesting a pattern. Reub2000 (talk) 20:40, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

Keep in mind that the fact you've used wording such as "suggesting a pattern" , "I'd question" and "The fact that... means that" indicates that we are dealing with speculation. It may well be correct, but it is not verifiable - and therein lies the problem. --Ckatz^chat_spy 20:57, 1 May 2009 (UTC)

I'm fully aware that the above comments contain speculation. The text that I added to the article where based off of actions from particular episodes.Reub2000 (talk) 00:14, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

The speculation means we can't add it in. If the actor himself said 'Yeah, I was supposed to be drunk a lot in those scenes', that'd be different. We could add it in then. Lots42 (talk) 06:35, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

These clips show the janitor either drinking or drunk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnTJ6kS5Ugk http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4yDBk1iVaRM (go to 4:30) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KQhRXcX6GVY I'd like to see if we could include this information in the article with less speculation. Reub2000 (talk) 21:07, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Probably not, considering the character's self-admitted propensity to decieve. For example, there's a clip showing him drinking what looks to be Windex but then later he says it is Gatorade. Lots42 (talk) 00:48, 3 May 2009 (UTC)

Josh

"In "My Manhood" he lists out a bunch of nicknames, one of which is "Josh", yet does not confirm any."

Janitor Of Sacred Heart —Preceding unsigned comment added by 189.252.36.87 (talk) 02:43, 3 March 2009 (UTC)

Yes, it fits, but it is unconfirmed. Lots42 (talk) 06:34, 2 May 2009 (UTC)

Last episode naming

Seems people are going back and forth about it. For what it's worth, the captions said "Tommy." — HelloAnnyong ^{(say whaaat?!)} 05:33, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

Small follow-up: I've added a reference that says it was Tommy. — HelloAnnyong ^{(say whaaat?!)} 05:35, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

The Janitor Real Name

In the final episode J.D says goodbye 'TONY'

The janitors name is tony —Preceding unsigned comment added by Sean974 (talk • contribs) 21:02, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

No the Janitors real name is Glenn Matthews, Tony was just a joke as a reference to a previous episode and it wasn't J.D. who said that. Bill Lawrence has said the Janitors name would be that of a character he voiced in Clone High and Glenn Matthews fits that.NobleServent2 (talk) 21:15, 7 May 2009 (UTC)NobleServent2

It still seems like a joke in the show that the Janitor would give everyone fakes names for himself, as when he had different characters and accents earlier in the show's run. Dayewalker (talk) 21:20, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

His name is Glenn Matthews. The writers and the actor himself said on multiple occasions that the last episode would reveal his last name. That name is Glenn Matthews, end of story. -- Mdriver1981 (talk) 01:17, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

No, its not the end of the story. Literally seconds later, he was greeted by an orderly as Tommy or Tony or whatever. We still have no idea what his true name is, and therefore stating his name in the lead section is a mistake. This is all detailed in the name section, with sources. This is the only place for it. Please do not revert me again--Jac16888^Talk 01:34, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

Do not "revert [you] again"? Or what? What are you going to do? -- Mdriver1981 (talk) 02:08, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

Did I demand it from you? No, it was merely a suggestion to try and prevent an edit war. And I take it from your lack of an actual response to my point that you're unable to come up with any valid counter-argument--Jac16888^Talk 02:25, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

The "orderly" was not working his last day of the job. Glenn Matthews likes to play mind games with people. Being that JD is no longer under the employ of the hospital, Glenn sees no reason to lie to JD about his name. -- Mdriver1981 (talk) 02:42, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

That's all speculation> Convincing J.D. that his real name was something other than it was before he left would be the perfect last joke. We have no way of knowing which of those two, if either, knew his real name, bear in mind that on occasion he has adopted several different personalities within the hospital. As the article stands, it refers to him by the one term which 100% guaranteed true, and which he is listed as in credits, his alias which is the most common;y used, just as we use J.D despite it not being his name. The name section is a much more appropriate place to talk about what his real name may or may not be - with sources--Jac16888^Talk 03:00, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

