Janis Rivers

Janis Rivers is the main villainess from Love Thy Neighbor.

She was played by Shannon Lawson.

Janis Rivers is the next door neighbor of Laura Benson at a gated community that Laura and her family move to after a break-in at her home. At first, Janis and Laura get along well, but things begin to turn sour during a dinner conversation when Janis asks Laura to tell her daughter, Erin, to give up her spot on the high school's soccer team so Janis' daughter, Jenny, can play. When Laura refuses, Janis begins terrorizing her, beginning with getting Erin kicked off the team due to a false claim that she was using drugs. Among other things, Janis also sends Laura a threatening note and even has the family's pet cat killed. It is later revealed that Janis is a domestic abuser--with "a good left hook," as Detective Zeller told Laura. After Laura learned about Janis' history and her twisted acts, she inadvertently let Janis into her home, leading to a violent confrontation, which had Janis ranting and showing extreme jealousy over Laura being "so perfect." In a fit of psychotic rage, the evil Janis viciously attacked Erin with a fireplace poker, with every strike aimed towards Erin's ankle. The fight ends with Janis falling through a bannister, much to Laura's horror. Janis survives and is taken into custody.