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Daily Mirror
Daily Mirror
Entertainment
Andy Richardson

Where Friends' Janice actress is now - life-off screen and laugh confession

She was the loud, bumbling love interest of Chandler Bing in the hit US sitcom Friends which showcased the life of six pals living in New York and dealing with the ups and downs of life together.

With the catchphrase 'Oh My God' Janice Hosenstein became a popular character with fans of the show with her nasal laugh and somewhat oblivious demeanor.

She had the third most appearances outside the main cast members on the show filmed between 1994 and 2004.

And the character played by Maggie Wheeler appeared on at least one episode in every series appearing alongside core cast members David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, and Matthew Perry.

While the role of Janice wasn't exactly a main character she still played a vital role in the series and would often show up in Chandler's life at the most inopportune moments even after they'd broken up.

She nearly crashed Chandler and Monica's wedding and the almost bought the house next to to Chandler and Monica in the suburbs.

But what happened to the actress who played her?

Janice was Chandler's girlfriend in the show (Grab)

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Maggie has gone on to do quite a lot since her days on Friends both personally and professionally.

She was a regular on another hit sitcom Everybody Loves Raymond in the mid-1990s and early 2000s where she played Linda Gruenfelder.

Maggie appeared covered in chocolate and feathers as Camp counselor Marva Junior in Disney’s remake of The Parent Trap.

Since Friends ended she has been inundated with work including roles in How I Met Your Mother, Californication, Hot in Cleveland, ER and Drake and Josh.

She also guest-starred in the Disney Channel series Shake it Up as Dina's mother.

She was also involved in Friends The Reunion last year. Maggie has also had roles in films including Dr Dolittle 3 and The Addams Family and in 2021 appeared in Mark, Mary & Some Other People where she played Lisa.

Her very distinct voice has been the golden ticket for a number of voice over roles and she played Trinette McGoon in the animated series Archer for 11 episodes between 2009 and 2017.

As for her life off-screen, Maggie married sculptor Daniel Wheeler in 1990.

Daniel has won awards for his work, which revolves around ceremonial objects and spaces.

Maggie, 60, told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency: "As a couple, we're both involved and invested in creating spaces for people to express themselves. He with his art and me with my music."

They have two daughters, Gemma and Juno. Maggie is a music lover and helps to run The Golden Bridge Community Choir where she lives in Los Angeles.

The actress also travels to universities, communities and schools to teach her a cappella vocal workshop called Singing In The Stream.

Maggie previously spoke about her distinctive laugh and iconic 'Oh my God' catchphrase on This Morning back in 2016.

"[The laugh] was just a progression of how Janice evolved, how the writers created the character for me.

"The laugh happened for me organically in the first rehearsal because I needed to find a way to laugh because Matthew Perry is so funny.

"Working with him I thought this guy was going to make me laugh on set, I've got to be prepared.

"What am I gonna do? So I created Janice's laugh as a safety measure just in case he made me laugh."

Maggie during the Friends 25th Anniversary New York City Pop-Up (AFP via Getty Images)

During an appearance on American show Access Live in 2016 Maggie spoke about life on the Friends set and how her character took off after her first appearance.

She said: "I was always a surprise on Friends. They always snuck me in at the last minute. I mean, they opened the door and I think that episode was a big success and obviously, Janice made people happy, and so they just kept bringing me back. You know, who knew when I set out to do that first episode that it would happen but it was the greatest blessing."

Maggie was at the Friends Reunion last year where she shared greetings with the principle cast and had a sweet hug with Matthew Perry, to whom she played his long-time on–off girlfriend.

Host James Corden's first question to Maggie was how she crafted Janice.

She said: "You know, I got the audition sides across my fax machine and it says fast-talking New Yorker, and I thought, [in Janice's voice] I know her. I just — she lives in me, that’s it."

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