Grab your coffee and settle in for some surprising revelations about your favorite sitcom! From unexpected character developments to behind-the-scenes secrets, we're diving deep into the world of "Friends" to uncover fascinating facts that even die-hard fans might not know. Get ready to see the show in a whole new light!
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00:00How did not everyone know we had, we're crushing on each other?
00:03Welcome to Ms. Mojo, and today we're counting down our picks for our favorite bits of Friends trivia
00:09that even diehard fans would be surprised to learn.
00:12Do you realize we almost made it 10 years without that coming up?
00:17Number 20. Color palette costumes.
00:20One of the most memorable aspects of this sitcom is the outfits,
00:23since all the Friends have their fair share of iconic fashion moments.
00:27It turns out these looks were carefully curated by the show's fashion designer
00:31to ensure each character stood out on their own,
00:33while simultaneously fitting in with their co-stars.
00:36Joan and David boots on sale, 50% off.
00:40Oh, how well you know me.
00:43They're my new I-don't-need-a-job, I-don't-need-my-parents, I've-got-great-boots-boots.
00:47Starting from the first season, Monica was usually dressed in neutrals,
00:51Rachel was given a color palette of blues and greens,
00:54and Phoebe could be seen sporting fun patterns.
00:57The boys also wore clothes that complemented their lifestyles and personalities,
01:01and with this much thought being put into the characters' wardrobes,
01:04we're not surprised that fans are still trying to replicate these looks decades later.
01:08It's not that we don't like the comedian, it's just that that's...
01:13that's not why we bought the ticket.
01:16Number 19. Chandler and Monica getting together wasn't planned.
01:20I'm still on London time, does that count?
01:24Oh, that counts.
01:25Oh, good.
01:26Friends just wouldn't be Friends without our favorite couple, Monica and Chandler.
01:30Yeah, we said it.
01:31So it's pretty shocking to find out the creators of the show originally
01:35weren't planning to have them last as a couple,
01:37but that all changed after the audience's overwhelmingly positive reaction to Monica
01:42and Chandler getting together in London.
01:44Because of this, their storyline had to pivot.
01:46It was a brief thing and we'd have some fun with it afterward as they both like,
01:50oh my god, what did we do?
01:52But the way the audience reacted, we realized there's more to this.
01:58Believe it or not, Monica and Joey were originally intended to be the sitcom's
02:02long-running couple, and we're very happy to see the show
02:05ultimately ended up going in the direction that it did.
02:08Chandler, she wants you for the rest of her life.
02:12We look at you, we see you together, and it just... it fits.
02:17We just can't imagine not seeing Mondler's romance play out,
02:21so we have to give kudos to the fans who were in the studio audience that day.
02:24The audience went insane.
02:26We were just standing there going, this is insane, we just let them go.
02:30Number 18.
02:32Matthew Perry got Julia Roberts on the show.
02:34This episode is chock full of memorable guest stars,
02:37with Jean-Claude Van Damme playing himself and Brooke Shields playing one of Joey's fans.
02:43But it's Julia Roberts' role as Chandler's old friend Susie that leaves its mark with viewers.
02:48Matthew Perry was actually the one that got Julia Roberts to guest star,
02:51and his methods for doing so were just a tad unorthodox.
02:54She's been saying some really nice things about me, I'm like blushing all the time.
02:57They've brought me a lot of joy in my life, and so it's sort of,
03:02you feel a little giddy, you feel a little silly.
03:04Legend has it that after Perry sent her on the show,
03:07Chandler was the first guest star on the show.
03:09Legend has it that after Perry sent Roberts flowers in an attempt to bring her on Friends,
03:15she requested a paper on quantum physics instead.
03:18Perry did just that.
03:19Roberts made her iconic appearance, and the rest is history.
03:23I was in the fourth grade!
03:24How could you still be upset about that?
03:26Well, um, why don't you call me in 20 years and tell me if you're still upset about this?
03:31Number 17.
03:33Seven Friends.
03:34It's pretty hard to imagine the Friend group including anyone outside of the main six,
03:38but during the show's run, NBC wanted to mix it up.
03:41You stomped me.
03:43It's disturbing my birds.
03:46You don't have birds.
03:49I could have birds.
03:51Rather than incorporating a recurring character like Gunther, Janice, or Mike into the mix,
03:55they wanted to try to appeal to an older audience.
03:58So the idea for an older man named Pat the Cop was born,
04:01not to be confused with Pat the Dog.
04:03Okay, I hate dogs.
04:04He was supposed to join the gang occasionally,
04:06and it even went as far as the role getting cast.
04:09But the idea was ultimately scrapped,
04:11and we're gonna go out on a limb here and say that was the right decision.
04:15Who are you?
