All the Times the Friends Cast Broke that Were Kept in the Show
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VOICE OVER: Emily Brayton
WRITTEN BY: Tal Fox
We can't blame them for breaking! Welcome to MsMojo, and today we're counting down our picks for the moments even the “Friends” cast thought a scene couldn't BE any funnier, and the proof is in the take that aired. Our countdown includes moments from episodes “The One With the Worst Best Man Ever”, The One With the 'Cuffs”, “The One With Joey's Bag” and more!
Welcome to MsMojo, and today we’re counting down our picks for the moments even the “Friends” cast thought a scene couldn’t BE any funnier, and the proof is in the take that aired. Did you notice any other time that the cast broke during an episode? Let us know in the comments.
In this episode, Joey finds himself entangled with a woman who can’t tell reality from fiction. When he fails to convince her he’s just an actor, his friends jump in and play along, casting him as Dr. Drake Ramoray's evil twin, Hans. To really sell their story, Rachel and Monica claim they, too, were deceived by him and playfully drench Joey in water. Not wanting to be left out of the action, Chandler shares his grievances, too. We don’t know whether that moment was scripted, but something about Jennifer Aniston’s reaction suggests that perhaps it was a spontaneous bit of improv. We definitely wouldn’t put it past Matthew Perry!
“The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy”
When we rejoin the “Friends” for season three, Monica is still reeling from her breakup with Richard. She interrupts Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe’s breakfast with a gross discovery from her shower drain. As she slowly comes to her senses, she chucks the hairball into her brother’s bowl. Now watch that moment again, but this time, keep your eye on Jennifer Aniston. Notice her shoulders shaking from laughter? Keep watching her in the next shot, and you'll spot her trying to hide her giggles behind her hand. Even Lisa Kudrow can't completely suppress her mirth, releasing a little chuckle as she shares her comical observations.
Ross isn’t exactly the musical maestro he seems to think he is, but we definitely get some good laughs from it. Jennifer Aniston, in particular, seems to find his musical moments more amusing than inspiring. While we’ll get to another classic example later, we’d first like to draw your attention to Ross’ sound from season four. Phoebe’s awestruck, inspired, moved— heck, she’s even a little envious of his innovative talents. But Rachel? Well, see for yourselves. While Ross debuts his keyboard playing, for lack of a better word, abilities, Aniston can be seen stifling her laughter behind her hand. Don’t quit your day job, Ross!
Early in their relationship, Chandler makes a painful discovery about Monica— she gives very forceful massages. While he stoically conceals his agony to spare her feelings, Phoebe, ever the straight shooter, is more concerned with avoiding muscle pain than hurt emotions. In a particularly hilarious moment, Monica argues that she’s a great masseuse and turns to Chandler to prove her point. Only the silent anguish on his face tells a very different story. But look closely because the audience isn’t the only ones laughing. We were so busy focusing on Chandler’s tormented expression that we didn’t notice his castmate openly laughing right behind him. But we see you now, Jen!
In a season three episode, Monica happily inherits a dollhouse from a late aunt. Phoebe’s equally excited to play with it, but Monica has a very rigid vision for her new toy. So, Phoebe creates her own dollhouse, and it’s as wonderfully unique as she is. Sadly, devastation strikes when she forgets to put out a candle in the aroma room, setting the whole thing ablaze. While inspecting the damage, she mourns the fate of her foster puppets. We’re sure Monica genuinely feels bad for her friend, but Courteney Cox can’t help but crack a smile at Phoebe’s impassioned reaction to the misfortune of the dollhouse’s residents.
As we’ll soon see, the dearly missed Matthew Perry is frequently at the epicenter of deliberate and accidental unscripted moments that prompt genuine reactions from his castmates. Take this scene, for example, where Rachel discovers Chandler handcuffed in her boss’ office. She initially agrees to release him but changes her mind, fearing the consequences. Chandler ends up chained to a filing cabinet, fighting for his freedom, when…. Yeah, apparently, that wasn’t planned, but props to Perry for staying in character. As for Aniston, well, how else do you react when your scene partner gets hit in the head with a filing cabinet? But hey, it works!
This moment was brought to the world’s attention by none other than Janice actress herself, Maggie Wheeler. Remember that scene where Chandler confronts Janice about kissing her ex, and she starts to panic? Well, according to Wheeler, during rehearsals, Perry would gently squeeze the paper bag, allowing the air to escape slowly. However, during the taping, perhaps driven by the rush of a live audience, he really went for it, causing an unexpected bang. The actress says while she was able to hide her amusement behind the prop, Perry’s reaction is in plain sight. Indeed, if you look closely, you can see the moment he tries not to break.
