Friends is one of the most popular, iconic and memorable shows from the nineties and noughties.
The ten season show ran from 1995 until 2004 and skyrocketed the careers of the cast – Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry.
However beloved the show became, it also came with its controversies and wild moments.
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Keep reading to check out some unknown facts about one of the biggest TV shows of the 20th and 21st centuries.
9/11 storyline switch-up
(Image: GETTY)
The 9/11 bombing hugely altered the course of many movies and TV shows around that time, out of respect for the lives lost due to the historic event.
Friends was also affected throughout season eight when Monica and Chandler escaped for their honeymoon.
The hilarious episode shows the newlyweds being upstaged by another couple throughout their trip – being upgraded to first class, getting a nicer room in the hotel and so on.
(Image: NBC)
However, in the original episode they were never supposed to make it to their destination.
Deleted scenes show the couple being detained at the airport after Chandler made a poorly timed joke about bombs.
Chandler spotted a sign that said joking about aircraft hijacking and bombings are a federal crime, but obviously he couldn’t resist.
He told a steward: “You don’t have to worry about me, ma’am. I take my bombs very seriously!”
Later on in the episode, Monica also made a joke about their “entire apartment blowing up” – given the tragedy that had just hit America, bosses made a smart decision to keep it out.
Jennifer Aniston almost quit
It would be almost impossible for anyone to imagine the final season of Friends without one of the main characters of the show, but this was almost a reality for fans back in 2004.
Jennifer Aniston almost left the show and her role as the iconic Rachel Green back in the early 2000s
She was so important that the finale focussed almost entirely on her relationship with Ross Geller, but this may not have been the case if Aniston’s decision had gone a different way.
Jennifer spoke to NBC back in 2004 and admitted that she had “a couple of issues” that she was dealing with.
Aniston also said that she would have preferred the series ended while people “still loved them” and confessed that she wasn’t sure how much of Rachel she had left in her.
She was worried about the quality of the series and her character declining if they continued to work on new series.
Luckily she stayed on and wrapped the final season with her fellow co-stars.
Chandler and Phoebe?
Without Bing’s sarcasm and Buffay’s kookiness, Friends would have been a completely different show.
Thankfully, the series creators scrapped the idea of Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow’s characters being secondary roles as the original idea was to have Rachel, Ross, Monica and Joey as the main stars.
In a mini-documentary released in 2005, co-creator of the series Marta Kauffman revealed that Chandler and Phoebe were supposed to be “a little more secondary,” acting as comic relief for the viewers.
Executive producer Kevin S. Bright also said that the decision to keep them as primary characters was made financially – the producers of the show weren’t keen to pay for guest stars.
Fat Monica
A reoccurring storyline throughout Friends was a throwback to their highschool years with some very questionable hairstyles and ever worse outfits.
Set in the 80s, the friends looked noticeably different but one stood out more than most.
Courtney Cox wore a fat suit and facial prosthetics when she played her character’s younger self, but since the 90s many fans of the show have called out Friends for the “fatphobic” portrayal.
She was used as a scapegoat for “cheap laughs” whenever the flashbacks focussed on her and her younger self’s actions were greatly exaggerated.
In an alternate opening sequence for the show, “Fat Monica” was supposed to hop onto the couch which then tipped over onto the floor.
In the two-part episode The One That Could Have Been, younger Monica never lost the weight and remained a virgin.
Throughout the same episode, “Fat Monica” also became very concerned that someone sat on her chocolate bar.
The Male Nanny
Controversy surrounded the series when Sandy the male nanny came into their lives.
Rachel and Ross are on the hunt for a nanny and Sandy seems like the perfect candidate – to Rachel.
Ross is uncomfortable with the idea of their nanny being a man, which has upset viewers since the time of the episode’s release.
Sandy shows his emotional side and it is revealed that he is extremely sensitive and cries a lot.
Ross ends up firing Sandy and Friends came under fire for reinforcing negative stereotypes regarding his role.
Men have and continue to face discrimination in that line of business and the notion that men who babysit are overtly “feminine” or “sensitive” is false.
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Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
