Top 10 Craziest Friends Fan Theories
#10: Chandler Created "Riverdale"
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So, how does a show based in the “Archie” universe connect back to “Friends,” which ended 13 years prior? Well, you might remember that in “The One That Could Have Been, Part 1,” we learn that Chandler always wanted to write comics, but is told he isn’t “Archie Comics” funny. The theory goes that after a successful advertising career, Chandler goes back to the Archie universe and uses his newfound connections in the media world to get his show on the air. But wait, there’s more. Cole Sprouse played Ross’s son Ben on the show - and you might remember the episode where he auditioned for the soup commercial? Well, Chandler uses his clout on “Riverdale” to cast his nephew as Jughead Jones.
#9: They Are All in a Psych Ward
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There are a number of fan theories that get a little dark, and this is one of them. The theory posited here is that each friend has a personality disorder and they are all living in a psychiatric ward together. That’s why all they do is go from one room, or rather apartment, to the other and spend so much time in Central Perk, which is the facility’s cafeteria. We assume that means the field where they play football is green space made available to all patients. Some fans say that this theory also explains why the gang generally isn’t very open to people outside of their group. They don’t want anyone to take one of their friends away, or even out of the hospital.
#8: Movie Bigwigs Are After Phoebe
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Do you remember when Phoebe’s twin sister Ursula made adult movies using Phoebe’s name as her alias? Phoebe was obviously not very happy about that and got her revenge by pretending to be Ursula and taking all of her sister’s paychecks. They’re in her name, after all. This fan theory puts forth the idea that in doing so, Phoebe didn’t just screw over her sister but also the movie head honchos who she also technically stole from. And what do you know: just four episodes later, Phoebe’s apartment catches on fire. Had the angry movie barons tried to kill her? The fact that Phoebe has lived in more than one place throughout the show’s run may actually hint that she is trying to hide from something or someone. And let's not forget her wanting to change her name to Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock!
#7: Phoebe Is a Genius
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To casual “Friends” viewers, Chandler is the “funny one,” Rachel is the “pretty one,” and Joey and Phoebe are the “not so bright” ones of the group. But is Phoebe really slow or just a laidback genius that really enjoys messing with people, as some fans have suggested? Once you start watching the sitcom with that idea in mind, you’ll wonder how you never noticed it before. In one episode, Phoebe, just for fun, makes Ross question evolution. Later on in the series, we learn that she, who never graduated high school, speaks French and Italian. She has even referred to herself as the “puppet master” of the group. And it's hard to argue with that. Also, we wouldn't want to argue with Phoebe.
#6: Joey Just Really Wanted Pancakes
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While at first glance this seems solid, there’s one big hole in this theory bucket. Let's go back to season seven when Joey dated Erin. In the morning, he asks Rachel to tell Erin that he isn’t looking for a relationship and to make her pancakes - like Chandler used to do. Later, when Joey ends up getting too attached to Erin, Rachel has to let him down for her, and she makes him pancakes. The idea here is that we all know how much Joey loves to eat. But since he can’t cook, he used the money he earned from being on a soap opera to hire an actress to help con his roommate - Rachel - into making him pancakes. However, even if Joey can’t cook, we did see that he can at least make pancakes in season four...
#5: Monica & Joey Are Addicts
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From the light-heartedness of Joey just wanting pancakes, we now dive back into some dark waters with this fan theory: Joey and Monica were addicted to drugs for the entire series. As the theory goes, Monica’s drug of choice is cocaine. She is a chef and makes good money as such. But her apartment is rent-controlled and she has a roommate. So, where does that money go? Up her nose. Which also explains why she is so high-strung. And the best part is that she hides it all in the back closet, which is why she gets so freaked out when Chandler opens it. And of course, Joey smokes marijuana, which explains his napping, his general spaced-outness and his love for Rachel’s trifle.
#4: Rachel Dreamed the Whole Thing
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This fan theory doesn’t claim that Rachel Green read “Word Up!” magazine. [Notorious BIG soundbite: “It was all a dream, I used to read Word Up! magazine”] But it does believe that the show was all a dream. This one emerged with the release of the Season 4 DVDs. The image on the box features the friends lying in bed with their eyes closed - except for Rachel. Her eyes are wide open, which some fans took as a clue that the show was one long Rachel Green anxiety dream. Feeling so trapped on the eve of her wedding to Barry, she created the friends and the alternate life as a way to escape her situation. This is somewhat similar to another theory that posits Phoebe remained homeless into her adult life and the show was thus her meth-induced hallucination.
#3: Phoebe & Joey Were Hooking Up
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There was always a special connection between Phoebe and Joey, both mentally and physically. And let's not forget that they were also each other's backup. But as close as they were, no one really thought they were actually doing it the whole time, right? Well, there was at least one person who thought they were: Matt LeBlanc. In an interview with People magazine, LeBlanc mentioned that, as the show was coming to an end, they had actually pitched this idea to the writers. The idea was to reshoot some of the iconic scenes from the series, but add in clues about Joey and Phoebe getting together.. The writers didn’t go for it.
#2: Monica’s Real Dad Isn’t Jack Gellerv To her dad, Monica would always be his “little harmonica.” But it didn’t take a paleontologist to see that Ross was their mom’s favorite. Why is that? Well, one rather interesting theory has emerged over the years positing that Monica was the result of an extramarital affair. At one point in the marriage of Jack and Judy Geller, about nine months before Monica was born, Judy cheated on her husband. She never talked about it with anyone, but she did project her guilt and shame from the affair on the child that came from it.
#1: The Entirety of “Friends” Is a Flashback Being Recounted in the Future
This theory makes the claim that the entire show was just one big flashback. That in actuality, it’s years in the future and the gang are all sitting around telling stories about their younger days together in New York City. This interesting theory is largely, if not completely, based on the names of the episodes. “The One Where…,” “The One With…,” etc. would definitely seem to imply a story being told from sometime in the future. We think this theory is wonderfully simple and elegant. And that’s why this is “The One Where We Pick the Number One Craziest ‘Friends’ Fan Theory.”
