In ten seasons of the classic NBC sitcom Friends, there was one gag that really never got old. Janice's signature laugh and iconically nasal “Oh. My. God,” was a surprise every time — and usually in a hilarious way. After serving as Chandler’s on-and-off girlfriend through the early seasons of Friends, Janice continued to pop back up throughout the series, showing up in the hospital delivery room with Rachel in Season 7 and as the would-be next door neighbor to a house-hunting Chandler and Monica in Season 10, among other appearances. And she's not done yet!
Maggie Wheeler is hilariously at it again, as she reprised the role of Janice for a hilarious TikTok video alongside @jaxwritessongs, though it's not so clear at first. The singer performed an adapted version of the Friends theme song, built upon lamenting that the most solid relationship of Friends’ tenure wasn’t allowed to come full circle before the gang shut the door to Monica’s apartment for the last time. Check out the video below:
@jaxwritessongs ♬ original sound - Jax
Seriously, could that appearance by Maggie Wheeler BE any more surprising? Not to mention convincing. As much as Chandler loved to deny it throughout the classic '90s series, he did have a connection with Janice that continued to bring the two together. (Even if it was sometimes his inability to let go of her shoe.) And while it seems Janice still holds a flame for the statistical analysis and data reconfiguration expert, this wasn’t the first time she voiced her hopes for Chandler and Monica’s demise.
In Season 7’s “The One With Ross’ Library Book,” Monica told Janice that Chandler still had feelings for her in a ruse to get Janice to not attend their upcoming wedding. Always a good sport, Janice agreed, but told Chandler to call her “when this goes in the pooper.” Apparently the offer still stands! Janice was always so steadfastly confident in her and Chandler’s connection from the very beginning, as Janice set viewers up for what to expect between the two over the next ten (or, apparently, 24+) years, telling Chandler in Season 1:
You seek me out. Something deep in your soul calls out to me like a foghorn: Ja-nice, Ja-nice. You want me. You need me. You can't live without me. And you know it. You just don't know you know it.
Haunting! And while I’m sure there are many who wish Chandler and Janice had ended up together — and that Monica had ridden off into the sunset with Richard and his sexy mustache — I am certain the latter wouldn’t take such a turn of events lying down. Just like her character, Courteney Cox can get pretty feisty, as she proved when she roasted her Scream co-star Melissa Barrera, warning her not to mess with the Friends franchise. I fully need Cox to respond to Maggie Wheeler in kind — and by that I mean in song — over the idea of Janice trying to move in on her fictional man.
Friends has proved to be such an enduring hit that even so many years after it went off the air, fans still get excited anytime the actors give us a little morsel of their iconic characters. The Ross and Rachel “Were they on a break?” controversy, for one, is resurrected fairly regularly, with vigorous supporters on both sides of the argument.
If you want to relive Chandler’s relationships with Janice or Monica, all ten seasons of Friends are currently streaming on HBO Max, including this year’s Friends: The Reunion, which did indeed feature an appearance from Maggie Wheeler. And if your loved ones are expecting a visit from the Holiday Armadillo this year, be sure to check out these great gift ideas for Friends fans!
