Summary

• The friendships and relationships forged between the characters in Friends were everlasting, making the show relatable and popular among viewers.
• Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey all first met through a variety of different circumstances and events, but ultimately formed a close-knit group of friends.
• Monica acted as the glue that held the group together, as she had connections to all of the main characters and her apartment served as a primary meeting spot for the gang.

Friends primarily focused on the interweaving lives of six people, but how did all the friends meet in the first place? The sitcom first aired in 1994 and released 236 episodes before concluding in 2004, and it's considered by many to be one of the best TV shows of all time — and a lot of that is due to the core cast. The six friends in the gang went through a lot over the course of the series, but they always managed to stick together. As they navigated life in New York City during their 20s and 30s, they experienced love, loss, marriage, birth, and a number of other milestones.

Monica, Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Phoebe, and Joey each had their own role in the group, but there was always some type of common ground. Some of the characters in Friends had a longer history than others, but that didn't deter a deep connection between them all down the line. The friendships and relationships the group forged were everlasting, which was a reason why it was such a hit for viewers. Many audience members wished they had a close group of friends like the characters portrayed in the series. but how did all the friends meet?

How Monica Geller Met Everyone

Monica & Rachel Were Best Friends Since They Were Children

Monica could easily be viewed as the glue that held the group together. She has an important connection to all the main characters in Friends and her apartment was the primary meeting spot besides Central Perk. Monica would go on to marry Chandler, but she was first introduced to him at a pre-Friends Thanksgiving years prior. He attended the Geller family dinner and commented on her macaroni, causing her to pursue a career as a chef. Unfortunately, Chandler also made a comment about her weight, which made her obsess about her appearance.

As revealed in the Friends pilot, Monica and Rachel have been best friends since they were kids, though they became somewhat estranged, and Rachel's return into Monica's life was a shock to her. Monica didn't meet Phoebe until she was an adult living in the city, and they became roommates. The living situation didn't last long, however, since Phoebe couldn't take Monica's excessive neatness. Around that time, Monica met Joey since he was thinking about moving in across the hall with Chandler. When Monica first ran into Joey, she had a crush on him but those feelings quickly disappeared.

How Ross Geller Met Everyone

Ross First Met Phoebe When She Mugged Him

As the older brother of Monica, Ross was familiar with his sister's friends, particularly Rachel. Ross had feelings for Rachel in high school, but since he was friends with her bully, he helped create the "I Hate Rachel Club." After Rachel reentered Monica's life, Ross finally came clean about his true feelings. Besides Rachel, Ross had known Chandler for years before Friends began. Chandler was Ross' college roommate and best friend.

Ross was introduced to Joey through Chandler. At first, Ross and Joey were just mutual friends, but they went on to become very close pals. Ross' first encounter with Phoebe might be the best highlight of how each member of the group met. Ross was mugged by Phoebe when he was 12 years old, though neither of them had any idea who until Phoebe recounted the events years later. She stole his backpack, including the only copy of his Ross comic, Science Boy. This led to Ross briefly living in fear of Phoebe once again after being reminded of the traumatic event.

Where to watch Friends

How Rachel Green Met Everyone

Rachel Was The Last To Meet The Whole Group

Rachel had connections to some Friends characters since childhood. She met Monica when they were just 6 years old and the friendship carried through high school. Through her relationship with Monica, Rachel met Ross. She knew he had a crush on her despite his participation in the hate club. Rachel also met Chandler due to her interaction with the Geller family. She encountered Chandler for the first time at a Thanksgiving dinner in 1987. Rachel would see Chandler regularly at parties hosted by Ross while he was in college, but they weren't close at that time.

When Rachel left her fiancé, Barry, at the altar, she went looking for Monica. Rachel wound up at Central Perk where she met the rest of the group — Phoebe and Joey. Rachel and Phoebe instantly hit it off due to their mutual friendship with Monica. The character quickly integrated herself into the group, and after just a few episodes, it's like they were life-long friends. Rachel moved in with Monica after her runaway bride fiasco, which gave her a reason to get to know her neighbor, Joey. Even though Rachel and Ross had an on-again-off-again relationship, she had a brief romance with Joey in Friends season 9.

