Lovejoy portrayed Nora Clark's disapproving mother in the 2006 dance film Step Up. She played the role of the serial kidnapper/murderer Heather Taffet (aka "The Gravedigger") on the American television series Bones. She also appeared in Bad Teacher as a student's mother. She also appeared in a recurring role on the Dana Delany series Body of Proof. In 2013, Lovejoy appeared on Broadway with Tom Hanks in Lucky Guy by Nora Ephron.