We can pretty much confirm that his real name is Glenn. There are quite a few sources which confirm that Bill Lawrence did, in fact, give a hint to the Janitor's real name. Google search -- Caiyern (talk) 08:12, 10 May 2009 (UTC)

ACTUALLY HE SAID TOMMY —Preceding unsigned comment added by Keffmaster (talk • contribs) 02:44, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

I've rephrased it to form a compromise. Tony/Tommy...who cares. Now it's just stated that it was something other than what he told JD. -- TRTX ^{T / C} 20:05, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

I agree with the compromise, it certainly seems like the conversation was designed to leave the identity as a joke. Unless there are reliable sources that say the Janitor's name is Glenn Matthews, I say leave it as the compromise. Dayewalker (talk) 02:26, 9 May 2009 (UTC)

For what its worth, in another episode, a background charcter called the Janitor Tom in one episode. Here's the youtube clip.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MdS4Qa4v-U&feature=PlayList&p=2908856023EACF7C&playnext_from=PL&playnext=1&index=15 Emperor001 (talk) 17:59, 25 May 2010 (UTC)

Wrong wrong wrong wrong. Listen harder--Jac16888^Talk 00:53, 26 May 2010 (UTC)

Glenn Matthews

For a while, they've been saying his name would be revealed in "My Finale", and it has also been said that Janitor's name would be the same as the janitor's in Clone High, which was Glenn. In the finale, Janitor tells J.D. his name is Glenn Matthews, and it seems to be the most likely choice. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.75.141.196 (talk) 01:49, 7 May 2009 (UTC)

The page states that he is called "Tommy" by the following character who walks by, but the real name used is "Johnny". Furthermore, I think this is to emphasize the point that nobody knows or wants to remember his name as a janitor. Mach1av3ll1 (talk) 12:28, 8 May 2009 (UTC)

Forgive me, but I'm fairly certain he said "Glenny", which would suggest everyone had been calling him that. 188.221.51.117 (talk) 08:30, 14 June 2010 (UTC)

The guy that walks by calls him "Tony". I muted my TV for most of the episode the second time I saw it, as that causes subtitles to appear on my television. I clearly read the name "Tony". I'm certain some of you won't believe me, but whatever. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 76.177.24.153 (talk) 18:49, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

The subtitles were not written by the writer, just by some person who watched it same as everyone else, I've seen subtitles on different channels, some sam Tommy, other's say Tony. By not including the name at all, its not an issue. There is a clear consensus for this, please do not revert me again--Jac16888 ^Talk 18:56, 6 December 2011 (UTC)

"I've been called many things... Jeff..." — Preceding unsigned comment added by 138.67.158.1 (talk) 23:11, 19 February 2012 (UTC)

pride in floors?

Nevertheless, Janitor takes inordinate pride in the cleanliness of the hospital's floors.

He only does this in one episode, and it appears to be a rational for the Janitor to steal Kelso's scooter. It also seems that the Janitor gets angry at anyone who creates a mess in the hospital. Reub2000 (talk) 22:05, 25 May 2009 (UTC)

As for the floors and or mess (aka extra work)...who -wouldn't-? Lots42 (talk) 12:16, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

Most people wouldn't go out of their way to torment someone just because of litter, exactly what he does to Turk in My Dirty Secret. Reub2000 (talk) 16:44, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

The Janitor doesn't need a reason to torment people. He just does. Sometimes he has reasons, sometimes he does not. Lots42 (talk) 19:52, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

To be fair, Turk was being arrogant. But don't forget the time he haunted the pediatrics ward because the little buggers where spilling their drinks. The Janitor always has reasons for the things he does, they just don't make sense to normal people. Reub2000 (talk) 23:52, 27 May 2009 (UTC)

Semi-protect?

