The six main characters of the sitcom Friends love each other like family. They all have each other’s backs and, as the theme song clearly states, are there for each other. But some friends are closer than others.
It’s a subject of heated debate as to whether Chandler is closer to Ross, his old college friend, or Joey, his longtime roommate. There are times throughout the series when Ross proves that he’s Chandler’s closest buddy, and other times when the bond between Chandler and Joey is too strong to ignore. Here are five times Ross was Chandler’s best friend and five times it was Joey.
Ross: When Ross Was Supportive Of Monica & Chandler’s Relationship
When Ross first finds out that Monica and Chandler are in a relationship, he freaks out a little bit. He sees them canoodling and automatically assumes that they’re just messing around, which causes the big brother protectiveness to kick in and he comes for Chandler.
But as soon as Chandler reassures him that the two aren’t just messing around and they are genuinely in love, Ross is instantly super supportive of their relationship. He even calls Chandler his best friend and can’t contain his happiness that the two are together.
Joey: When Chandler Was Offended That Joey Saved ‘Ross’ Instead Of Him
In the fifth season, Phoebe’s boyfriend Gary takes Ross, Joey, and Chandler on a ride-along in his police car. During the ride, a car backfires, which all three men mistake for a bullet. Out of instinct, Joey throws himself to cover Ross, leading Chandler to believe that Joey would rather save Ross than him.
Chandler gets so offended by this idea that it’s clear in his mind he believes he and Joey have a special bond. Ultimately, Joey assured Chandler that he’d never save Ross over him — he only jumped to save his sandwich.
Ross: When Ross Helped Chandler Get Down The Aisle
Chandler and Monica’s wedding is arguably the biggest event to take place in the show’s entire run. But because of Chandler’s fear of commitment and cold feet, it almost doesn’t happen. As Monica’s family member, Ross could get protective and upset with Chandler when he finds out that he’s freaking out about marrying Monica, instead, he’s patient with him and helps him take all the steps he needs to eventually get down the aisle.
Joey may be the friend that marries them, but Ross plays a major role in getting Chandler to the altar in the first place.
Joey: When It Was So Hard For Joey To Move Out
Ross and Chandler have known each other longer than Joey and Chandler, but Joey and Chandler’s bond seems to be stronger. Especially because the two live together in the early seasons. In the second season, when it’s time for Joey to move out, audiences really see the strength of their friendship.
Both men try to play it cool as they say their goodbyes, but Joey comes back and smothers Chandler with a hug, showing just how much he cares about him. Obviously, it’s only a matter of episodes before Joey moves back in.
Ross: When Ross Accompanied Chandler To Vermont
While Ross does some questionable things when he's Rachel's boyfriend, he often proves to be a good friend. One of the best examples is when he accompanies Chandler to Vermont because Monica can’t be with him on the romantic weekend they had planned and he doesn’t have the option to cancel.
While they’re in Vermont, Ross is high on maple candy and super annoying. Nevertheless, he did give up a whole weekend to make sure Chandler doesn’t have to go alone. He also gives him the tip about taking all the free amenities.
Joey: When Joey Took Chandler To His Premiere
Out of all the friends, Chandler is the most supportive of Joey’s acting career, and Joey knows it. When Joey actually makes it and has a cool premiere to attend, the one friend that he wants to take is Chandler. In his speech about why he’s choosing Chandler, he mentions that Chandler always paid for his acting classes and believed in him, even when he was nowhere near making it.
Chandler is also genuinely happy to see that Joey has found success. Of course, Chandler falls asleep at the premiere. To his defense, he did feel terrible about it!
Ross: When Ross Brought Chandler Home For Thanksgiving
Ross and Chandler’s friendship goes all the way back to their college days when they were roommates. Because Ross’s family situation was quite a bit more stable than Chandler’s, he decided to invite Chandler to his house for Thanksgiving in 1987.
You can tell from this act that Ross really cares about Chandler and doesn’t want him to be alone during the holidays. This kindness on Ross’s behalf actually resulted in Chandler meeting Rachel and Monica for the first time, since Rachel also spent Thanksgiving with the Gellers.
Joey: When Joey Took Chandler’s Moving To The Suburbs The Hardest
None of the friends take it well when Monica and Chandler announce that they’re moving out of the city to raise a family in the suburbs. But Joey takes it the hardest and it’s pretty likely that this is due to his attachment to Chandler.
At first, Joey refuses to accept that his friends are moving away. When he does come to accept it, he buys them a chick and a duck as a housewarming gift, and hee also gives Chandler another best-friend hug.
Ross: When Ross Helped Chandler To Re-Take His Wedding Photos
Ross isn’t perfect but he’s always willing to go out of his way to help out his friends. After Monica and Chandler’s wedding, Chandler discovers that he can’t find the photos from the day. He knows that Monica will be devastated if all her wedding memories are gone, so Ross suggests that they re-take a few photos so Monica doesn’t know that the real photos are gone.
Ross goes to a lot of effort to put on his tux again and go with Chandler to reenact the night and take more photos. It’s clear that he really cares about him.
Joey: When Joey Couldn’t Handle Chandler Moving To Tulsa
Every time Joey has to part ways with Chandler, he finds it extremely difficult. When Chandler temporarily works in Tulsa in the ninth season, audiences see him on the phone comforting someone that the audience assumes to be Monica, promising he’ll be back soon.
As fans soon discover, Chandler was actually comforting Joey. Joey’s dependence on Chandler and reluctance to let him go shows how much he truly loves him.