Friends Fans Share Their Most Controversial Opinions About The Show... And There Is A Lot To Digest

"They all showed Gunther a complete lack of respect. Gunther should have banned them."
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Friends fans have been getting some of their feelings about the hit show off their chest, after one Twitter user asked to hear people’s most “controversial opinions” about the 90s sitcom.

On Wednesday morning, writer Sara Gibbs wrote: “What’s your most controversial Friends opinion? Mine is that Emily was 100% in the right.”

What’s your most controversial Friends opinion? Mine is that Emily was 100% in the right.

— Sara Gibbs (@Sara_Rose_G) October 7, 2020

What Sarah perhaps wasn’t expecting was that her tweet would spark more than 1000 responses, with certain character names even starting to trend on Twitter as more people got involved in the discussion.

The responses ranged from the obvious...

Joey became an absolute parody of himself. He started off as a charming, ladies man who was adorably slow, but by the end he could barely count to ten or know the days of the week. He deserved much better!

— Kayley 🌻 (@Kayley_A) October 7, 2020

They /were/ on a break - it was Rachel's suggestion. But Ross sleeping with that woman the very same night is a dickish move

— Naomi 🌻 (@misoravampyre) October 7, 2020

If you want to live in a desirable area on an average salary you'd better make sure your parents own a rent controlled apartment.

— Sam Whyte (@SamWhyte) October 7, 2020

It was completely unrealistic that that same sofa was ALWAYS available for them to sit on when they went to the coffee shop.

— Amanda Pearce (@Starlet03) October 7, 2020

Series 1-5 = brilliant comedy
Series 6-10 = a shambles of a show

— Jamie Tucker (@Tukka) October 7, 2020

That the writers pretty much gave up on character development for Joey by the end of the show. He went from mildly dumb to speaking actual gibberish and not realising. He became a caricature of himself and it wasn’t funny or endearing.

— Emily Rose Chriscoli (@EmilyRChriscoli) October 7, 2020

Also: Ross and Rachel *were* on a break that she initiated. She even called him the next day asking to “be his girlfriend again”. That doesn’t negate what Ross did, however. He still behaved inexcusably badly.

— Emily Rose Chriscoli (@EmilyRChriscoli) October 7, 2020

…to some that actually gave us a lot to think about (particularly when it comes to some of the main characters’ past love interests)...

It should've been Kathy & Chandler forever and making Kathy unfaithful again was just a quick-fix way of writing her out so Chandler could get with Monica

— sophie hall-oween 🎃 (@SophLouiseHall) October 7, 2020

Janice was a better match for Chandler than Monica.

— Darren Richman (@darrenrichman) October 7, 2020

Rachel shouldn't have been angry at ross for the comparison list he did between her and Julie.

She knew Ross was in love with her since high school, but waited until he was in a loving committed relationship before making a move? OF COURSE he's going to need to make comparisons! https://t.co/CG7RRnD6cH

— Femi (@Femi_Sorry) October 7, 2020

That Janice is actually really sweet and the friends are all horrible to her just cause she has a nasal voice

— Nick Bartlett (@IMDBartlett) October 7, 2020

They all showed Gunther a complete lack of respect despite him being more dedicated to his career than any of the friends and him running a successful business. Gunther should have banned them.

— 🧟♀️frankenbananas🧟♂️ (@fatherbananas) October 7, 2020

Janice. Loved her and the group were just snarky and mean. She was big hearted, sweet, style icon, great fun, thoughtful, loud, loving, funny and gorgeous. pic.twitter.com/0kPjERlwJp

— Lord Christopher Laverty (@Clothesonfilm) October 7, 2020

Oh! Oh! Another one, Gavin Mitchell was an incredible match for Rachel and I still can’t understand why they didn’t develop that relationship more 😫 pic.twitter.com/btPxNG6nqz

— Ellé (@ElleStardust93) October 7, 2020

I've always hated that they built this relationship up for several episodes and then... it went nowhere. he was a former rodeo clown! it would have been amazing!

— katie (indoors) (@katefeetie) October 7, 2020

Ursula was the good twin! https://t.co/NMVXKmhovX

— Tasha Is Screaming Inside Her Heart This Halloween (@TashaMCampbell) October 7, 2020

Rachel should have stayed on the plane, and Phoebe should have picked David over Mike.

