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Ross and Monica's Relatives

Jack & Judy Geller

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/cbdkd0buwaeox6f.jpg

Played By: Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles

Ross and Monica Geller's parents who appear frequently throughout the series.

Abusive Parents:
- They are not very nice to Monica, especially Judy. Whereas Jack's treatment of Monica could be seen as being Innocently Insensitive, Judy is just flat-out nasty towards/about her:
  Ross: [on the phone with Judy] No, Mom, I’m not dead. I know it’s not something to kid about. It was just a practical joke between Chandler and me, but it’s over, ok? [pause] Actually no, even if I had died, you would not be left childless. [pause] Monica?
- Jack was this to Ross, according to the male nanny episode. Ross even starts crying talking about how his father treated him in the past.
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Either from a lack of caring that the comments they make are incredibly embarrassing (Judy) or a lack of realizing that they are (Jack).
Boyfriend-Blocking Dad: Jack. It is strongly implied by Richard that Jack angrily chased him after discovering that he was dating Monica. Ross also feels the need to very quickly take a baseball bat off Jack before Monica and Richard reveal their relationship. Would you do that if you thought your dad's reaction to such news was going to be calm and measured?
Bumbling Dad: Jack. He frequently makes inappropriate comments, which he punctuates by exclaiming "I'm just saying...!"
Cloudcuckoolander: Jack often says extremely off-kilter things that confuse everyone around him.
Dirty Old Man: Jack, having "accidentally" walked in on Rachel and Joey's temporary roommate Janine while they were changing. He also peeked on a couple having sex in the janitor's closet in a hospital. Unfortunately, they turned out to be Chandler and Monica.
Establishing Character Moment: In their first appearance, Monica is going to seemingly insane lengths to make sure her mother doesn't have anything to criticize when she gets there including obsessively fluffing a cushion to spite her friends attempting to assure her that she probably won't care that much if her cushion is a little bit hard, the first thing Judy does when we meet her re-fluff the cushion.
Foil: To Nora Tyler (formerly Bing) and Charles Bing/Helena Handbasket, as like them they were Abusive Parents to their child without even realizing it which caused them to grow up with several issues while Jack and Helena are portrayed more sympathetically then their wives. However Jack and Judy are very much in love and still together, and unlike Nora and Helena their abuse was constant criticism on Monica as opposed to neglect with Jack being the only one to realize how much he messed up. Both Nora and Helena are divorced and dislike each other, but to varying degrees have realized their mistakes and want to make it up to Chandler.
Good Parents: Jack is the only parent of the group to ever be seen stepping up. He is often Innocently Insensitive but when he realises there's something wrong he tries to be there for his children, like when he drove into New York to comfort Monica after she broke up with Richard. Notably in this case he succeeded in getting her to sleep where all her friends had failed.
Happily Married: The only parents of the gang to be this.
Ignored Epiphany: In "TOW Ross Got High" Judy has a Broken Pedestal moment towards Ross, and despite Ross doing nothing to redeem himself in their eyes, three seasons later she forgets Monica even exists.
Informed Attribute: Ross & Monica apparently inherited their competitive streak from Jack. Not that you can tell from his generally very laid-back demeanor and a lack of ever seeing him in a competitive situation. It's possible he just mellowed with age.
Informed Judaism: The only hint that either one of them is Jewish is an easily missed mezzuzah by their front door and the times Ross and Monica are referred to as Jewish. The most prominent theory is that Jack is Jewish (like his actor Elliott Gould) while Judy is not (as Christina Pickles is not either).
Innocently Insensitive: How Jack's mistreatment of Monica is portrayed. He is horrified after learning about her perceptions that he and Judy have always favored Ross, and he attempts to make amends by giving her his prized Porsche as a gift.
It's All About Me: Combined with The Unfettered, after Monica accidentally cut off Chandlers toe, they rush him over to the hospital to stitch it back on and realize that she accidentally grabbed a carrot instead. Her reaction is “oh god, there’s a toe in my kitchen”.