After a spat over Chandler’s hypothetical wedding, Ross picks Joey as his best man. Post-bachelor bash, Joey and the stripper dive into their own, shall we say, more intimate celebration. However, the following morning, she’s gone, as is Ross’ wedding ring, so the guys hatch a plan to confront her. Ross comes at her with sheer panic, and it’s hilarious. You know who else found it particularly comical? Matt LeBlanc. See how he ducks behind his castmate as he tries to hide his laughter? We may not have noticed it the first time we watched this scene, but it’s all we can see now!
When Monica and Chandler first hear Ross playing the bagpipes, Monica angrily asks why Chandler’s family has Scottish roots, prompting him to fire back. Well, we’d like to believe it’s so we could get this classic scene and one of the funniest “Friends” bloopers of all time. But you don’t have to turn to the outtakes to see at least one of the gang struggle to hold it together. As the camera pans across Ross’ audience, notice Aniston’s expression. She’s barely holding it together, right? Now, watch her again once Phoebe joins in. We definitely wouldn’t have been able to stay poker-faced, either.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
The “Friends” finale was to quote Rachel. Still, saying goodbye to our favorite “Friends” was as gut-wrenching for us as it was for them to say farewell to the purple apartment. But thanks to an adlib from Matthew Perry, our tears of sorrow quickly turned to tears of laughter. When Rachel suggests they go get coffee, he asks where. In the actor’s memoir, he recalls asking co-creator Marta Kauffman if he could “bring the curtain down on ‘Friends’” and specifically recalled David Schwimmer’s amused reaction. He called it “the perfect mixture of affection and amusement, exactly what…‘Friends’ had always given to the world.” We have to agree it really is perfection.
#10: Throwing Water at Joey
“The One After The Super Bowl - Part 1”In this episode, Joey finds himself entangled with a woman who can’t tell reality from fiction. When he fails to convince her he’s just an actor, his friends jump in and play along, casting him as Dr. Drake Ramoray's evil twin, Hans. To really sell their story, Rachel and Monica claim they, too, were deceived by him and playfully drench Joey in water. Not wanting to be left out of the action, Chandler shares his grievances, too. We don’t know whether that moment was scripted, but something about Jennifer Aniston’s reaction suggests that perhaps it was a spontaneous bit of improv. We definitely wouldn’t put it past Matthew Perry!
#9: Gross Drain Hair
“The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy”
When we rejoin the “Friends” for season three, Monica is still reeling from her breakup with Richard. She interrupts Ross, Rachel, and Phoebe’s breakfast with a gross discovery from her shower drain. As she slowly comes to her senses, she chucks the hairball into her brother’s bowl. Now watch that moment again, but this time, keep your eye on Jennifer Aniston. Notice her shoulders shaking from laughter? Keep watching her in the next shot, and you'll spot her trying to hide her giggles behind her hand. Even Lisa Kudrow can't completely suppress her mirth, releasing a little chuckle as she shares her comical observations.
#8: Ross' sound
“The One Where Chandler Crosses the Line”Ross isn’t exactly the musical maestro he seems to think he is, but we definitely get some good laughs from it. Jennifer Aniston, in particular, seems to find his musical moments more amusing than inspiring. While we’ll get to another classic example later, we’d first like to draw your attention to Ross’ sound from season four. Phoebe’s awestruck, inspired, moved— heck, she’s even a little envious of his innovative talents. But Rachel? Well, see for yourselves. While Ross debuts his keyboard playing, for lack of a better word, abilities, Aniston can be seen stifling her laughter behind her hand. Don’t quit your day job, Ross!
#7: A Painfully Funny Massage
“The One With Joey's Bag”Early in their relationship, Chandler makes a painful discovery about Monica— she gives very forceful massages. While he stoically conceals his agony to spare her feelings, Phoebe, ever the straight shooter, is more concerned with avoiding muscle pain than hurt emotions. In a particularly hilarious moment, Monica argues that she’s a great masseuse and turns to Chandler to prove her point. Only the silent anguish on his face tells a very different story. But look closely because the audience isn’t the only ones laughing. We were so busy focusing on Chandler’s tormented expression that we didn’t notice his castmate openly laughing right behind him. But we see you now, Jen!
#6: “The Foster Puppets!”
