You remember Janet Wood. The sensible one. The one who basically kept the lights on at 201 North Delaware Street while Jack Tripper was tripping over sofas and Chrissy Snow was, well, being Chrissy. Joyce DeWitt played that role with a grounded energy that made the slapstick around her actually work. But then 1984 hit. The show ended, and while her co-stars stayed in the tabloid cycle, DeWitt seemingly vanished into thin air.
Honestly, she didn't disappear. She just opted out.
If you're wondering where is Joyce DeWitt today, the answer isn't a Hollywood mansion or a reality TV reboot. As of early 2026, DeWitt is 76 years old and living a life that looks nothing like the "industry standard" for a former sitcom icon. She's healthy, she’s active, and she is still very much an actress—just not the kind you'll see on a Netflix billboard.
The Mystery of the 12-Year Disappearing Act
Most people think DeWitt’s career ended with Three's Company. It didn't. She actually walked away on purpose. After the series wrapped in 1984, she took what she thought would be a six-month break to "chill out" and escape the moral code of Hollywood, which she later described as something that just didn't feel natural to her.
✨ Don't miss: Amaury Guichon TV Show Explained: Why School of Chocolate Still Hits Different
That six months turned into 12 years.
During that decade-plus hiatus, she traveled the world. She studied with various spiritual teachers. She lived a life that was completely disconnected from the "Jacket" (Jack + Janet) shipping rumors and the drama of the 1980s. When she finally did come back to the screen in the mid-90s, it wasn't for a blockbuster. It was for a TV movie called Spring Fling!. She’d realized by then that fame was a byproduct she could do without, but the craft of acting was something she still loved.
Stage Over Screen
Lately, if you want to find Joyce, you have to look toward the theater. She has spent the last several years performing in regional playhouses and touring productions. We're talking about real, grit-on-the-floor theater.
In 2018, she was playing Mother Superior in Nunsense at the Hunterdon Hills Playhouse in New Jersey. More recently, she stepped into the shoes of Ethel Thayer in On Golden Pond at the Riverside Center for the Performing Arts. This is the role Katharine Hepburn made famous, and DeWitt took it on with a level of nuance that reminded everyone she actually has a Master of Fine Arts from UCLA. She isn't just a sitcom star; she's a trained, technical actor who prefers the immediate feedback of a live audience over the cold eye of a camera lens.
✨ Don't miss: Moe Howard of the Three Stooges: The Tough Boss Who Actually Kept the Act Alive
Where is Joyce DeWitt Today?
As we move through 2026, Joyce continues to make select public appearances that show she hasn't lost that "Janet" spark. In May 2024, she was spotted at the "An Evening From the Heart" gala in Los Angeles, an event for the John Ritter Foundation for Aortic Health. It's clear that her bond with her late co-star remains a huge part of her life.
She also recently surprised fans by appearing in a music video for the Davisson Brothers Band’s song "Home." It was a bit of a full-circle moment for her. The song is about West Virginia roots, which is exactly where Joyce was born. She told Country Living that returning to her roots in West Virginia is a "shot of lifeblood" for her.
- Current Focus: Regional theater and philanthropic work.
- Recent Projects: Ask Me to Dance (2022 film), "Home" music video (2023).
- Advocacy: Longtime supporter of ending hunger and homelessness, having worked with the Capitol Hill Forum on Hunger and Homelessness.
The "Jacket" Rumors and the TikTok Era
Believe it or not, Joyce is kind of a hit on social media these days, even if she isn't the one posting the clips. A video of her at age 76 recently went viral on TikTok, where fans were floored by how little she’s changed. She joked in the video about the term "Jacket"—the fan-made couple name for Jack and Janet.
"I didn't know they called us 'Jacket.' That's a new one," she laughed.
It’s sort of surreal to see a woman who walked away from the height of 80s fame suddenly being "discovered" by Gen Z. But she takes it in stride. She’s often said that the only reason the show is worth remembering is because it gave people a chance to laugh together.
The Suzanne Somers Peace
For years, the "ugly truth" about Three's Company was the rift between DeWitt and Suzanne Somers. It was a classic 80s tabloid story: salary disputes, blacklisting, and a 31-year silence.
But they fixed it. Before Somers passed away in 2023, the two had a public and very emotional reconciliation on Somers' web show. Joyce has since spoken about Suzanne with nothing but love, calling her "absolutely wonderful" and noting that she hoped the angels greeted her with the same wisdom she shared on earth. This wasn't some PR stunt; it was two women in their 70s deciding that life was too short for a three-decade-old grudge.
Making Sense of the "Janet" Legacy
People often ask if she’s bitter about how the show ended. In an interview with Fox News in late 2024, she admitted she was a "bit offended" that the writers chose to just "marry her off" in the finale. She felt Janet deserved more—maybe law school, medical school, or the Peace Corps.
That perspective tells you everything you need to know about Joyce DeWitt today. She still cares about the integrity of her characters. She still fights for the "smart woman" in the room.
Actionable Takeaways for Fans
If you’re looking to keep up with Joyce or celebrate her work, here’s the best way to do it:
- Check Regional Playbills: She doesn't do Broadway often, but she is a staple in high-end regional theater. If you live in the Northeast or Midwest, keep an eye on playhouse schedules.
- Support Her Causes: She has been a tireless advocate for the Family Assistance Program of Hollywood and global hunger initiatives.
- Revisit the Classics: Three's Company is currently streaming on several platforms. Watching it now, you’ll likely notice the technical skill DeWitt brought to the role that most of us missed as kids.
- Watch "Home": Check out the Davisson Brothers Band music video to see her most recent "on-screen" performance. It’s a quiet, beautiful tribute to her heritage.
Joyce DeWitt is living proof that you can be a part of something massive and still choose to live a small, meaningful life on your own terms. She’s not "missing"—she’s exactly where she wants to be.