I Want Grandkids: Judy drives Monica to tears on this subject. Ross persuades them to stop arguing with Emily's parents (at least temporarily) by threatening "no grandchildren!".
Jerkass: Judy comes off as this with her treatment of Monica.
Jewish Mother: She's pretty overbearing and is dismissive of Monica for very petty reason.
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Judy's mother treated her the same way she treats Monica. However, as Monica is aware of this it's implied she'll break the cycle.
My Beloved Smother: Judy is often doting of Ross and according to Monica, she treats him like a prince.
My God, What Have I Done?: This is Jack's reaction to realizing that he had unintentionally favoured Ross over Monica for years. To try to make amends, he gives Monica his Porsche.
Narcissist: One interpretation of Judy’s treatment of Monica is that she is this (her apathy to Chandler loosing his toe is another example). She preferred Ross to Monica because he was more mellow and had greater achievements. And continues to favor him mainly for him giving HER grandchildren while her opinion of Monica sowers for not meeting expectations. When she was younger she openly dismissed Monica loosing weight to talk about Ross getting a GIRLFRIEND.
Never My Fault: It's implied that Ross got this trait from Judy, as she has no idea that she abuses Monica horribly and doesn't think that maybe she hid the relationship with Chandler because she remembers all the putdowns about her love life.
Nice Guy: Jack. Unless he's been angered by something (like finding out his best friend is dating his daughter), he's very low-key and cheerful, and aside from making the occasional thoughtless comment he never has a legitimately unkind thing to say about anyone, and does seem to genuinely love Monica unlike his wife.
Oblivious to Their Own Description: In "The One Where Nana Dies", Judy has no idea that she treats Monica the same way Nana treated her.
Obnoxious In-Laws: Played straight regarding Emily with Ross, although more because they don't like her parents. Subverted with Chandler; although they disliked him at first, when they find out the truth about the marijuana incident with Ross, they are thrilled about Monica and Chandler being together, and grateful that their children have Chandler to look out for them.
- Judy apparently feels this way about Jack's mother, calling her "that old crow" during Monica and Chandler's wedding.
Once a Season: Along with Gunther and Janice, they are the only recurring characters to appear at least once in all ten seasons.
Parental Favoritism: Towards Ross. Though at least in Jack's case it was unintentional and he felt horrible about it when he realized.
Parental Savings Splurge: After Monica gets engaged to Chandler they're forced to admit that they'd already spent the money they put aside for her wedding on their beach house and remodeling their kitchen.
Judy: We just assumed if you got married after you turned 30 you'd pay for it yourself.
Monica: You bought the beach house when I was 23!
Primal Scene: Monica has the misfortune of viewing them have sex not once, but twice, the first on video and the second in person while hiding in the shower.
Took a Level in Jerkass: Judy actually managed to get worse in Season 9. Before that, she was condescending towards Monica, but at least she seemed to be willing to accept her in her life. In Season 9, she lied about being out of town to avoid having lunch with Monica, called Ross her only child, and it was revealed earlier that she viewed Rachel as more of her daughter than Monica was. At this point, you have to wonder why Monica didn't just cut her out of her life entirely and why Jack stays with her.
Wanted a Gender-Conforming Child: Jack to Ross when he was a child, for playing with dinosaurs instead of sports, as revealed in The One With The Male Nanny. He seems to have grown out of it by the time the series began, as he's very proud of his son's profession.
What Does He See in Her?: An unusual variation as Judy and Jack are very loving toward each other. However, given how she treats Monica, especially after Season 9, you wonder why that doesn't even seem to be a point of contention between the two, as Jack's treatment of Monica is, at worst, Innocently Insensitive.
Why Are You Not My Son?: In the ninth season, Monica discovers that when Ross and Rachel were first dating, Judy got along with Rachel so much she told her she wished she was her daughter instead of Monica.

