Top 20 Surprising Facts About Friends

One of the most memorable aspects of this sitcom is the outfits since all the friends have their fair share of iconic fashion moments. It turns out these looks were carefully curated by the show’s fashion designer to ensure each character stood out on their own while simultaneously fitting in with their co-stars. Starting from the first season, Monica was usually dressed in neutrals, Rachel was given a color palette of blues and greens, and Phoebe could be seen sporting fun patterns. The boys also wore clothes that complemented their lifestyles and personalities, and with this much thought being put into the characters’ wardrobes, we’re not surprised that fans are still trying to replicate these looks decades later.

“Friends” just wouldn’t be “Friends” without our favorite couple, Monica and Chandler. So, it’s pretty shocking to find out the creators of the show originally weren’t planning to have them last as a couple. But, that all changed after the audience’s overwhelmingly positive reaction to Monica and Chandler getting together in London. Because of this, their storyline had to pivot. Believe it or not, Monica and Joey were originally intended to be the sitcom’s long-running couple, and we’re very happy to see the show ultimately ended up going in the direction that it did. We just can’t imagine not seeing Mondler’s romance play out, so we have to give kudos to the fans who were in the studio audience that day.

This episode is chock-full of memorable guest stars, with Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself and Brooke Shields playing one of Joey’s fans. But, it’s Julia Roberts’ role as Chandler’s old friend Susie that leaves its mark with viewers. Matthew Perry was actually the one that got Julia Roberts to guest star, and his methods for doing so were just a tad unorthodox. Legend has it that after Perry sent Roberts flowers in an attempt to bring her on “Friends,” she requested a paper on quantum physics instead. Perry did just that, Roberts made her iconic appearance, and the rest is history.

It’s pretty hard to imagine the friend group including anyone outside of the main six, but during the show’s run, NBC wanted to mix it up. Rather than incorporating a recurring character like Gunther, Janice, or Mike into the mix, they wanted to try to appeal to an older audience. So, the idea for an older man named “Pat the Cop” was born – not to be confused with “Pat the Dog”. He was supposed to join the gang occasionally and it even went as far as the role getting cast, but the idea was ultimately scrapped, and we’re going to go out on a limb here and say that was the right decision.

As far as side characters go on this series, the bright-haired, bold-fashioned Central Perk barista is up there as one of our faves. James Michael Tyler was clearly perfectly cast as Gunther, and it turns out this is due in part to his real life experiences lending to his performance. He was originally cast as an extra and, when it turned out he was the only background actor who could work an espresso machine, he became “Friends’” resident “Coffee Guy”. As we know now, that small role became a staple of the show, as Gunther would go on to appear in a whopping 185 episodes.

“Friends” doesn’t make sense as a show unless all of the main characters are a part of it, so we can’t imagine a final season without one of the core six. Jennifer Aniston was hesitant to return for season ten, as she was dealing with personal matters all while her career outside of the sitcom was taking off. Not only would the last episodes be different without Rachel, she never would’ve gotten the closure to her story that we now know and love. We also have no idea how they would have resolved the Rachel/Ross storyline, and that final scene in the empty apartment with only five friends would have felt sad and weird. Needless to say, we’re relieved she had a change of heart.

Season one has some of the series’ most memorable moments, like Carol giving birth to Ben and the introduction of Ross’ pet monkey. This gem is the seventh-ever episode of “Friends”, with its simple plot bringing forth all its charm. It turns out, however, that “The One with the Blackout”, has a deeper backstory. Other NBC sitcoms also featured episodes with a blackout theme on the same night. The episodes were promoted as a part of ‘blackout Thursday,’ a campaign designed to highlight four of NBC’s best Thursday night sitcoms: “Mad About You”, “Seinfeld”, “Madman of the People” and, of course, “Friends”. We think this idea was genius, and what can we say? We love a subtle crossover.

We think the pilot episode of “Friends” is pretty much perfect, but it turns out NBC wasn’t so sure. The network put out a survey to studio audiences in order to get their thoughts on Monica sleeping with someone on the first date, as they thought it would not be well received. Through our modern day viewing lens, this doesn’t seem like a big deal – and even kind of strange to poll an audience about that kind of storyline – but, in 1994, it was considered a little risqué. With positive reception from viewers, the plot point was kept in the show, solidifying the sitcom as a forward-thinking staple on TV that never shied away from taboo topics.

We love the episode where Monica and Chandler show Joey around their new house in Westchester. While we may have been distracted by a young Dakota Fanning making an appearance, we couldn’t help but also notice that this house looked awfully familiar. Some sitcom sleuths compared footage from this episode to scenes from one of our favorite holiday flicks, “Home Alone.” Based on the view from the front windows where you can see the neighbors’ homes, it was discovered that this house was none other than the McCallisters’ residence. We’ll just look past the fact that one was set in Chicago and the other in New York, okay?

