They’ll be there for you, sure, but that doesn’t mean that the characters within Friends were always there for each other, despite what the opening song might say. Throughout the course of the show, each character does plenty of things that aren’t very nice.
Each character has their positives, as well as their negative traits, which is one of the reasons that the show is so popular: it makes them relatable, and no matter how perfect people are, everyone has their flaws.
Throughout the show, the core Friends characters do some despicable things to each other, and to others, and while it is all eventually laughed off by some form of gag, it is through these mistakes and moments that the show gets its real heart.
Joey: Treating Women
Deep down, Joey has a very loving heart and he cares deeply for people, but on the surface, he really does believe he is a ladies man and he certainly has an impressive track record. While that might be fun to brag about to Chandler and Ross, it doesn’t exactly make Joey look like a great person.
Sure, when he falls for someone he really does commit and loves them passionately, with his relationship with Rachel being a great example. However, throughout the show, for the most part, he is a real jerk to women.
Whether it be his quick one-off flings or the fact that he never really makes much of an effort to get to know the women, or their names and personalities, throughout the show he does really show a bad side of his personality.
Phoebe: Giving Monica A Haircut
For the most part, Phoebe is probably the nicest member of the group, for while she is blunt and honest they are simply part of her characteristics, as she never actually intentionally tries to upset people, and even this moment wasn’t something she did on purpose.
However, when Monica decides to trust Phoebe to cut her hair, it quickly becomes clear that she should have done anything but that as she proceeds to give Monica one of the worst haircuts you are ever likely to see.
While Phoebe genuinely believes she is doing a great job, for the most part, it was quite a poor decision of hers to decide to cut her friend’s hair without double-checking exactly what she wanted.
Rachel: Sailor Instructor
For the most part, it is only Ross who really gets to experience Rachel’s angry side, and most of the time that is justified due to the things he does. However, in one episode out on the water, Joey gets a look at her worst side.
After purchasing a boat, Joey and Rachel went out to the water with Rachel using her experience to try and teach Joey how to sail. However, as expected, this isn’t something that comes naturally to him.
While Rachel is normally very calm with Joey, on this trip she channels her father and ends up losing her cool completely, screaming at him over and over.
Chandler: Hooking Up With Joey’s Sister
A common rule among friends, both on the show and in reality, is that you never hook up with their family members. However, on the show that is a rule that is broken a few times, with this moment being one of them as Chandler hooked up with one of Joey’s sisters.
Now, obviously that is bad enough to warrant its place on this list, however, to make matters worse, Chandler doesn’t actually remember which sister it is that he hooks up with.
The Group: Late To Monica’s Thanksgiving Dinner
This isn’t a moment from just one character, but something that the entire group did. All of them turned up late to Monica’s Thanksgiving dinner, after she had slaved away for them all in order to make the day special.
This moment took place in the final season on episode eight, and saw all of them at fault, leading to the hilarious floating-heads-moment as the Monica locked them all out of the apartment due to how mad she was at them all.
Monica: Becoming Friends With Julie
On paper, Monica becoming friends with her brother’s partner isn’t really a bad thing. After all, it is to be expected that they would be close, due to Julie’s relationship with Ross. However, Monica doesn’t have any consideration for Rachel in this situation.
At this point, Rachel is devastated that Ross is with another woman and that is something Monica is very aware of, which is why it wasn’t her best move to start spending tons of time with Julie, who Rachel wanted out of the scene.
The tipping point here though was when Monica decided to go shopping with Julie, which, considering Rachel’s obsession for shopping was a rookie move on her behalf.
Chandler & Joey: Losing Ben
This is a two-for-one, but it is one of the worst things that someone has ever done on Friends, and perhaps showed how immature both Chandley and Joey were earlier on in the show, in comparison to later on.
After Joey convinces Ross that he and Chandler are capable of looking after his son Ben when he needs to go to the hospital due to allergies, the two men prove that they are anything but responsible as they wind up leaving Ben alone on a bus.
Focusing on the attention they’re getting from the ladies because of Ben, the pair end up going out with them, but forgetting Ben and while it leads to a hilarious episode as they search for him, it wasn’t exactly responsible.
Rachel: High School Bully
During the course of Friends as a television show, there are plenty of throwback moments to the past which shows how the characters were in their youth, and unfortunately, they’re never particularly flattering when it comes to Rachel.
While she was the high school’s most popular person who everyone wanted to be friends with and all the boys wanted to date, the reality was that Rachel was actually a bully during that period of her life, with all the stories that come out about her backing that up.
Chandler: Movie Nap
Throughout the entirety of Friends, Joey is constantly in the pursuit of a successful career in the acting world, and while he does land some impressive roles, one of his first big parts is when he is cast in a war movie.
Clearly excited about being able to attend a premiere of his own film, Joey invites his best friend Chandler, as a way of thanking him for all his support throughout his journey to that point.
While this was obviously a big moment for Joey, Chandler clearly wasn’t touched by the moment in the same way, letting him down by falling asleep and snoring during the film inside the cinema, which hurts Joey’s feelings.
Ross: We Were On A Break
There couldn’t be anything else taking the top spot here, could there? While some might agree with Ross that they were on a break and his decision to sleep with someone else was justified, the vast majority of Friends fans think he was a total jerk.
While the pair obviously end up together after it is all said and done, this is one of the shows biggest moments, and unfortunately for Ross, he doesn’t come across great during the entire thing. First for his behavior, and second for how hard he worked to cover up the secret.
