Janice Hosenstein was more than Chandler Bing’s fling on Friends. The character, played by Maggie Wheeler, became a ’90s icon. Their on-again, off-again relationship for the show’s first four seasons was comedic for viewers watching. They just couldn’t get enough of Janice’s distinctive voice and laugh. As Hosenstein’s popularity grew, Wheeler became a hot commodity, which resulted in her having to be smuggled onto set until it was time for her to film a scene. Recently, Wheeler shared why she had to be hidden and how it made her feel.
The 63-year-old actress was a guest on Steve Kmetko’s audio show Still Here Hollywood Podcast with Steve Kmetko. She talked about her time on the legendary NBC sitcom created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman. According to Cinema Blend, the episode was posted on YouTube and the two talked about Matthew Perry’s 2023 passing — who played the goofy and loveable Chandler Bing — and her memorable time on the show. The host, Kmetko, instantly talked about the influence of Janice and how the character’s appearance took the episode plots of Friends up a notch. He also asked if there were any special behind-the-scenes efforts to keep her appearances a surprise — and it was!

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They would keep me hidden. I wasn’t allowed to even really wander around craft services, they made me stay in my dressing room…And then I would sort of sneak down, and then they would put up a black scrim to block my entrance, to block the doorway, so the audience wouldn’t see me until the door opened.

So the screams that viewers heard from the audience every time Janice Hosenstein appeared on-screen were real instant reactions. That makes re-watching the episodes even better now, because there wasn’t an on-cue response; it was natural. For a recurring character to garner that reaction shows how much of an impact they have on the series. Besides marrying Monica Geller, Janice was Chandler’s only girlfriend that viewers couldn’t get enough of seeing. For Wheeler, becoming a fan-favorite without even being a main cast member was a “rockstar feeling,” especially during the episode where her character spent a night with Ross.
The Hilarious ‘Friends’ Scene Where Janice & Ross Hooked Up

NBC

Friends don’t hook up with their best friend’s ex, right? In the fictional world of television, all things are on the table for the best laughs. In the season 5 episode “The One with Chandler’s Work Laugh,” Monica (Courteney Cox) gets annoyed at how much Chandler (Perry) falls at the feet of his boss, and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) awaits to confront Monica about her relationship with Chandler. Meanwhile, Ross (David Schwimmer) finds himself in the arms of Janice and learns that Emily is getting married. Here’s what Maggie Wheeler had to say about the iconic scene:

“Even more so when I had spent the night with Ross, because that was a huge buildup. A huge secret, nobody could have imagined what was going on — and the cast kept saying, ‘Where were you, where were you, where were you?’ And they really just milked it until the bitter end. And then when I walked in, the audience went nuts.”

Source: Still Here Hollywood Podcast with Steve Kmetko

Friends

Release Date

1994 – 2003

Network

NBC

Showrunner

Marta Kauffman

Directors

David Crane, Marta Kauffman

Writers

David Crane, Marta Kauffman