Scrubs' Janitor Might Be Shrinking's Raymond

With Scrubs back on screens, viewers revisiting Bill Lawrence's work have noticed a link between the medical sitcom and his later series Shrinking. Neil Flynn, who became famous as the Janitor on Scrubs, now plays Raymond, a former patient and friend of Paul in Shrinking.

In the Scrubs Season 7 episode "My Own Worst Enemy," the Janitor gives J.D. the contact details for a cognitive therapist, insisting he knows the man and that he's "good," which suggests personal experience. Shrinking establishes that Ray has been Paul's patient for years and eventually forges a friendship with him, prompting speculation that Ray and the Janitor might be the same person.

Fans point to the Janitor's many alter egos — a twin, a British Nigel, a German Klaus, the Chief of Medicine and Dr. Jan Itor among them — as part of the theory. One possibility is that the Janitor's theatrical personas are covers and that Ray represents his quieter, true self; another is that a condition such as dissociative identity disorder could explain the shifts.

scrubs, janitor, shrinking, raymond, neil flynn, bill lawrence, paul, season 7, cognitive therapist, dissociative identity