Summary

• Joey Tribbiani didn't end up with anyone in Friends, and he never got married in the spin-off series Joey. His fear of commitment was a major obstacle in his relationships.
• Despite not having a classic sitcom happy ending, Joey's character development was consistent. Getting married would have cheapened his character and taken away from his growth.
• In the spin-off Joey, Joey ended up in a committed relationship with his neighbor and landlord, Alex. Although they never got married, their relationship allowed Joey to grow and settle down.

Joey Tribbiani was the one Friends character still single at the end, leaving fans wondering who Joey ended up with. Friends followed the ups and downs in the lives of a group of six young adults living in NYC. The characters became part of pop culture, and they had such an impact on viewers that Friends had a spin-off series focused on Joey (Matt LeBlanc). The show, appropriately titled Joey, followed his life after the Friends finale and took viewers to Los Angeles as Joey moved there to focus on his acting career.

Though the Joey spinoff ultimately failed to live up to the original series, it did add more to the character's romantic story. Throughout Joey, he had a complicated on-off relationship with his neighbor, Alex (Andrea Anders). Alex got a divorce and became romantically involved with Joey, but just like him, she had some trouble with commitment and the concept of marriage (though for different reasons, of course). Joey and Alex ended up in a committed relationship, and even though they were considering an engagement, they didn’t have plans to get married by the end of the episode.

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Joey Never Got Married After Friends

Joey Did Gain A More Mature Outlook On Relationships

Joey didn't end up with anyone in Friends and never managed to tie the knot with Alex by the end of his spinoff. Joey was never one to get married, even though Joey proposed to Phoebe and Rachel upon hearing they were pregnant, and he was later engaged to Alex. However, Joey’s real problem was his fear of commitment. What was most important for Joey towards the end of his series was to settle down, which doesn’t necessarily involve getting married.

Both Alex and Joey had doubts about getting married, which is understandable given their own experiences and how their relationship developed, but being in a serious relationship was a big step for them. By the end of his arc in Joey, he was ready to settle down with Alex, and that’s much more important and significant for the character than marriage. It marked a considerable change in Joey from season 1 of Friends to where he ended with his spinoff series.

Why Joey Didn't Get A Classic Sitcom Happy Ending

Joey Was Never Meant To Settle Down Like The Others

The Friends ending saw a happy ending for most of the characters, with Ross and Rachel getting back together, Chandler and Monica starting a family, and Phoebe marrying Mike. Even though Joey didn't end up with anyone in Friends, his ending suited the character well. Joey was never big on the prospect of commitment and this was evidenced by his numerous interactions with women.

However, this formed an integral part of his character. Giving him the same ending as everyone else would've cheapened the character as a whole and taken away a huge part of who showrunners made him out to be. The less-popular spinoff Joey was meant to continue his character arc and see how the character could finally move on from his ladies' man persona.

Did Joey Have A Love Interest In His Spinoff?

Joey's Central Relationship Was One Of The Best Aspects Of The Failed Spinoff

Though Joey didn't end up with anyone in Friends, the spinoff series sought to rectify that by pairing him up with his landlord and neighbor, the lawyer Alex Garrett. In Joey's pilot, he hit on her but found out she was married. She separates from her husband at the end of season 1, and the pair quickly become involved.

Joey season 2 saw tumult for the pair as Gina tried to convince Alex to move on by dating Joey's friend Dean, but nothing could stand in the way of their mutual feelings. Once Joey saw Alex with Dean, he decided to reveal his true feelings for her, and they properly coupled up. He did grow in his relationship with Alex in the series, but the fact that they never got married may have upset certain viewers. However, it was ultimately the right choice for him given his characterization.

It’s quite possible that Joey and Alex could have gotten married at some point after the events of Joey, given they were already working that out – but that’s not really something Joey needed. In the end, Joey is the only one from the main group in Friends who didn’t get married, but he does end up in a committed relationship with Alex and grows in the process.