04:17Hi, I'm Eric.
04:17I'm gonna be Chandler's new roommate.
04:19Number 16.
04:20Gunther was a real-life barista.
04:22As far as side characters go on this series,
04:25the bright-haired, bold-fashioned Central Park barista is up there as one of our faves.
04:29James Michael Tyler was clearly perfectly cast as Gunther,
04:33and it turns out this is due in part to his real-life experiences lending to his performance.
04:38Fellas, these guys were here first.
04:40Oh, sorry, I didn't realize.
04:42There you go.
04:44Thank you, Gunther.
04:45He was originally cast as an extra,
04:47and when it turned out he was the only background actor who could work an espresso machine,
04:51he became Friends' resident coffee guy.
04:54As we know now, that small role became a staple of the show,
04:57as Gunther would go on to appear in a whopping 185 episodes.
05:02I could not have imagined just a better experience.
05:08All these guys were fantastic.
05:10It was just a joy to work with them.
05:11I felt very, very special.
05:13Number 15.
05:14There was almost no Rachel in the final season.
05:17Friends doesn't make sense as a show unless all of the main characters are a part of it,
05:22so we can't imagine a final season without one of the core six.
05:26I know.
05:27It was just...
05:28Oh, it was just the perfect way to say goodbye.
05:32Jennifer Aniston was hesitant to return for Season 10,
05:35as she was dealing with personal matters,
05:37all while her career outside of the sitcom was taking off.
05:40Not only would the last episodes be different without Rachel,
05:43she never would have gotten the closure to her story that we now know and love.
05:46We also have no idea how they would have resolved the Rachel Ross storyline,
05:50and that final scene in the empty apartment with only five Friends would have felt sad and weird.
05:55Wow.
05:58I know.
06:00Seems smaller somehow.
06:02Needless to say, we're relieved she had a change of heart.
06:05Number 14.
06:07Blackout across NBC sitcoms.
06:09Season 1 has some of the series' most memorable moments,
06:13like Carol giving birth to Ben and the introduction of Ross' pet monkey.
06:16This gem is the seventh ever episode of Friends,
06:19with its simple plot bringing forth all its charm.
06:22The entire city is blacked out.
06:24Mom says it's all of Manhattan, parts of Brooklyn and Queens,
06:27and they have no idea when it's coming back on.
06:28It turns out, however, that the one with the blackout has a deeper backstory.
06:33Other NBC sitcoms also featured episodes with a blackout theme on the same night.
06:38The episodes were promoted as a part of Blackout Thursday,
06:41a campaign designed to highlight four of NBC's best Thursday night sitcoms.
06:45Mad About You, Seinfeld, Mad Men of the People, and, of course, Friends.
06:50That's right.
06:51This network-inspired blackout carries over into two other New York-based sitcoms,
06:56Mad Man of the People and Friends.
06:57We think this idea was genius, and what can we say?
07:01We love a subtle crossover.
07:03Number 13.
07:05First episode survey.
07:06Everybody relax.
07:08This is not even a date.
07:09It's just two people going out to dinner and not having sex.
07:12Sounds like a date to me.
07:13We think the pilot episode of Friends is pretty much perfect,
07:16but it turns out NBC wasn't so sure.
07:19The network put out a survey to studio audiences in order to get their thoughts
07:22on Monica sleeping with someone on the first date,
07:25as they thought it would not be well-received.
07:27So you still think you, um, might want that fifth date?
07:34Yeah.
07:35Yeah, I do.
07:36Through our modern-day viewing lens, this doesn't seem like a big deal,
07:39and even kind of strange to poll an audience about that kind of storyline.
07:43But in 1994, it was considered a little risque.
07:46With positive reception from viewers, the plot point was kept in the show,
07:50solidifying the sitcom as a forward-thinking staple on TV
07:53that never shied away from taboo topics.
07:56Number 12.
07:58Friends and Home Alone.
07:59We love the episode where Monica and Chandler show Joey around their new house in Westchester.
08:04While we may have been distracted by a young Dakota Fanning making an appearance,
08:07we couldn't help but also notice that this house looked awfully familiar.
08:11Well, if moving here is gonna make them happy, don't you want them to do it?
08:15Yeah, maybe.
08:19Then you gotta let them go.
08:20Some sitcom sleuths compared footage from this episode to scenes from one of our favorite
08:24holiday flicks, Home Alone.
08:26Based on the view from the front windows, where you can see the neighbors' homes,
08:29it was discovered that this house was none other than the McAllister's residence.
08:33We'll just look past the fact that one was set in Chicago and the other in New York, okay?
08:37Hey, where you been?
08:38Oh, just, uh, you know, looking around.
08:40But you know what?
08:41This house is great.
08:45Number 11.
