Life can be tough when living solo in a city like New York. In fact, it feels like a sad and lonely place. Ross Geller's lucky to have his 4 best friends and sister to lean on. Although, they do ignore some of his serious flaws. They're not the only ones. As a matter of fact, fans choose to look past his sometimes strange behavior as well. The hit sitcom Friends aired from 1994 to 2004 for 10 seasons. The six best friends made fans laugh, cry and smile, but sometimes Ross did rub people the wrong way.

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He was a central part of the show. Indeed, his love story with Rachel had fans on the edge of their seat. In his defense, he's smart, funny, and caring. He's a good father and a great friend. On the other hand, he has done some very strange things. David Schwimmer portrayed Ross on the series for all 10 seasons. He became a world-famous star for playing the show's most polarizing character. In fact, some fans love Ross while others can't stand him. He had many ups and downs throughout the show. He divorced three times and dealt with many career setbacks. At the same time, he drove viewers crazy with his choices and attitude. He's not a bad guy but certainly isn't perfect. However, some of these flaws are tough to look past. It's time to take a closer look at Dr. Ross Geller.

Updated December 22nd, 2021 by George Chrysostomou: Friends continues to be one of the most-watched shows in the world, but with each passing year, it becomes more apparent that Ross was actually quite problematic. These issues have shown that he can be considered to be toxic, but audiences have overlooked the storylines and characteristics in favor of enjoying the humor of the show. 

He Left Bonnie Because She Shaved Her Head

Rachel talks to Bonnie at the beach house in Friends

Ross is really good at a lot of things but being a good boyfriend isn't one of them. For the most part, he's sweet and caring but he has a tendency to be petty. Ross dated a long list of beautiful women but can still find a number of flaws. For instance, he once dated the gorgeous Bonnie. She wasn't just pretty but was also fun to be with. He was really into her until she shaved her head bald. All of a sudden, he wanted to break up with her.

Although, getting back with Rachel might have had more to do with it. Regardless, he puts a lot of importance on looks. To be fair, bald is beautiful too. In fact, Bonnie could have made that look work. On top of that, her hair would have grown back eventually.

He's Always Correcting Everyone's Grammar

Ross fails to flirt in Friends

In the group, Ross is the only one that has his Ph.D. However, that doesn't mean he's the smartest. Although he might think he is. Ross is often correcting people's grammar and spelling errors. In the infamous Rachel letter, she confuses "you're" and "your". Ross memorably corrected her spelling during an epic fight.

He also corrects grammar too. For instance, he often corrects people that say "who" instead of "whom". It's like he has no control over correcting grammar and spelling. Lots of people feel the need to do that but Ross is toxic and does it in a much more annoying way.

He Didn't Want To Pitch In For The Handyman

Ross And Rachel In Ross's Apartment

In season 5, Ross went through a series of life setbacks. He divorced for the second time and had nowhere to live. Eventually, he works things out and moves into the building across from Monica. However, his personal struggles did not make him more empathic to others and perhaps even unlikeable based on some opinions.

When he moves into the building it happens to be Howard the handyman's last day. Ross angers his new neighbors when he refuses to pitch in $100 for Howard's farewell party. He doesn't understand why he should pitch in since he just moved in and never met Howard. They really weren't asking for a lot and it would have been a nice gesture. Instead of everyone disliking him he could have made a better first impression.

He Had Feelings For His Cousin

Cassie sits on the couch in friends

In 2001, Ross and Monica's cousin Cassie, portrayed by Denise Richards, comes to visit. Initially, she stays with Monica and Chandler. The only problem is Chandler can't stop staring at her. To be fair, it is Denise Richards. Cassie then stays with her cousin Ross across the street.

It should be safe since they're cousins. However, Ross develops romantic feelings for his cousin. In fact, he even makes a move on her. Cassie found Ross to be pretty disgusting at this moment. In fact, many fans of the show felt the same way.  Ross seems to have a problem with self-control. It would be nice if he could control himself around family members.

He Complains Excessively

Ross Geller talks to his boss, Donald, in Friends.

Ross is toxic and has gone through tough divorces, breakups and lost his job. That's really not that surprising. He complains about his life problems constantly. In fact, he even complains about the minor setbacks in life. For example, he once freaked out when someone ate his turkey sandwich at work.

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Granted, he was going through a tough time in his life. He brought one of Monica's turkey sandwiches to work but a colleague ate it. First, he wrote a mean and scary letter. When he discovered his boss ate it and threw it out he lost his mind. He just kept yelling "My Sandwich?!" over and over. He ended up losing his job because of it. Apparently, it was a really good sandwich.

He Had An Issue With Rachel's Job

Rachel at her job in friends

For the first few seasons, Ross was madly in love with Rachel. It was his dream to be with her. At the same time, Rachel worked as a waitress at Central Perk but hated the job. It was her dream to find a better job. She found the courage to quit Central Perk and landed her dream job in fashion.

