When it comes to TV show fanbases, Friends fans take the cake for one of the most passionate. Though the '90s comedy premiered almost 30 years ago, the legacy lives on to this day. However, one thing fans are even more passionate about than the show itself was the "ships" among the cast members.
Given the fact that Ross Geller and Rachel Green were the most popular couple on the show, it was only natural that fans sensed their chemistry and wished for them to date in real life. For a long time, viewers of the show even gave up on that dream since they never dated in real life. However, it wasn't until Friends: The Reunion aired that fans found out they actually did have feelings for one another, and the world freaked out.
Updated Feb 24th, 2022 by Martyn Warren.
They Both Had Feelings For Each Other While Filming Friends
The Friends cast have gone on the record to say that they were all quick best friends, but it was apparent that some cast members got closer than others. During the James Cordon interview portion of the reunion, it was revealed that both Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer confessed to having massive crushes on each other during season 1.
In a story that ended up making headline news, David revealed to the world that he had "a major crush on Jen" in the first season, with Jennifer going on to say, "it was reciprocated." Little did the duo know that they had just dropped a major bomb on the fans that they will probably never hear the end of again.
They Channeled Their Love For Each Other Into Their Characters
Friends remains one of the most rewatchable sitcoms of all time due to Ross and Rachel's iconic relationship. Even though the two never actually dated in real life, they were lucky to play two characters who did date on the show. While fans were upset the two never got together, Jennifer reassured the fans that they still used their feelings for the good of the show.
Jennifer stated in the reunion special, "We just channeled all our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel." Their chemistry and love for each other were definitely palpable between the two characters, and now the fans know why.
They Would Frequently Cuddle On Set
Not only did Aniston and Schwimmer have major crushes on each other, but they would even try to get away with cuddling during rehearsal breaks on the show. David went into detail about their on-set affection: "there were moments when we would cuddle on the couch or something," with Jennifer adding, "we would spoon and fall asleep on the couch."
Luckily, Entertainment Tonight gathered clips from a few of these occasions for a nice flashback. Though the two weren't shy about discussing their previous feelings for one another, fans loved the opportunity to see it for themselves and feel like they were a part of it all.
Jennifer Sees Him As A 'Brother'
After the reunion episode aired, rumors of dating between Schwimmer and Aniston started circulating. Fans were eager to know more, especially as Schwimmer revealed in that same episode that he had a crush on his co-star.
Entertainment Tonight's Rachel McRady and other outlets wrote that Anniston saw her co-star as a "brother" and shot down the rumors, leaving many fans disappointed. But she could "understand it, though. It just shows how hopeful people are for fantasies." At least their real-life relationship isn't like Monica and Ross' sibling dynamic.
They Shared Their Friendship On Social Media
In 2019, Jennifer Anniston added a photo on Instagram that featured her and the five cast members. This one post alone gathered over 16 million likes and fans were pleased to see that the friendship among them was still going strong.
Anniston's Instagram features many behind-the-scenes photos of her projects and friendships with other celebrities to share with her nearly 40 million followers. And yet this one photo not just saw her friendship with Schwimmer, but with the whole cast that made many fans of the show and these actors smile with joy.
Their Friends Cast Mates Knew All Along They Were Crushing On Each Other
With the two having such obvious love and adoration for one another, the two actually wondered how nobody on the set knew about their flirtationship. Little did they both know that it was no secret to their fellow cast members.
Matthew Perry made it known that they were not naïve to what was going on, with Courtney Cox even adding, "we knew for sure." Now fans are wishing they would have intervened and played matchmaker, even though they were probably apprehensive about anyone from the show dating in case there was ever drama.
Their First Kiss Was On TV
Since the two never actually dated, it was pretty clear that the two never took their flirtationship past cuddling. However, Jennifer shared her exclusive thoughts about their first on-air kiss, and first kiss together period.
"I remember saying one time to David, 'It's going to be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television," Aniston recalled. She went on to confirm that, sure enough, their first kiss was in the famous Central Perk coffee shop scene, which was among one of the top-ranked couple's first kisses in Friends.
They Remained Good Friends After The Show Ended
It's hard to imagine that after appearing on television screens for ten years, the show finally wrapped everything up with all the key characters in 2004. Especially with Ross and Rachel's relationship, which finally saw them ending up together.
But what happened to the actors' relationship after the show? They both starred in movies and television shows separately and some of the cast has been seen on lunch dates together, according to Showbiz CheatSheet's Perry Carpenter. But Anniston's Instagram reunion photo did show them all remaining good friends long after the show ended, answering fans' questions on the friendship among the cast.
They Both Appeared In A Movie Together
Before, during, and after Friends ended, all of the cast members from the show featured in multiple movies, some of which are still enjoyed by audiences today. And yet, they have not starred in the same movie, whether it's just the two or six of them.
This is the exception for Anniston and Schwimmer as they both starred in the 1998 mockumentary The Thin Pink Line, one of a series of movies that people forgot Mike Myers was in with other SNL cast members. Set in a prison, it follows a male model who is convicted for murder and follows a cast of characters he was involved with to unravel the mystery of what actually happened.
They Never Dated Because One Of Them Was Always In A Relationship
It was revealed in the reunion that while the two were definitely not platonic TV duos in Friends, they never dated in real life. Fans would think for a friendship that has so much chemistry it would be a no-brainer to get together, but David cleared up the reason they never dated.
"It was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship," David disclosed. Even though Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were a hot item of the '90s, and Brad was a hilarious guest star on the show, fans almost wish that Jennifer and David would have taken a chance on each other instead.
There Were Dating Rumours After The Special
After the Friends reunion special wrapped up and fans rejoiced at this celebration of the iconic sitcom, news outlets started spreading a rumor about Anniston and Schwimmer dating. According to Elle's Olivia Blair, the news started from a magazine before it spread online.
But in this same piece, Schwimmer's representative claimed it as false news while Anniston did respond in an interview, saying that it was 'bizarre' to her. It looks like fans won't see a real-life Ross and Rachel anytime soon.
They Are Not Currently Dating
Considering David and Jennifer used the excuse of not dating one another because one of them was always dating someone else, fans were excited to discover there was a recent point in time when both of them were single. However, it was just not a good enough reason for the two to swing it these days.
Not only do the two live in different parts of the country, but they are no longer working on the same set, which was largely a reason they got so close in the first place. Even though it's clear there are several obstacles in the way of the two, fans still hope to this day that they will end up finding their way back to one another.