Fake Doctors, Real Friends Podcast: 10 Things We Learned From Bill Lawrence In Episode Three
4. Dr. Kelso Was Consciously Made Sexist
Throughout the series, the majority of the main cast are incredibly likable, even Dr. Cox and the Janitor when they are tearing J.D apart. Particularly in the earlier seasons however, there was one who stood out. Dr. Kelso was almost like a common enemy for the rest of the hospital in terms of putting money before a patient's health, but he was also slightly sexist.
One of Elliott's earliest story lines within the show saw her butt heads with Kelso over being called 'sweetheart', and when the character told a male nurse that he was doing a woman's job, the show received countless complaint letters. Many questioned why Bill would put in his show a character with these views.
The answer from the creator was simple - because they exist in real life. This was a conscious decision to show what doctors from a different time were like, when saying these kinds of things was okay. This was something that young doctors had to put up with, but thankfully Bob Kelso grew as a character throughout the series to be just as loved as the rest of them.