How Chandler Bing Met Everyone

Chandler Became Roommates With Joey In New York

Chandler first met Ross in college when the duo were roommates. They became best friends, so Chandler received an invitation to the Geller family Thanksgiving in the late '80s. Chandler never had a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but he attended anyway. That night, Chandler calls Monica fat, causing her to get revenge on him the following year. She ended up dropping a knife on his foot and severed part of his little toe. Nevertheless, Chandler and Monica's relationship greatly improved as they got older.

Monica lived in the adjacent apartment from Chandler after they were out of college. Around that time, a new roommate moved in with Monica, which is how Chandler met Phoebe. Shortly after, Chandler was in need of another roommate, which is how the bulk of the group was introduced to Joey. Chandler was a little taken aback by Joey at first, but over time, Chandler and Joey bonded over their shared love of sports, beer, and women.

How Phoebe Buffay Met Everyone

Phoebe Met The Group After Becoming Monica's Roommate

By the age of 14, Phoebe was living on the streets of New York City. At one point, she mugged a younger boy, who was later revealed to be Ross. Ross lied at the time of the mugging and claimed he was robbed by a "huge man." Phoebe still had his stolen comic book, so she gave it back and apologized. Phoebe met most of the others after she moved in with Monica. She got to know Chandler after Monica started dating his roommate, Kip. After Kip left, Joey took the vacancy in Chandler's apartment. Phoebe met Rachel last after they were first introduced in the great Friends' pilot episode.

How Joey Tribbiani Met Everyone

Joey Stripped Naked When He First Met Monica

Joey was one of the last members to join the core group in Friends. He answered an ad after Chandler was searching for a new roommate. Joey arrived at the apartment for an interview, but it didn't go well after he mistook Chandler for being gay. After the interview, Joey encountered Monica, who invited him over for lemonade, but Joey misunderstood the invitation and stripped naked. Needless to say, Joey didn't make a great impression on any member of the group. Nevertheless, Chandler later asked Joey to be his roommate, giving him a fresh start on a friendship with Monica.

Once he was moved in, Joey got to know Ross, since he was one of Chandler's best friends. The trio formed a strong friendship over time. Joey also met Phoebe, since she lived with Monica for a short time. He and Phoebe instantly clicked due to their feelings of being outsiders with no college education. Joey's Rachel introduction happened when Rachel entered Central Perk in a fluster after running from her own wedding ceremony.

Did All The Friends Live In Monica's Apartment?

Only 1 Friend Never Lived In Monica's Apartment

All the main cast of Friends often met up in Monica's apartment, as the series mainly took place there, Joey and Chandler's apartment, and Central Perk. In addition, many of the friends did meet because of Monica's apartment – but how many of them lived there? The answer is that most of them lived with Monica except for her own brother, Ross, who did live there before the show's timeline but not with Monica. Phoebe lived in Monica's apartment before the events of the series and then moved in again during the show.

Phoebe's first time living there is shown in the season 3 episode, "The One With The Flashback" which reveals that she moved out without telling Monica to live with her grandmother because she couldn't take Monica's outrageous obsessive behavior anymore. She then returns to Monica's dwelling in the season 6 episode, "The One Where Ross Dates A Student," as she and Rachel were forced to move out due to a fire. Rachel moved in with Monica early in season 1 after her failed wedding attempt. She eventually moved out when Monica and Chandler decided they wanted to live together.

Like Phoebe, Chandler lived with Monica on two separate occasions. The first was when he and Joey won a quiz game against Monica and Rachel, with the winner taking Monica's apartment. The second was when he and Monica moved in together. Rachel and Monica got the apartment back from Joey and Chandler sometime later. While Joey spent a lot of time in her abode, he didn't move in until the quiz game incident. Ross, who didn't appear to live in Monica's apartment during the course of Friends, did occupy the home at one point. However, it was when their grandmother was living there and Ross was attending college.

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  Friends

  Cast:

  Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer

  Release Date:

  1994-09-22

  Seasons:

  10

  Genres:

  Comedy, Drama, Sitcom

  Writers:

  David Crane, Marta Kauffman

  Story By:

  Marta Kauffman

  Network:

  NBC

  Franchise(s):

  Friends

  Directors:

  David Crane, Marta Kauffman

  Showrunner:

  Marta Kauffman

  Season List:

  Friends - Season 1, Friends - Season 2, Friends - Season 3, Friends - Season 4, Friends - Season 5, Friends - Season 6, Friends - Season 7, Friends - Season 8, Friends - Season 9, Friends - Season 10