She dedicated all of her time and energy to her new job. Ross didn't like this and felt she wasn't paying enough attention to him. He didn't come across as the most supporting boyfriend. In fact, when it came to Rachel he expected her to drop everything for him.

He's Jealous And Controlling

Emily and Ross talking on Friends

Ross and relationships aren't the best match. Often, he becomes jealous, possessive, and controlling. In fact, it brought an end to most of his relationships. When he dated Elizabeth, he tried to convince her not to go on spring break with her friends. He should have been more understanding since she was much younger than him.

When he dated Emily he became jealous when she spent time with Susan. Granted, Susan did break up his first marriage. However, a lot of his marriage problems had to do with his controlling and jealous nature. Although, his actions here pale in comparison to his actions with Rachel.

He Wouldn't Let Phoebe Believe Her Mother Was A Cat

Phoebe Buffay talking to Monica Geller in Friends

In many ways, Phoebe's the exact opposite of Ross. She usually holds the opposing view to him. He believes in science and she believes that anything is possible. She's much more spiritual than Ross, and because of that, they often argue about their different views.

However, Ross is toxic and has more of a problem with Phoebe's views than she does his. For instance, after her mother passes away Phoebe believes a stray cat's the reincarnated spirit of her mother. She's happy for the first time in a while but Ross won't let her have her moment. He raises his voice at her and informs her that the cat is not her mother. Phoebe's response is perfect and Ross even apologizes to the cat. Regardless, it would have been nice to let her have her happy moment.

Barbie, Ben, And G.I. Joe

Ross panics when he sees Ben with a Barbie doll in Friends.

Ross was quite stubborn and took issue with anything he didn't consider normal. For example, he had a huge problem when his young son Ben wanted to play with a Barbie. Ross felt Ben should play with toys that are for boys. In fact, he tries to get him to play with a G.I. Joe instead.

He felt uncomfortable that Ben liked a girl's toy. Ross couldn't let it go and did everything he could to change Ben's mind. Presumably, Ross thought Ben wouldn't grow up to be a "real man". To be fair to Ben, he was just a kid that liked a toy. Ross really read into the situation but it wouldn't be the last time.

He Didn't Think Rachel And Phoebe Could Defend Themselves

Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) in "Friends."

In season 6, Rachel and Phoebe decide to take a self-defense class. They're feeling really good about themselves until they run into Ross. He mocks them because he's a karate "master". He famously teaches them about Unagi. Later, he scares them to prove them wrong about their skills. That doesn't sound like a very good friend. He becomes furious when the girls sneak attack him back and beat him up. Ross goes to the same self-defense class to figure out how to beat the girls.

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He even tries to figure out what an attacker would do to defeat the girls. Ross really needs to work on his friendship skills. It's also a bit strange that he tries to attack two women. Additionally, he needs to work on his karate skills as well.

He Asked Joey And Chandler To Pitch In

Ross hanging out at Joey's apartment in Friends

At one point, thanks to the fact that Ross is toxic he pretty much loses everything. He has no wife and no home but Chandler and Joey are nice enough to let him stay with them. However, he was impossible to live with and tried to take over their apartment. His controlling nature reared its ugly head when he tried to force Joey to write a script.

He then asked them to pitch in for air filters for his loud air purifier. He felt that since they all share the same air they should help out. Regardless, nothing compares to his hand gesture. He would do the gesture when the guys were being too loud. He came across as a party pooper that never wanted to have fun or let the guys have any either.

He Embarrassed Rachel At Work

Rachel on Friends

In season 3, Rachel started working at her dream job. However, Ross still found a way to make it about Ross. First, he didn't like how much time she was putting into her job. Second, he assumed her co-worker Mark only helped Rachel to get closer to her. He constantly complained about her job and Mark. Ross then went overboard in making sure Mark knew Rachel has a boyfriend.

He sent flowers, chocolates, a heart-shaped picture of Ross, and a barbershop quartet to her office. He wanted to basically mark his territory and ensure nobody tried to make a move on her. In the process, he embarrassed Rachel at her workplace. It made her look unprofessional and he came across as possessive.

He Couldn't Take A Joke But Often Mocked Monica

Monica watches Chandler in Friends

In her younger days, Monica was a bit overweight. However, she managed to lose it by her adult years. Regardless, that didn't stop Ross from teasing her about her weight. To be fair, he wasn't the only one but he could be harsh. Additionally, he openly admits he doesn't like practical jokes.

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In season 7, Rachel teaches Ben a bunch of hilarious pranks. Ross becomes very angry when he becomes the victim of the pranks. He behaves as if mocking Monica's weight is okay but practical jokes on him are crossing the line. The practical jokes were pretty harmless and didn't hurt anyone's feelings. On the other hand, he constantly mocks his sister for being overweight despite losing it all.

