The show F.R.I.E.N.D.S has been a part of all our lives in some way or the other. For some, it’s been their go-to after a shitty day at work and for the others, it’s been their favourite show they keep going back when nothing on Netlfix is interesting. In all these years, we’re sure you’ve heard a conspiracy theory here and there about the show.
Which is why we decided to bring you 11 unsettling conspiracy theories that will make you go….
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The One Where Ross Lost Custody Of Ben
The Irish Sun
We all know how big a part Ross’s son, Ben was in the former’s life. He was also an intimately woven character in the storyline. He was played by the series Riverdale’s Cole Sprouse and was seen on the show during the first eight seasons.
Many fans believe that sometime around the birth of Emma, Ross lost custody of his son as he stopped appearing on the show. Quite accurate, actually.
One Reddit user added to this conspiracy theory by suggesting that his ex-wife probably got fed up with all of Ross’ crazy shenanigans and took away his parenting rights. We’ve all witnessed how his personal life was all over the place as the show progressed, particularly his anger issues.
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Also if you noticed, Ben was never shown interacting with Emma, his own sister. The conclusion of this conspiracy theory is that either Ross forgot about his son or his parenting rights were taken away by Carol.
The One Where Phoebe Is Secretly A Genius
NBC
No one is shy to the fact that Phoebe has a mysterious backstory. She also happens to be on of the most unpredictable characters on the show. We also know this unique character has a past of growing up on the streets after her mother committed suicide and battling a bout of Hepatitis.
Let’s not forget, despite her pitiful situation and lack of formal education, she managed to learn some foreign languages namely Italian and French.
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This conspiracy theory states that Phoebe Buffay is actually a genius with little to “zero ambition”. She often tends to play her friends off against one another, well… “for her own amusement”. The perfect example for this is when she spent a couple of days trying to checkmate college professor Ross in an argument about evolutionary theory. Immediately after this she, she went on to say – “That was fun – who’s hungry?”
Phoebe almost manages to convince Ross that the theory of evolution is flawed. Oops.
The One Where It’s Just One Big Starbucks Advertisement
Harper’s Bazar
This F.R.I.E.N.D.S conspiracy theory states that it is just one big advertisement for Starbucks.
The show basically revolves around a coffee bar as the main hangout for all characters. There is another citation of evidence as Rachel’s last name is “Geller” which means “one who yells” just how your name is called at the coffee giant when your drink is ready.
Yeah, we know it’s slightly far-fetched, then again, the connection is weirdly there.
The One Where They Always Get The Same Table At Central Perk Because Gunther Loves Rachel
Cosmopolitan
For many years viewers were always confused as they speculated how the group always managed to secure the exact same Central Perk couch. This went on until someone spotted how there was always a “Reserved” sign on the table.
This could be because of poor Gunther’s infatuation with Rachel. The coffee house was located in a busy area which is why Gunther simply left the sign on the table so that he’d be able to see her often.
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Now we don’t know if that’s cute or creepy.
The One Where The Characters Are In A Psych Ward
TvGag
Time and again we’ve all seen the various characters on Friends have various moments where they act a little cuckoo. Do you think things could be beyond that? This conspiracy theory states that they’re all actually patients in a psychiatric ward.
According to this rather interesting theory, the six of them are working through their various personality disorders that are triggered by the issues they’ve faced in their lives.
Monica had an eating disorder, Ross has abandonment issues, Rachel has Daddy issues, Phoebe has trauma from her childhood, Chandler dissociates from reality with jokes because of his parents’ divorce, Joey cracks under the world’s pressure.
Their apartments also represent respective rooms and as the patients. Could this be a case of mass hysteria?
The One Where Monica Developed OCD After Losing Weight
Big City, Curvy Girl, Thin Wallet
One of the major aspects of Monica’s character development is based around her major weight loss post teen years. There are many flashbacks from when she was bigger as her weight is talked about quite a bit in the storyline of the show.
