John C. McGinley gets candid about Dr. Cox's heartbreaking twist in 'Scrubs'

John C. McGinley has reflected on filming heartfelt scenes in the Scrubs revival.

As fans will be aware, the new series, which has been released on 25th February 2026, revolves around mentoring a new generation of interns at Sacred Heart, blending classic fantasy sequences with a 2026 setting.

Right when the acting sensation returned as Dr Cox in the episode eight of the series, and his character was diagnosed with an incurable autoimmune disease.

In a new interview with Deadline, McGinley looked back on the candid chats Dr. Cox has with JD, played by Zach Braff and Elliott Reid, portrayed by Sarah Chalke.

In doing so, John told the outlet that he was nothing less than "a mess" filming his emotionally charged scenes.

 "Yeah, I was a mess," he began.

"And that’s not the stuff you cut in, because sometimes when the actors get too upset, it deprives the audience of sharing in that arc.

"What’s in the episode is the stuff that still makes it accessible for the audience."

Moreover, McGinley credited series creator Bill Lawrence for his "deft touch" in the editing room, which ensured that the emotional weight landed perfectly.

"Sometimes you just want to put it down, and with that comes a release. But sometimes the lens suffers that as your indulgence, not ours, not the viewers," he continued.

"So there has to be a real deft touch in post, in edit. And I think Billy did a great job with letting the audience own that, not Cox."