Part of Scrubs featuring Zach Braff, Donald Faison, Judy Reyes, John C. McGinley, and Ken Jenkins.
Rise to Fame
She walked into Roseanne as a replacement Becky Conner, which is not an auspicious way to start a career. Replacing a fan-favorite mid-run practically guarantees resentment. She survived it, and eight years later landed Dr. Elliot Reid on Scrubs, an anxious, word-salad-spewing resident who became the show's emotional anchor as much as its comic relief. Scrubs ran nine seasons. Elliot ran with her.
In the Spotlight
The Scrubs revival premiered on ABC in February 2026, and she's back as Elliot. The show landed a 90% on Rotten Tomatoes, which tells you the nostalgia didn't curdle. Between the original run ending in 2010 and now, she held down Firefly Lane on Netflix through 2023 and voices Beth Smith on Rick and Morty. The revival opens with J.D. and Elliot divorced, which is a gutsy move for a fanbase that spent nine seasons rooting for them. She's still the one they wanted back.
Side Notes
She grew up in North Vancouver, started in musical theatre at 8, and got her first taste of TV as a reporter on a Canadian kids show. Her mother is from Germany, so she speaks German fluently. She was reportedly weighing college over acting right around the time Scrubs auditions came through, which makes the trajectory feel more contingent than it looks in retrospect. Her aunt and grandmother both died from undiagnosed breast cancer, which led to advocacy work and a Lifetime movie about mastectomy. Not exactly the soft backstory most comedic actresses lead with.