Create a free profile to get unlimited access to exclusive show news, updates, and more!
Who Is Donald Faison? Everything to Know About the Extended Family Star
Donald Faison's beloved for works like Scrubs and Clueless. Now, he's heading to Extended Family.
A favorite TV surgeon is now cutting up in a new NBC comedy.
On Extended Family, former Scrubs doc Donald Faison stars with Jon Cryer and Abigail Spencer in a fun and contemporary take on divorce and co-parenting. Set in the aftermath of the amicable split between Jim (Cryer) and Julia (Spencer), things don’t always go totally smoothly for the consciously uncoupled pair, especially when Julia falls for Trey (Faison). Trey is a perfectionist, a brainy MIT grad — and he also just happens to own Jim’s favorite sports team, the Boston Celtics.
It’s a situation ripe for comedy, and that’s a playing field Faison definitely knows his way around. Here's everything you need to know about the beloved actor.
Who Is Donald Faison?
Born in New York in 1974, Faison is well-known for playing Dr. Christopher Turk on Scrubs, the popular NBC/ABC sitcom set in New Sacred Heart Hospital that ran from 2001 to 2010. Type-A Turk kept busy as the Chief of Surgery at the hospital, and was also BFFs with fellow physician JD Dorian, who was played by Zach Braff, Faison’s real-life bestie.
Today, the two actors co-host a weekly pod called Fake Doctors, Real Friends with Zach and Donald where they have no-holds-barred discussions of episodes of the show.
But by the time Faison landed Scrubs, he’d already been carving out a career in commercials, movies, and TV roles. An early break came when he landed the plum role of popular student Murray Duvall in the hit movie Clueless in 1995. He also reprised the part in the TV series spin-off that began a three-season run in 1996.
Faison followed that up with a recurring role as the virginal Tracy on the TV series Felicity and as a running back opposite Denzel Washington in the football film Remember the Titans.
His 2019 TV series Emergence also dealt with themes of divorce and co-parenting.
In addition to live action, Faison has done an array of voice work for animated series including Clone High, Robot Chicken, and American Dad!.
Besides their podcast, Faison and Braff have another joint venture. The two have been the ubiquitous faces of a viral T-Mobile ad campaign in which they get to show off their singing and pitchman skills.
Faison’s focus is now fixed on Extended Family. He’s posted a preview trailer of the show on Instagram, which gives a peek at the show and his character.
“Trey really loves Julia,” says Faison in the teaser. “He’s trying to figure out how he fits into all of this. He just has no clue what he’s getting into.”
Faison, on the other hand, knows all about navigating family. He is a father of six who married wife CaCee Cobb in 2012 at Braff’s home, PEOPLE reported.
Faison also knows comedies — and he’s stoked to be in a new one.
“I’m a ham,” he told the Daily News. “I will take the audience reaction to a joke and really, really stretch it.”
Extended Family premieres Saturday, December 23rd at 8/7c on NBC, with new weekly episodes returning Tuesday, January 2nd at 8:30/7:30c on NBC. All episodes will be available to stream next day on Peacock.
