Even after 20 years off the air, Friends is still undeniably popular, but even so, in its 10-year run, the show had plenty of storylines that didn’t quite hit the mark. While there were many moments that caused a debate between fans, among the most controversial was Joey (Matt LeBlanc) falling for Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) in the show’s later seasons. Romances between the titular friends were not always a failure. After all, the twist of Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler’s (Matthew Perry) relationship was a fan favorite. But Joey and Rachel were not a popular pairing. While there are many reasons, the main one is that Rachel already had a relationship in the group, and after years of building up the Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel dynamic, introducing a new love interest who was so beloved meant someone would end up hurt.
This twist has long been considered to be one of the show’s worst among fans, but the fans were not the only ones who had doubts about the storyline. Even the actors involved were uncertain about Joey having a relationship with Rachel, which may feel validating for fans as the actors know the characters better than anyone. In fact, LeBlanc admitted that the cast disliked the plot so much that they made their concerns known.
Matt LeBlanc and the Cast of ‘Friends’ Were As Uncomfortable With the Story As the Fans
Joey may have dated nearly every woman he interacted with and even jokingly flirted with Rachel, Monica, and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow). However, their friendship seemed to make them off-limits to Joey. Given that setup, it’s no surprise that the cast was shocked by the addition of a romance between Joey and Rachel. Speaking to Vanity Fair, Matt LeBlanc described the situation by saying, “It felt wildly inappropriate. That’s how close we all were to the character. I was like, ‘That’s Rachel. She was supposed to be with Ross. Wait a minute.’ Everybody got super-defensive about the whole thing.” LeBlanc’s reaction matched that of many fans, but he actually had the ability to say something.
LeBlac described the cast going to the show’s creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, as a group to express their concerns about Joey and Rachel having a relationship. These complaints aren’t new, but the fact that they came from the cast is telling of how odd the twist seemed in the larger context of the series. According to LeBlanc, he and an unspecified group told Crane and Kauffman, “We’re really concerned about this. It doesn’t feel right. We have a problem with it.” However, Crane put it more simply, telling Vanity Fair, “The actors freaked out.” While by this point the show was popular enough that they couldn’t easily get rid of any of the main characters, it is still a risky thing to do. Fortunately, LeBlanc’s description of the event sounds respectful, and there didn’t seem to be any fallout from the cast voicing their hesitation.
‘Friends’ Included the Joey and Rachel Storyline Because It Felt Wrong
Of course, the storyline moved forward despite the cast’s concerns, becoming a notorious element of the series. And, as odd as it felt to watch (and apparently to film), the brief romance has a major impact on the show. When the actors shared their concerns, Crane and Kauffman were understanding enough and used the opportunity to explain their reasoning. Crane recalls telling the cast they wanted to do it because it felt wrong, saying, “You can’t just keep spinning the same plates. You have to go places where you’re not expected to go.” After seasons of a sibling-like friendship between the two, changing the story was a shock, and that was the point.
Whether the cast came around to Crane and Kauffman’s way of thinking or simply vented their feelings in this meeting and then moved on, they filmed this plotline. The story ended up being somewhat tragic for the series as it added a new layer of complexity to the central will-they-won’t-they, planting a seed of doubt in Ross and Rachel. While Ross and Rachel are together in the series finale, Joey gets his heart broken and must hold it together to maintain the friendship. Though not even the cast loved it from the beginning, the Joey and Rachel romance changed things for Friends, and especially Joey.
