Jack and Judy Geller weren't the best parents in Friends, especially when it came to their treatment of Monica (Courteney Cox). Elliot Gould and Christina Pickles portrayed the elder Gellers for all 10 seasons of the NBC sitcom. As the father and mother of core characters, Monica and Ross (David Schwimmer), the parents often came to visit their adult children. While they loved both kids, there were obvious issues when it came to compassion, particularly when it involved Monica.
Jack and Judy made their Friends debut in the second overall episode titled "The One With The Sonogram At The End." The married couple visited their children just after Ross learned that he was about to become a father. It was clear from the start that Monica's parents favored Ross over her, viewing him as the golden child. Whereas Jack and Judy praised Ross, they remained critical of Monica and questioned her choices. Judy, more specifically, shamed her daughter from a young age, which was one of the main reasons why Monica struggled with her weight. While Jack was less catty, he still made blunt and inappropriate comments toward his daughter.
Despite the fact that Ross had multiple wives and failed relationships throughout Friends, Jack and Judy constantly criticized Monica's romances. At one point, they even used her marriage fund to by a beach house, which was in addition to selling Monica and Ross' childhood home without their knowledge. It's no question that the Geller parents were hurtful on many occasions, and Judy was an expert at getting under Monica's skin. A fan theory suggested that Judy was rude to Monica because she may have been a product of an affair. That might be a possibility, but there were more simple explanations into the mean demeanor.
Jack & Judy Gave Monica Motivation To Be A Better Parent
It was very likely that Jack and Judy's parenting style mirrored how their respective treated them while growing up. Judy, for example, was quite vocal about the fact that her mother, Althea, criticized her about everything growing up. Without realizing, those qualities passed down to Judy, making her an unpleasant woman when it came to her daughter. Rather than let that happen again, Monica vowed to treat others differently, especially when it came to her loved ones. Before becoming a parent herself, Monica served as the mother hen of the group, which wouldn't have been the case if she mirrored her parents.
At the bottom line, Jack and Judy lacked compassion when it came to Monica and her life choices. They didn't take into account her feelings, nor did they realize their own selfish behavior. This allowed Monica to become more independent to the point where she didn't need her parent's approval on every aspect of her life. Monica emerged as the most admirable member of the Geller family on Friends, which ultimately made up for her parent's questionable qualities.