08:46The producers wanted Courteney Cox to play Rachel.
08:49After 10 seasons and countless rewatches of the series,
08:52we can't imagine any other actors in the roles of these beloved characters.
08:56So it's hard to believe that Courteney Cox was originally offered the role of Rachel Green.
09:00Monica.
09:01Yes.
09:02Yes, she is.
09:04Hi.
09:05This is my friend Rachel.
09:07Hi.
09:07The producers initially envisioned Monica as edgy, snarky, and tough,
09:11while they wanted Rachel to be more of an upbeat, happy-go-lucky character.
09:15While Cox fit the bill, she brought more dimension to Monica's powerful demeanor.
09:19Luckily, Cox herself felt that her personality was better suited to the role of Monica Geller.
09:24And we can't help but agree.
09:25See, I, I, I put the wrong name again.
09:30Because, um, you're that stupid.
09:32Number 10.
09:34The main characters from the show are named after All My Children characters.
09:37I'm gonna tell you the same thing I told Al Minzer and his pyramid of dogs.
09:44Take any job you can get and don't make on the floor.
09:47The creative minds behind Friends were clearly fans of soap operas,
09:51because not only did Days of Our Lives feature heavily on the show,
09:54they also decided to take inspiration from another soap when naming their six leading characters.
09:59All the names of the Friends are taken in some way from All My Children.
10:03That sucks. I was buried in an avalanche.
10:08What?
10:09I used to be Bryce on All My Children.
10:10Both Ross and Chandler are named after Ross Chandler.
10:13Joey is named for Joey Martin.
10:15Phoebe after Phoebe Tyler Wallingford.
10:18Rachel Green after Janet Green.
10:20And Monica after Monique, aka Daisy.
10:23Number nine.
10:24The white dog statue belonged to Jennifer Aniston.
10:27In season two, Joey temporarily takes up residence in a fancier place
10:31that he decorates with some eccentric pieces.
10:33One of these is an oversized white dog statue that's been named Pat the Dog.
10:38The dog.
10:39Huh?
10:40Yeah.
10:43I'll take it.
10:45My gift to you, man.
10:46This wasn't just a good find by the prop department, though.
10:49The dog was actually given to Jennifer Aniston by a close friend
10:53as a gift to commemorate her first day on set.
10:55Aniston lent it to the show for the episode
10:57because she thought it would fit well with Joey's new design aesthetic.
11:00If you hated it so much, why did you buy it in the first place?
11:03Well, I had a whole ceramic zoo thing going over there,
11:07but now without the other ones, it just looks tacky.
11:10They liked it so much, though, that they made a bigger storyline
11:13for the statue and kept it on the show.
11:15Number eight.
11:17Bruce Willis allegedly wouldn't accept pay for his appearance.
11:20Rumor has it that Bruce Willis' famous guest appearances on Friends
11:24actually took place because of a bet.
11:26Willis and Matthew Perry, who plays Chandler,
11:28were releasing a movie together called The Whole Nine Yards.
11:31Why did you kill him?
11:33Well, I had to kill one of you.
11:37Well, then you definitely made the right decision.
11:39Allegedly, Perry was more confident about the film's success than Willis was,
11:43and the two agreed that if it debuted in theaters at number one,
11:47then Willis would appear on the show for free.
11:49Whether or not this TV legend is true, Willis' performance was a memorable one,
11:54and it garnered him an Emmy for Best Guest Appearance that year.
11:57And he donated his salary from the show to a variety of charities.
12:01I'm just a lie machine.
12:02I don't want nobody but you.
12:06Hey, baby!
12:09Number seven.
12:10The show creators co-wrote the theme song.
12:21Any serious Friends fan probably knows the iconic theme song
12:25like the back of their hand.
12:26But did you know that it was actually written specifically for the show?
12:29I'll Be There For You by The Rembrandts was co-written by the show's co-creators,
12:33Marta Kaufman and David Crane, along with Kaufman's husband and members of the band.
12:37And you know the iconic clapping?
12:39That was actually a last-minute addition.
12:41Oh, and Rembrandt member Danny Wilde confirms that it's only four claps,
12:46not five, as some people think.
12:47Initially, the song was only recorded to be as long as they needed for the show's intro,
12:52but they eventually expanded it into a full-length tune for radio.
12:55I'll be there for you,
12:58cause you're there for me too.
13:06Number six.
13:07The creators' new fans wouldn't like Joey and Rachel.
13:10Kiss me.
13:11Uh, Rach, it doesn't say that.
13:14No, I'm saying it.
13:17But...
13:17Just don't talk.
13:18When Marta Kaufman and David Crane pitched a storyline where Joey and Rachel begin to
13:22have a more complicated romantic relationship, initial reactions were staunchly negative.