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If you’ve noticed, during those flashbacks, although she’s bigger, her obsessive personality isn’t nearly as strong.
There is a popular conspiracy theory that Monica hadn’t developed her OCD until after she lost weight. The creator of this theory thinks that the weight loss drug given to her at fat camp resulted in a hormonal imbalance. This imbalance maybe have caused her OCD, as well as her infertility.
Interesting.
The One Where Phoebe Hallucinated The Entire Show
Mic
Phoebe has had a dark past as she’s lived on the streets; she was abandoned by her father and was extremely traumatized when her mother committed her own life.
According to this conspiracy theory, Phoebe never really got off the streets and continued to remain homeless. She used different substances to abuse herself with and would stare through the window of Central Perk, imagining a different life with the gang.
All the poor soul really wanted were friends, so she dreamed them up.
All these ten seasons could possibly be her mind protecting itself, while Chandler, Monica, Rachel, and Joey kept wondering why a crazy lady keeps staring at them.
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The One Where Mr. Heckles Was Murdered
Nicki Swift
Remember Mr. Heckles, Rachel and Monica’s mean old neighbor? It was shown in the second season that he dies of natural causes or at least that’s what they want you to think. A Reddit user actually states that Mr. Heckles was killed in cold blood. Say whaaaaaat..?
Just moments before he dies, Mr. Heckles shows up at Monica and Rachel’s door, complaining about the noise they were making and how it was disturbing his birds. Well, he didn’t even have birds!
When Monica says they’ll try to keep it down, Mr. Heckles leaves by stating that he’s going back up to rejoin his “dinner party.” Minutes later, he’s found dead. That means, his dinner party guest killed him. Either that of Mr. Heckels was a crazy old man who wasn’t having a dinner party to begin. But then again, where’s the fun in that?
The One Where Phoebe and Joey Where Hooking Up From The Start
Although Joey and Phoebe have never been an official couple, their chemistry was definitely undeniable. And according to the actor Matt LeBlanc—who played the favorite sandwich-loving friend—it’s quite possible that Joey and Pheebs were hooking up from the start and we just didn’t know *shurgs*
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“Towards the end we actually pitched the idea that Joey and Phoebe had been having casual sex the entire time,”, LeBlanc told People in 2015.
“We’d go back and shoot all the historical scenes and just before a moment that everyone recognizes, there’s Joey and Phoebe coming out of a broom closet together. But they were like, ‘Nah.’”
The One Where Monica Isn’t Jack’s Daughter
Metro
What’s downright terrible is Judy’s treatment towards her daughter Monica. In fact, she dismisses the idea of Monica ever having a family more than once in the show. This is especially hurtful since Monica always wanted a family of her own.
Then again, she could most likely just be a terrible person. There’s been speculation that her mistreatment towards her daughter actually comes from her very own regrets.
Monica could’ve also been the result of Judy stepping out on her husband! It could be that her constant harassment towards Monica is her misdirected anger because of her own decisions.
That a sad tough one, isn’t it?
The One Where“Eddie” & “Jimmy” Are Split Personalities Of The Same Person
When Joey moves out in Season 2, Chandler replaces him with “Crazy Eddie”. It was made very obvious that Eddie is unstable. Clearly. Eventually, as the episodes proceed, Chandler tricks “Crazy Eddie” into thinking that he never lived there.
Screenrant
Things get slightly more interesting later in the spin-off called Joey, when the actor who played Eddie, Adam Goldberg reappeared as Joey’s childhood friend Jimmy. Wait, what…?
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To make things more interesting, Joey’s friend Jimmy portrays anger issues and threatens to skip town several times. Think about it….is possible that Eddie and Jimmy are just two people in the same body? Although it then doesn’t explain why Joey didn’t recognize him. Could be because he didn’t get a good enough look perhaps? Now that’s an interesting conspiracy theory.
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Well, our work here is done. We hope these theories have made you want to binge-watch the entire show all over again.
Also Read: 20 Gifts For Your Friend Who Watches “Friends” On Repeat