Friends is one of the most celebrated and most successful television shows of all time, and even those who are not extreme fans know the main characters. These seven friends were the stars: Rachel Green, Ross Geller, Monica Geller, Chandler Bing, Phoebe Buffay and Joey Tribbiani.
But there are also several family members who were introduced over the years and throughout the seasons… These relatives may be close siblings, distant parents or people who are only mentioned a couple of times in the show. Either way, we are going to rank 10 of them, right here and right now.
Ursula Buffay
Ursula Buffay doesn’t care about anyone or anything (except herself). She thinks she can do no wrong, which causes problems between her and her twin sister. Oh, and she doesn’t even like to acknowledge that she has a sister… Who wouldn’t want to claim Phoebe?!
Another not-so-great thing about Ursula is that she knew about Phoebe Abbott, Phoebe, and Ursula Buffay’s mom, yet never said anything to her sister. That will all be gone over in just a bit, but there is another sibling to mention first…
Amy Greene
Amy Greene is one of Rachel’s sisters. Some words that could be used to describe her are rude, selfish and thoughtless. She seemed to just drop bombs and not be phased by them when she was on the screen. Plus, she admitted to messing around with Barry, back when Barry was with Rachel, which is beyond uncool.
A big way to tell that this was a not-so-great family member was that Joey didn’t even like her, and he usually loves the ladies!
Phoebe Abbott
Phoebe Buffay definitely got some traits from her birth mother, Phoebe Abbott, who was also a giant pile of quirks.
The main thing to keep in mind here, though, is that Phoebe Buffay’s family background is a very complicated one, and her birth mother gave her and her sister up, leaving them behind. Later on, she felt bad about this and tried to have a relationship with her daughter, but it is still quite sad.
Frank Buffay Sr.
On a similar note, there is Frank Buffay Sr., Phoebe and Ursula’s father. He left them behind, too, and when he got married again and had a son, Frank Buffay Jr., he also walked out on them.
A memorable episode showed Phoebe and her father actually sitting down and talking, though, and it turned out that he used to sing her a song that sounded like “Smelly Cat”! This conversation did not fix the years of hurt, but it was a good step forward, which showed some kind of nice qualities in a flawed man.
Nora Tyler Bing
There is something worse than going against a girl code with a sister (which will be discussed down below), and that would be a mom hitting on her son’s friend. Yes, that brings the list to Nora Tyler Bing, Chandler’s mother.
She is a graphic adult novelist, and her divorce from Charles sort of messed Chandler up a bit, as did Nora’s unmotherly ways. She didn’t go to a school event Chandler had in the first grade, because she just didn’t want to go. She also hit on Ross, which is a biggie, and even if she did really love her son, she still doesn’t get an A+ parenting grade.
Judy Geller
There is no such thing as a perfect person, but parents really should not criticize their kids. That is exactly what Judy Geller did every time she was on the screen, though… but only Monica. Ross could do no wrong in her eyes.
There are parents that mess up more than her on this list, but there are also characters who brought way more to the table and were way nicer, as well (like her husband, who will be discussed in just a bit).
Jill Green
There are three main things to really dislike about Jill Green. First off, she is not the brightest bulb out there. Secondly, she and Rachel are not BFFs, though they do seem to get along better than Rachel and Amy. The biggest flaw with this supporting character, however, was that she was interested in Ross! Thankfully, the relationship ended before it could really get started, but we automatically have to dislike someone who gets in the way of fate… especially if it is a sister. Where is the girl code?
Frank Buffay Jr.
Here is another sibling for the list, Frank Buffay Jr. He is not the best brother, but he is definitely not as rude or crude as some other relatives that have been mentioned. Besides, Phoebe’s half-brother was pretty interesting: He had a punctured lung, he stole birds’ eggs, he had unique interests, and though he was not very smart, he seems like one of the more likable family members from this show (which is sort of sad, actually!). He also gave Phoebe some beautiful nieces and a nephew, as well.
Tribbiani Sisters
For some comic relief (even more than usual), there were always the Tribbiani Sisters. They did not show up tons and tons, but it was always very exciting when they did.
Joey grew up in a big Italian family, and he was the only son. He has seven sisters, whose names are Gina, Tina, Dina, Mary-Angela, Mary-Therese, Veronica and Cookie. It can be hard to keep track of all of these women and their bold and differing personalities, but the diverse dynamics have given them a high score here today!
Jack Geller
Monica and Ross’ parents are Jack and Judy Geller, and both of these characters obviously liked their son more than their daughter. In fact, Judy made several not-so-nice comments to Monica over the years about her love life and her ears. Jack, though, showed some redeeming qualities. He comforted Monica after her breakup with Richard. He gave her his Porsche. And Monica even named her son after him, which speaks volumes! While both of these parents loved both of their children, Jack is the one who earned the highest ranking on this list.