— Breandán 🇮🇪🇪🇺🏳️🌈💜 (@BrendannadnerB) October 7, 2020

Rachel should have slept with Mark pic.twitter.com/c8yEtUZb1T

— Andrea Cleary 🎃 (@AndreaCleary_) October 7, 2020

I love it. BUT: Janice was great. Phoebe was calculating, not dizzy. They were AWFUL to Bonnie. Ross was right about Phoebe & the cat. Phoebe should’ve ended up with David. Rachel should NOT have got off that plane! And... I wouldn’t ever want any of them as my actual friends 🙄

— Charlotte Bangbala (@Twit_ter_whoo) October 7, 2020

Monica and Chandler’s wedding was trash. For all of its expense and her supposed taste, the aesthetic was “any hotel anywhere” and a huge let-down after Ross & Emily’s venue.

— Kristy (@kristysf) October 7, 2020

Naming a Village-based coffee shop after Central Park is some real “I’ve never been to New York” bullshit. https://t.co/2NNzuxRl5Z

— David Onearybaba (@DeusExCinema) October 7, 2020

That there was no way they could have actually made a poking device out of chopsticks long enough to reach through the window of Ugly Naked Guy’s apartment.

— Amanda (@Pandamoanimum) October 7, 2020

And while many also took the opportunity to point out some of the show’s more problematic aspects...

The treatment of Chandler's AMAB parent and of Ross's first ex wife reads as horrifically homo and trans phobic and underlines just how much all of them were horrible people.

— Laurel T (@AngelzLT) October 7, 2020

The story arc where Chandler gets a new roommate (Eddie), which culminates in them gaslighting someone who's clearly mentally ill and leaving him homeless, was gross. https://t.co/fp4ISTcVBf

— ada lovelace #indyref2 🏴🦄 (@adalovelace_x) October 7, 2020

That it could have had 100% less fat jokes, gay jokes, trans jokes and David Schwimmer. https://t.co/M72QMOhyK1

— the ashen (@theashen3) October 7, 2020

- Ross mental health issue wasn't funny at all
- Chandler's character development was awful (I know Matthew Perry had his own issues)
- Its possibly the least inclusive show on TV. 6 straight, skinny, white people in NYC. It would never be made like that now. https://t.co/nhUkwSQDtz

— Baz Walsh (@BazWalsh85) October 7, 2020

Terrible show. No bame, lgbt or handicapped lead actors involved, so how is it representative of New York in the 90s? https://t.co/qEgJo11r6U

— Dan (@DaniGJC) October 7, 2020

...others voiced their more *ahem* left-field fan theories...

Gunther was slipping mercury into Joey’s coffee.

— Olaf Falafel (@OFalafel) October 7, 2020

That Joey was actually a PhD anthropology student deeply embedded undercover within a self-obsessed micro-community to research high-level solipsism. His 'acting' career was cover for his absences to write up/ report back, his 'thick' persona made him a confidante. Perfect.

— Stu Neville, Ostrobogulous of Brislington (@stu_neville) October 7, 2020

Central perk was actually just a mafia front https://t.co/DT1BxMIs0a

— not_a_bot (@choiceblend) October 7, 2020

that the name 'Friends' is loosely based on the relationship between the main characters https://t.co/Sg9l4TCMph

— Fred Delicious (@Fred_Delicious) October 7, 2020

High-flying Business Heart-attack Phoebe was the one who deserved the spin-off. pic.twitter.com/MhsdYosTtS

— Gracie Lou He-bush | Black Trans Lives Matter (@darkestflameboy) October 7, 2020

one of them should have just bought a cafetiere https://t.co/cWofdvLxTw

— harry (@HrryBtlr) October 7, 2020

As Sara’s post began to gain more attention, there was one Friends opinion she refused to accept as controversial, though.

“Love you guys but ‘Ross is terrible’ doesn’t count as controversial,” she tweeted.

Love you guys but ‘Ross is terrible’ doesn’t count as controversial 😘

— Sara Gibbs (@Sara_Rose_G) October 7, 2020

Friends fans are currently waiting on the show’s much-anticipated reunion, which was announced earlier this year.

The one-off special – which would see all six members of the main cast reminiscing about their 10 years on the much-loved sitcom – was supposed to debut on the streaming service HBO Max in the spring, but has repeatedly been pushed back as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.

The cast of Friends pictured during the height of the show's popularity
The cast of Friends pictured during the height of the show's popularity
NBC via Getty Images

Explaining the delay, Jennifer Aniston previously said: “Unfortunately it’s very sad that we had to move it again. It was, ‘How do we do this with live audiences?’

“This is not a safe time. Period. That’s the bottom line. It’s not a safe time to do it.

“You know what? This has also given us more time to make it even more exciting and more fun than it would have been. So I choose to see it as the glass is half-full that it got postponed.”

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