“The One With the Dollhouse”In a season three episode, Monica happily inherits a dollhouse from a late aunt. Phoebe’s equally excited to play with it, but Monica has a very rigid vision for her new toy. So, Phoebe creates her own dollhouse, and it’s as wonderfully unique as she is. Sadly, devastation strikes when she forgets to put out a candle in the aroma room, setting the whole thing ablaze. While inspecting the damage, she mourns the fate of her foster puppets. We’re sure Monica genuinely feels bad for her friend, but Courteney Cox can’t help but crack a smile at Phoebe’s impassioned reaction to the misfortune of the dollhouse’s residents.
#5: A Drawer-Matic Accident
“The One With the 'Cuffs”As we’ll soon see, the dearly missed Matthew Perry is frequently at the epicenter of deliberate and accidental unscripted moments that prompt genuine reactions from his castmates. Take this scene, for example, where Rachel discovers Chandler handcuffed in her boss’ office. She initially agrees to release him but changes her mind, fearing the consequences. Chandler ends up chained to a filing cabinet, fighting for his freedom, when…. Yeah, apparently, that wasn’t planned, but props to Perry for staying in character. As for Aniston, well, how else do you react when your scene partner gets hit in the head with a filing cabinet? But hey, it works!
#4: Chandler Confronts Janice
“The One With the Giant Poking Device”This moment was brought to the world’s attention by none other than Janice actress herself, Maggie Wheeler. Remember that scene where Chandler confronts Janice about kissing her ex, and she starts to panic? Well, according to Wheeler, during rehearsals, Perry would gently squeeze the paper bag, allowing the air to escape slowly. However, during the taping, perhaps driven by the rush of a live audience, he really went for it, causing an unexpected bang. The actress says while she was able to hide her amusement behind the prop, Perry’s reaction is in plain sight. Indeed, if you look closely, you can see the moment he tries not to break.
#3:Where’s the Ring?
“The One With the Worst Best Man Ever”After a spat over Chandler’s hypothetical wedding, Ross picks Joey as his best man. Post-bachelor bash, Joey and the stripper dive into their own, shall we say, more intimate celebration. However, the following morning, she’s gone, as is Ross’ wedding ring, so the guys hatch a plan to confront her. Ross comes at her with sheer panic, and it’s hilarious. You know who else found it particularly comical? Matt LeBlanc. See how he ducks behind his castmate as he tries to hide his laughter? We may not have noticed it the first time we watched this scene, but it’s all we can see now!
#2: Ross Plays the Bagpipes
“The One With Joey's New Brain”When Monica and Chandler first hear Ross playing the bagpipes, Monica angrily asks why Chandler’s family has Scottish roots, prompting him to fire back. Well, we’d like to believe it’s so we could get this classic scene and one of the funniest “Friends” bloopers of all time. But you don’t have to turn to the outtakes to see at least one of the gang struggle to hold it together. As the camera pans across Ross’ audience, notice Aniston’s expression. She’s barely holding it together, right? Now, watch her again once Phoebe joins in. We definitely wouldn’t have been able to stay poker-faced, either.
Before we unveil our top pick, here are a few honorable mentions.
Grabbing the Lamp, “The One Where Phoebe Hates PBS”
This Unscripted Action Left Perry Genuinely Baffled, Well, Wouldn’t You Be?Chandler Enjoys His Own Joke, “The One with Barry and Mindy's Wedding”
Perry Looks Pretty Pleased with It, TooThe Geller Cup, “The One with the Football”
Aniston & Kudrow Seem to Find the Moment as Funny as Their Fictional CounterpartsA Right Farce, “The One with Ross's Tan”
Between That Accent & Jennifer Coolidge's Impeccable Comedic Timing, Kudrow’s Barely Holding It TogetherFalling for a Prank, “The One With the Truth About London”
This Isn’t Just Ross & Ben Pulling a Prank on Rachel—Apparently, Her Reaction Is 100% Real#1: One Final Joke
“The Last One”The “Friends” finale was to quote Rachel. Still, saying goodbye to our favorite “Friends” was as gut-wrenching for us as it was for them to say farewell to the purple apartment. But thanks to an adlib from Matthew Perry, our tears of sorrow quickly turned to tears of laughter. When Rachel suggests they go get coffee, he asks where. In the actor’s memoir, he recalls asking co-creator Marta Kauffman if he could “bring the curtain down on ‘Friends’” and specifically recalled David Schwimmer’s amused reaction. He called it “the perfect mixture of affection and amusement, exactly what…‘Friends’ had always given to the world.” We have to agree it really is perfection.
