One of Scrubs' most memorable dramatic storylines sees J.D. discovering that his ex-girlfriend Kim had lied to him about her pregnancy, although the ideas behind the development are easy to miss. First introduced in Scrubs season 5, Kim Briggs (Elizabeth Banks) is a urologist at Sacred Heart who acts as a recurring love interest for J.D. throughout seasons 5 and 6. During their brief romance, J.D. manages to impregnate Kim, complicating their relationship considerably. Despite being romantically involved with one of Scrubs' main characters, Kim's overall role on the show is relatively forgettable in comparison to other supporting characters.
After J.D. accidentally impregnates Kim, the pair's relationship becomes unexpectedly intense. When Kim is offered a job in Tacoma, Washington, she accepts, leaving Sacred Heart and J.D. behind. Shortly after, she tells J.D. that she has had a miscarriage, but this turns out to be a lie when J.D. reconnects with her at a medical conference. Even though they attempt to get back together, J.D. realizes that he doesn't love Kim, and they break up for good shortly before their son is born.
Kim lying to J.D. about having a miscarriage is one of the darkest storylines on the show (even though Scrubs was primarily a comedy), although her exact motivations for doing so are easy to miss. Kim's lie to J.D. is particularly heinous, but her reasons were somewhat valid. As neither of them had planned to have the baby, J.D.'s childish ways make him a less than ideal candidate to be a parent, and her new job taking her away from Sacred Heart, she seemingly decides it would be kinder to allow him to continue his life free of the responsibilities of parenthood.
Of course, this isn't Kim's choice to make, meaning that J.D.'s upset regarding her lie is entirely justified. However, J.D.'s reaction to the pregnancy was one of fear, and as Kim understands that he would relocate to Washington for her and the baby, she tells her lie as an imagined kindness to him. Kim's decision to lie might have been unpleasant, but it was somewhat prescient: ultimately, Kim and J.D.'s Scrubs ending is ruined by him admitting that he doesn't love her.
It's possible that Kim understands this about J.D. even early in their relationship. His on-off relationship with Elliot was something that he was clearly still hung up on, and their continued friendship would have been enough of a strain on his relationship with Kim on its own. However, with an unexpected pregnancy factored in, and the fact that J.D. was living in a tent on his own half-acre of land, Kim made the decision to lie to him about having lost the baby in order to protect them all from future complications. Though it was undeniably one of the most unpleasant acts committed on Scrubs, Kim's motivations for lying to J.D. were understandable, if still condemnable.
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