13:28The story arc lasted from Season 8 to Season 10, and most fans never really approved.
13:33What you may not know, however, is that the show's creators always intended for
13:37these two to be poorly matched.
13:38They said later on that in real life, sometimes the wrong people fall for each other despite
13:43the fact that it's never going to work, and they wanted to explore that reality in the show.
13:47I'm crazy about her.
13:53And she feels the same way?
13:59I think so.
14:00Number five.
14:02The opening credits were shot at Warner Brothers Studios.
14:14If you're on a friend's tour in New York and your guide offers to show you the fountain
14:18where they shot the show's opening, you should probably ask for your money back.
14:21While many think the famous fountain scene was filmed in either Gramercy or Central Park,
14:26it was actually shot on a studio lot in LA.
14:29In fact, Friends was never actually filmed in New York at all,
14:32with the exception of exterior establishing shots.
14:35The show was filmed in front of a studio audience on the other side of the country,
14:39in Burbank, California.
14:41So many different episodes are like, you know, Lisa playing guitar up there,
14:45Jen and I, our first kiss, like, the pilot opening the umbrella.
14:50Number four.
14:51The cast worked hard to get equal pay.
14:53If you watched Friends during its original run,
14:56you may remember some news around that time about the cast's salary disputes.
15:00When they were first hired, all six actors were paid the same amount per episode, $22,500.
15:06It was not my idea, thought, this is what we should do.
15:12And —
15:12Lisa was making the most.
15:14She was the richest, and she said, no.
15:17I was making the least.
15:18In season two, however,
15:19Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were given raises to amount to $40,000 per episode.
15:24One season later, they decided as a group to conduct all salary negotiations together
15:29to ensure equal pay for all the main actors.
15:32It may have been Courtney's idea.
15:34And I think it was.
15:35She said it was.
15:36But maybe they spoke and Schwimmer called me.
15:40And I just said, oh yeah, okay.
15:41Clearly, their negotiations went well because by the final season,
15:45they were each making $1 million per episode.
15:49Number three.
15:50All the Friends have lived in both apartments.
15:53It's pretty standard Friends trivia that all six main characters have lived in Monica's apartment.
15:57But did you know that, in fact, they've all lived in Joey's place across the hall as well?
16:01While Joey and Chandler live there together for much of the series,
16:04they switch apartments with the girls for a time in season four.
16:07Did you see the size of the closets?
16:11I can't believe we live here.
16:14Then in season five, Ross moves in during a dark period in his life.
16:18Later, when there's a fire in Phoebe and Rachel's apartment, Phoebe moves in with Joey.
16:22Though it ends up being short-lived and Rachel eventually takes her place.
16:26Could have been a hair straightener.
16:28Oh.
16:31This is where I keep the pizza.
16:34And hey, where'd the napkin go?
16:36Number two.
16:37Phoebe and Chandler weren't meant to be main characters.
16:40Donald Duck never wore pants.
16:42But whenever he's getting out of the shower, he always puts a towel around his waist.
16:50I mean, what is that about?
16:51While fans think of all six Friends as being equally important,
16:55in the initial conception of the series,
16:57two characters were actually meant to be supporting cast members.
17:00The original plan was for the main storylines to focus on Monica, Rachel, Joey, and Ross,
17:05while Phoebe and Chandler would be more peripheral figures.
17:08Clearly, the chemistry shared by all six actors soon changed that plan,
17:12because by the end of the series, those two were integral parts of the major storylines,
17:16just like the others.
17:17Okay, let's play my game now.
17:20Are you yellow-bellied, lily-livered?
17:24Drop!
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17:40Number one.
17:42Ross and Rachel weren't meant to be the central romance.
17:45When you think of TV's most iconic will-they-or-won't-they couple,
17:48you probably think of Ross and Rachel.
17:50This can't be it.
17:57Then how come it is?
17:59In the initial plans for the series arc, however,
18:01they weren't meant to serve as the main romantic storyline of the show.
18:05It may seem hard to believe now,
18:06but the central romance of the show was originally supposed to be between Monica and Joey,
18:10like we said.
18:11However, the producers decided that Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer
18:15had such incredible chemistry that it made more sense to focus on their relationship.
18:19We couldn't imagine it any other way.
18:22People have been waiting 10 years to see this couple get together.
18:26We've got to give them what they want.
18:28We just have to find a way to do it, so the journey is unexpected.
18:33Which Friends fact surprised you the most?
18:35Let us know in the comments.
18:37The best 10 years of my life.
18:39Love to all.
18:40That's nice.
18:41That is nice.
18:42Marika!
18:42Not as nice as mine.
18:44Do you agree with our picks?
18:46Check out this other recent clip from Ms. Mojo.
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