Janet Beene is Cyrus Beene's ex-wife. He married her to hide his sexuality.
About[]
The character of Janet Beene is a minor supporting character adding to Cyrus Beene's family. The character appeared in the season four Scandal episode Put a Ring On It.
History[]
Flashbacks reveal that while Cyrus was running for a comptroller position, he impulsively proposes to his girlfriend, Janet. She tells him that wearing the color purple brings out his eyes, and Cyrus wonders out loud "What would I do without you." Seconds later, he pulls a ring off of his own hand and proposes to her in their bedroom. Surprised, Janet reminds him of how they just started dating and asks him if he is joking. "It's only been a few months, but when you know you know. From the moment I laid eyes on you" is what Cyrus says to tie the proposal together and Janet soon accepts, but with the notion that she is catholic and "can't just get divorced like those girls from Holyoke." On Janet and Cyrus' wedding day, the flashback shows him and his best man- Ronnie talking just before he walks down the aisle. Ronnie asks Cyrus if they're still on for 'racquetball' in the following week, Cyrus replies that he's about to be a married man and that he will not be 'playing racquetball' with him anymore, revealing that he and Ronnie had been hooking up until this point. Therefore, Cyrus knew he was gay before marrying Janet. He also mentioned the AIDS crisis, telling Ronnie that people are dying, and that he refuses to die because he couldn't control himself. Cyrus was worried about being his true self due to lack of LGBT acceptance in America at the time and especially the political arena. On the night that Fitz Grant won as Governor of California, Cyrus walks into the closet to find Janet drunk and upset. She says that she feels lonely in the relationship, and states that she feels like she barely knows him after 16 years of marriage. She asks for a divorce and Cyrus recounts what she said at their proposal how she doesn't believe in divorce. He begs for Janets forgiveness because he believes it wouldn't be good for his presumed run for congress. She ends the fight saying "Let's stop pretending with one another" and says that she has been having an affair, and that she knows that Cyrus is gay. They soon divorce after and we don't see Janet in the series entirety.
Trivia[]
- She is Catholic.
- She started an affair towards the end of her marriage with Cyrus.