Chandler's on-again, off-again love interest, Janice Litman-Goralnik was a recurrent character on Friends. Famous for her impactful catchphrase "Oh my God!" and her lively personality, she would light up any room she walked into.
Though Janice was genuinely interested in wanting to be friends with her boyfriend's friends, they refused to show her the respect and courtesy that she deserved. She was belittled for her quirks and nasally voice by the same characters whose popularity basically rested on quirky behavior. Years on, fans strongly believe the six friends owe Janice an apology for the following horrible things they did to her.
Chandler Accidentally Hit Her In The Eye
The events in season 1's "The One With the East German Laundry Detergent," were clear indicators that Chandler and Janice were doomed from the start of Friends.
Chandler impatiently waited for Janice to show up at Central Perk just so he could break up with her. He was in a hurry to get it over with, but not enough to leave the couch and let her be. He started banging the tabletop and hit her in the eye from flailing his arms. Chandler caught a perfectly good person off guard and chose the nastiest way to break up with her. Janice carried actual physical and emotional hurt from his breakup and she wasn't wrong when shortly after she called him out for running his own "theatre of cruelty."
Joey Looked For Ways To Get Rid Of Her
In "The One with the Princess Leia Fantasy," Joey had a hard time accepting his friend and roommate, Chandler, was back together with Janice. He wanted Chandler to call it quits, and when that didn't work, he tried to talk to the gang to get rid of her.
This episode is one of the rare times on the show Chandler treated Janice with love and expected Joey to get along with her. Everybody but Joey had accepted Janice back into their social circle. Janice was free to associate with whomever she wished, and it wasn't Joey's business to interfere in her and Chandler's relationship. She found out about Joey's feelings from Chandler and even though she was hurt, she handled the news with grace.
The Gang Mocked Her
It's Valentine's Day (season 1's "The One With The Candy Hearts") and Monica happens to see Janice kiss Chandler goodbye in the hallway. She gets Ross on the phone and hands it over to Janice who has no idea that she's being made fun of.
Whilst Janice is happy to see everybody and calls their meeting a reunion, the gang is mocking her and judging Chandler for spending the night with her. Beyond disliking Janice's loud laugh, the reasons for the gangs' problematic behavior are not clear. They try their best to embarrass Janice but the joke's on them as she handles this awkward meeting like a sport.
Chandler Sought Her Out And Dumped Her
One of Janice's best quotes in Friends lies in the episode "The One with the Candy Hearts" wherein she astutely remarks that Chandler seeks her out every single time. She reminds him he'd asked her into his bed the previous night, and that he gets cold feet every time they are beginning to do okay.
The fact of the matter is that Chandler was never sure about Janice, and would only pursue her out of convenience. He himself spoke about Janice being his "safety net" and to that end, treated her as a second choice. Simply put, Chandler was a horrible boyfriend to Janice who refused to handle their association maturely every time he decided to get together with her.
Chandler Chased Her Down The Street
Chandler also scared Janice by suddenly deciding to move very quickly in their relationship. In "The One With the Metaphorical Tunnel," he overwhelmed her with loving gestures such as suggesting they take a trip with her parents and move in together.
While Chandler understandably came from a place of deep-seated trauma, it's clear that he was using Janice to address his relationship insecurities. It's disturbing that he got away with encroaching on her physical space by chasing her down the street. The awful incident was a major invasion of Janice's personal space and fans aren't prepared to let it go.
Chandler Embarrassed Her In Public And Took Her Shoe Off Her
The only time Chandler genuinely wanted things to work out between him and Janice was in season 3's "The One with the Giant Poking Device." This episode was an incredibly difficult time for Janice because she was torn between her boyfriend, Chandler, and her estranged husband. Chandler advised her to give her marriage a second chance only to backtrack and demand that she chose him instead.
By the end of this discussion, Chandler had already embarrassed Janice in public and she was forced to break away from him. She walked out of Central Perk reeling in the sorrow of her breakup, and the humiliation of wearing one shoe.
Chandler Lied About Being Transferred To Yemen To Break Up With Her
Chandler's Yemen ruse is one of the things that makes Friends unrealistic. It also makes him, and those complicit in the lie, heartless liars. Chandler played with Janice's feelings one more time in "The One with All the Rugby" when he pretended to move to Yemen to get her to break up with him.
This lie spiraled out of control and it resulted in Janice helping him pack and accompanying him to the airport to say that last goodbye. At this point, it was hard to find a justification as to why Chandler couldn't speak the truth to Janice's face. It truly hurt fans to see Janice being lied to and set up for manipulation without an end in sight.
Judged Ross For Spending the Night With Her
The gang felt a deep sense of shame as they found out that their friend, Ross had spent the night with Janice. The events of "The One with Chandler's Work Laugh," are shockingly vile and have no reasonable explanation whatsoever.
Whilst fans think Janice was a Friends character Ross should have been with, his friends liked to think otherwise. They all come down heavily on him for spending the night with Janice for reasons that had nothing to do with breaking the friendship code. They were mad at Ross because they refused to see Janice as an equal human being and tried to guilt him for finding her company pleasant.
She Was Kept In The Dark About Chandler's Fake Trip
In the same episode, when Janice pleaded with everybody to take a moment before judging her for spending the night with Ross, Phoebe responded by saying, "Oh, nobody is judging you."
Janice was under the impression that Chandler was in Yemen, which meant that he hadn't bothered to clear things up with her at all. She talked of having unmet needs from the long distance, and sounded hurt, frustrated, and confused all at the same time. The gang could have told her the truth and but they kept her in the dark about the truth of Chandler's fake trip. All in all, the six friends were deeply cruel, and manipulative when it came to Janice, and fans refuse to condone their behavior.