He Made Pros And Cons List About Rachel

Rachel and The List in Friends

Ross and Rachel's love story is the heart of the show. They're soul mates but even soul mates make lists about each other. For the first season, Ross had a huge secret crush on Rachel. By the time she found out he was already dating someone else. Later, he must decide between his new girlfriend and Rachel. In order to decide, he makes a pros and cons list about Rachel.

It really shouldn't have been that hard of choice. Plus, it's a pretty mean thing to do to someone. He listed a number of things he didn't like about her. Eventually, Rachel finds out and it all blows up in his face. To be fair to Ross, it was Chandler's idea to make the list.

He Dated One Of His Students

Ross and his student in Friends

Ross is toxic and has done a lot of questionable things but this might take the cake. In season 6, Ross begins dating one of his students after his class is over. Nonetheless, she's still a student at the university. On top of that, he's much older than her.

It's against university policy to date a student but he does anyway. His friends tease him about it but nobody brings up the moral aspect of it. The age difference is easier to overlook than dating a former student. He's certainly breaking ethical rules by dating a student. His friends probably should have done more than just tease him. They needed to sit him down and explain to him why it wasn't a good idea.

He Refused To Divorce Rachel

Rachel and Ross sitting in a bed on Friends

In the classic season 5 finale, Ross and Rachel marry while heavily intoxicated. In fact, they don't even remember the next morning. At the time, Ross and Rachel were no longer dating and had broken up. Rachel wanted a quick divorce since it was a mistake. For Ross, it was his third marriage, which meant his third divorce.

He didn't want to be "the divorced guy" and tried to change Rachel's mind. When she won't agree he simply lies to her. He tells her they are divorced but he never filed the paperwork. Ross refusing to agree to the divorce was pretty unreasonable. Clearly, he's never willing to make the sacrifice for her. Later, Ross embraces the divorces and names himself "Ross: The Divorce Force."

He Said The Wrong Name At The Altar

Ross and Emily during their wedding in Friends

All Ross had to do was say the name of the person standing in front of him. In one of the most famous moments, Ross said Rachel's name at the altar when marrying Emily. Ross and Rachel were long over by this point. Ross meets Emily and they decide to marry after knowing each other for a short amount of time.

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Rachel almost stopped the wedding but decided against it. Saying the wrong name at the altar is humiliating and embarrassing. To Emily's credit, she went through with the ceremony but divorced him later. For such a smart guy that seems like a fairly obvious thing not to do. He's always correcting grammar, but maybe somebody needs to teach him his fiancée's name.

He Had A Problem WIth Having A Male Nanny

Ross and Rachel in their apartment with the male nanny in Friends

Ross takes issue with men he feels don't act "manly". It's odd considering his best friend is Chandler. In season 9, Ross feels uncomfortable when Rachel hires a male nanny, Sandy, portrayed by Freddie Prince Jr. In fact, he urges Rachel to fire Sandy. Sandy's actually great with his daughter Emma and everyone else loves him.

Ross just can't get past the idea that Sandy's a male nanny and a sensitive man. Ross is even more bothered when Sandy cries. This doesn't make much sense since Ross, Chandler, and Joey aren't the manliest men in the world. In the end, Ross fires Sandy because he's too sensitive. Ross certainly has some archaic views.

Made Rachel Give Up Her Dream Job

Rachel leaning her head on Ross's shoulder on Friends

The series finale featured one of the most memorable moments. However, most fans seem to overlook a key aspect. Ross once again made Rachel choose between her career and him. Rachel decides to move to Pairs after landing her dream job.

Ross realizes that he's always been in love with her. He runs to the airport to stop her but she gets on the plane. Later, he listens to a voice message and she shows up at his door. At no point did Ross ever offer to move to Paris to be with her. Nonetheless, fans cried all over the world as Ross and Rachel were finally together. The show never addresses Ross and Rachel's future. It's possible they move to Paris but chances are they remain in New York.

We Were On A Break

Rachel and Ross looking serious and talking on Friends

Ross Geller's most famous quote is "we were on a break!" It's also his most infamous moment. He finally ended up with his dream girl but it all came to an end. He was unfaithful and Rachel broke up with him. However, Ross always maintained they were on a break.

He believes this because Rachel wanted to take a break from all the fighting. Even if they were on a break, Ross meets someone new fairly quickly. Later, Ross and Rachel are close to getting back together. First, Rachel writes him a letter that he doesn't finish reading. He refuses to accept responsibility for his actions in the past. Rachel's being pretty reasonable considering Ross was unfaithful. In the end, he screams "we were on a break" and walks out the door.

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