After ten seasons and countless rewatches of the series, we can’t imagine any other actors in the roles of these beloved characters. So, it’s hard to believe that Courteney Cox was originally offered the role of Rachel Green. The producers initially envisioned Monica as edgy, snarky, and tough, while they wanted Rachel to be more of an upbeat, happy-go-lucky character. While Cox fit the bill, she brought more dimension to Monica’s powerful demeanor. Luckily, Cox herself felt that her personality was better suited to the role of Monica Geller, and we can’t help but agree.

The creative minds behind “Friends” were clearly fans of soap operas, because not only did “Days of Our Lives” feature heavily on the show, they also decided to take inspiration from another soap when naming their six leading characters. All the names of the “Friends” are taken in some way from “All My Children.” Both Ross and Chandler are named after Ross Chandler, Joey is named for Joey Martin, Phoebe after Phoebe Tyler Wallingford, Rachel Green after Janet Green and Monica after Monique Jonvil aka Daisy Cortlandt.

In season 2, Joey temporarily takes up residence in a fancier place that he decorates with some eccentric pieces. One of these is an oversized white dog statue that’s been named “Pat the Dog.” This wasn’t just a good find by the prop department though, the dog was actually given to Jennifer Aniston by a close friend as a gift to commemorate her first day on set. Aniston lent it to the show for the episode because she thought it would fit well with Joey’s new design aesthetic. They liked it so much though that they made a bigger storyline for the statue and kept it on the show.

Rumor has it that Bruce Willis’ famous guest appearance on “Friends” actually took place because of a bet. Willis and Matthew Perry (who plays Chandler) were releasing a movie together called “The Whole Nine Yards.” Allegedly, Perry was more confident about the film’s success than Willis was, and the two agreed that if it debuted in theaters at number one, then Willis would appear on the show for free. Whether or not this TV legend is true, Willis’ performance was a memorable one, and it garnered him an Emmy for best guest appearance that year. And, he donated his salary from the show to a variety of charities.

Any serious “Friends” fan probably knows the iconic theme song like the back of their hand, but did you know that it was actually written specifically for the show? “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts was co-written by the show’s co-creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, along with Kauffman’s husband and the members of the band. And you know the iconic clapping? That was actually a last-minute addition! Oh, and Rembrandt member Danny Wilde confirms that it’s only four claps, not five as some people think. Initially, the song was only recorded to be as long as they needed for the show’s intro, but they eventually expanded it into a full-length tune for radio.

When Marta Kauffman and David Crane pitched a storyline where Joey and Rachel begin to have a more complicated romantic relationship, initial reactions were staunchly negative. The story arc lasted from season eight to season ten and most fans never really approved. What you may not know, however, is that the show’s creators always intended for these two to be poorly matched. They said later on that in real life, sometimes the wrong people fall for each other despite the fact that it’s never going to work, and they wanted to explore that reality in the show.

If you’re on a “Friends” tour in New York and your guide offers to show you the fountain where they shot the show’s opening, you should probably ask for your money back. While many think the famous fountain sequence was filmed in either Gramercy or Central Park, it was actually shot on a studio lot in LA. In fact, “Friends” was never actually filmed in New York at all, with the exception of exterior establishing shots. The show was filmed in front of a studio audience on the other side of the country in Burbank, California.

If you watched “Friends” during its original run, you may remember some news around that time about the cast’s salary disputes. When they were first hired, all six actors were paid the same amount per episode: $22,500. In season two however, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were given raises to amount to $40,000 per episode. One season later, they decided as a group to conduct all salary negotiations together to ensure equal pay for all the main actors. Clearly their negotiations went well because by the final season, they were each making one million dollars per episode!

It’s pretty standard “Friends” trivia that all six main characters have lived in Monica’s apartment, but did you know that in fact, they’ve all lived in Joey’s place across the hall as well? While Joey and Chandler live there together for much of the series, they switch apartments with the girls for a time in season four. Then in season five, Ross moves in during a dark period in his life. Later, when there’s a fire in Phoebe and Rachel’s apartment Phoebe moves in with Joey, though it ends up being short-lived and Rachel eventually takes her place.

While fans think of all six “Friends” as being equally important, in the initial conception of the series, two characters were actually meant to be supporting cast members. The original plan was for the main storylines to focus on Monica, Rachel, Joey and Ross, while Phoebe and Chandler would be more peripheral figures. Clearly the chemistry shared by all six actors soon changed that plan because by the end of the series those two were integral parts of the major storylines, just like the others.

When you think of TV’s most iconic will-they-or-won’t-they couple, you probably think of Ross and Rachel. In the initial plans for the series’ arc however, they weren’t meant to serve as the main romantic storyline of the show. It may seem hard to believe now, but the central romance of the show was originally supposed to be between Monica and Joey. However, the producers decided that Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer had such incredible chemistry that it made more sense to focus on their relationship. We couldn’t imagine it any other way!


Which “Friends” fact surprised you the most? Let us know in the comments!