I'm not sure of the procedure for semi-protection, but I'm thinking that it might be good idea due to the number of edits by anonymous editors being reverted. Reub2000 (talk) 06:32, 25 June 2009 (UTC)

Name

http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-now-scrubs.j30,0,7059608.story As you can see, http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0283568/ the janitor's name is Glenn, and the character was also voiced by Neil, we have confirmation from the creator of the series itself. There is no need for the "ambiguity" line, however a rewording could include the orderly, because it suggests an important repetition in the Janitor's inter-personal relationships. Revrant (talk) 18:03, 27 September 2009 (UTC)

Heathen

I think we should include the fact that he at one point converted to the Norse faith of Asatru :DJanderVK (talk) 12:09, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Or did he just say he did? Lots42 (talk) 14:02, 21 October 2009 (UTC)

Edit wars stink

And I seem to have been drawn into one about the word 'Tommy'. My bad. Lots42 (talk) 21:36, 14 December 2009 (UTC)

Janitor = Neil Flynn

To second an earlier opinion: Identifying the janitor with Neil Flynn is the single explanation that makes the most sense, including his reluctance to be named/false identities, the Fugitive-connection, and his acting ability. Notably, almost everything else that could normally be used for deduction is information that simply cannot be trusted. 88.77.137.210 (talk) 21:28, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

This has been discussed before. Can you find any sources? Reub2000 (talk) 22:08, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

It could be, that in the fiction of the Scrubs 'universe', the Janitor made up the name for his film role. Confirmation is everyone's friend, -especially- with this article, because of the character's self-confessed lying. Lots42 (talk) 07:25, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I agree with the possibility of his name actually being Neil Flynn, and I do believe it is. However, having just watched "My Soul On Fire Part 2", I noticed that during the janitor's wedding, Bill Lawrence (playing the "reverend") attempts to say a name beginning with 'Sh...' but you cannot hear the rest of what is said - as is intended. This could be another play on the janitor's part, having created another alter-ego for the Bahamas. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 77.98.149.0 (talk) 20:42, 17 February 2010 (UTC)

Flashback 1964

I would like to know more about this flashback. Was this someone remembering finding the Janitor's files? Or the Janitor himself telling a story or what? Because the Janitor enjoys lying. Lots42 (talk) 13:23, 11 July 2011 (UTC)

janitor and Osama bin laden

The janitor actually predicted Osama bin laden location in episode 8 of season 6 — Preceding unsigned comment added by 49.244.65.19 (talk) 18:38, 21 September 2013 (UTC)

External links modified

Hello fellow Wikipedians,

I have just modified 2 external links on Janitor (Scrubs). Please take a moment to review my edit. If you have any questions, or need the bot to ignore the links, or the page altogether, please visit this simple FaQ for additional information. I made the following changes:

• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20090510231305/http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-now-scrubs.j30,0,7059608.story to http://www.dailypress.com/entertainment/dp-now-scrubs.j30,0,7059608.story
• Added archive https://web.archive.org/web/20121103053950/http://www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing/about/scouts-neil-flynn.shtml to http://www.nbc.com/Last_Comic_Standing/about/scouts-neil-flynn.shtml

When you have finished reviewing my changes, you may follow the instructions on the template below to fix any issues with the URLs.

This message was posted before February 2018. After February 2018, "External links modified" talk page sections are no longer generated or monitored by InternetArchiveBot. No special action is required regarding these talk page notices, other than regular verification using the archive tool instructions below. Editors have permission to delete these "External links modified" talk page sections if they want to de-clutter talk pages, but see the RfC before doing mass systematic removals. This message is updated dynamically through the template {{source check}} (last update: 5 June 2024).

• If you have discovered URLs which were erroneously considered dead by the bot, you can report them with this tool.
• If you found an error with any archives or the URLs themselves, you can fix them with this tool.

Cheers.—InternetArchiveBot (Report bug) 05:45, 22 November 2017 (UTC)

Scholarly sources and notability

If the Janitor has been studied in scholarly works, then we should list those works here and note his impact on society. I've found a few, but I don't have full access to them. Could anyone with a JSTOR account or access to a university library give these a click and confirm that the Janitor is a substantive part of the study and not merely mentioned?

• Public pedagogy as border-crossing: How Canadian fans learn about health care from American TV
• Superior-subordinate relationships found in Scrubs: A discourse analysis
• Beyond sitcom: new directions in American television comedy
• Animal Cruelty by Another Name: The Redundancy of Animal Hoarding Laws

Darkfrog24 (talk) 23:22, 8 September 2023 (UTC)