Carol & Susan

Carol Willick & Susan Bunch

Played By: Jane Sibbett & Jessica Hecht

Carol is Ross' first wife and mother of his son. She left him for Susan shortly before the beginning of the series. A major arc of the first season sees the three of them attempting to navigate becoming parents together.

Amicably Divorced: Carol and Ross are still very close; if she wasn't a lesbian, they'd probably still be together. This may explain why Susan doesn't seem to like Ross much.
Closet Key: Susan was this for Carol.
Freak Out:
- Carol has one that is mainly played for laughs at her Lamaze Class, getting absolutely terrified/Squicked at the idea of giving birth. When Ross initially tries to reassure her:
  Carol: Oh, what do YOU know?! No-one's going up to you and saying: "Hi, is that your nostril? Mind if we push this POT ROAST THROUGH IT?!"
- What Susan eventually says to comfort her leads to a Heroic BSoD from Ross when it finally hits him that he's going to be a father.
Happily Married: They get married in season 2.
Hypocritical Humor: When Carol finds out why Ross and Rachel broke up she chides him for sleeping with another woman. Ross points out that she's not one to talk when it comes to affairs.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Despite her disdain, Susan does give Ross a break in some instances. Most notably "The One With The Lesbian Wedding." It probably helped that Ross convinced Carol to proceed with her and Susan's wedding even after Carol's parents refused to show up, even giving Carol away. Ultimately, they're willing to tolerate each other, though there's always a bit of rivalry.
Lipstick Lesbian: Carol. They are both lesbian but Carol is more feminine.
Out of Focus: In later seasons they just disappear, Susan last appearing in the alternate reality episode of season 6, Carol last appearing in the middle of season 7.
Pet the Dog: Seeing as Ben is called "Ben Geller" in later seasons, it's implied that Susan let Ross use his surname for the baby.
Second Love: Carol to Ross, if you consider Ross's first love his teenage crush on Rachel. And obviously First Girl Wins.
Tomboy and Girly Girl: Susan and Carol, respectively.
Took a Level in Kindness: While they are still far from being friends, Susan seems to be nicer towards Ross in later seasons after he saved her wedding with Carol.

Cousin Cassie

Cassie Gellar

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Played By: Denise Richards

A cousin who comes to town for Monica's wedding in season seven.

Even the Girls Want Her: She is so attractive that even Phoebe Buffay becomes attracted to her.
Hair Flip: She flips her hair a lot. Also paired with Shaking Her Hair Loose, as her taking it down from an updo is what makes Chandler and Phoebe fall for her.
Incest-ant Admirer: She attracts the attention of her cousin Ross who tried to kiss her, much to her disgust.

Rachel's Relatives

Dr. Leonard & Sandra Green

Played By: Ron Leibman and Marlo Thomas

Rachel's parents who divorce midway through the first season.

Awful Wedded Life: Sandra tells Rachel, "You didn't marry your Barry, but I married mine.", this revealing that she's suffered in a loveless marriage for years. The two of them later spend her birthday party separately complaining to her about each other.
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Sandra becomes this to Rachel after deciding to leave Leonard and start a new life, casually asking "what's new in sex?" and if the gang have any drugs she can try.
Baby Sitter From Hell: Sandra apparently gave baby Emma a bottle of antidepressants for a rattle once when she was watching her. But they were only 5 milligrams...
Companion Cube: Dr. Green really likes his sailboat. "Really likes" as in "it is more his pride and joy than his daughters."
Control Freak: Dr. Green is an overbearing perfectionist who demands that anything his children do reap instant, flawless results. An example of this is Rachel told him she was pregnant and wasn't going to marry Ross because she doesn't love him. He spends about an hour on the phone yelling at her about it. Even before that, Rachel told him she wasn't going to marry Barry because she realized she didn't love him. He didn't care.
Hate Sink: Like his daughter Amy, Dr. Green was a deliberately unpleasant and unlikable character.
Hypocrite: Dr. Green. He's a smoking cardiologist who spent Rachel's childhood warning her about the dangers of smoking. Rachel describes them as "horror stories". In his last appearance, he has a heart attack. Ross replies how all he found in his fridge was bacon and heavy cream so it was no mystery how that happened.
Jerkass: Both of them. Sandra is slightly kinder, though still not the most pleasant person in the world. She at least offers to help with the baby because she really was concerned about Rachel being able to handle it and was reassured by Ross that he knew what to do and didn't need her. She even told Ross he'd be a wonderful father. Further there's the implication that a lot of her more thoughtless actions are the result of her cutting loose after years trapped in a miserable marriage. Leonard on the other hand is completely unpleasant. He is furious that Ross and Rachel aren't going to marry after Rachel becomes pregnant because he can't stand the thought of his grandchild being a bastard. He even goes to Ross's apartment and verbally attacks him for "getting her in trouble" even though Ross and Rachel are both grown adults with good enough jobs to support a child and Ross is still going to be completely involved in the baby's life. He is also never mentioned as spending time with his granddaughter, implying that he refuses to meet her since she was born out of wedlock.
Jerkass Has a Point: Having more life experience than Rachel, he does correctly point out things Rachel is doing wrong.
- He points out Ross is correct Rachel should have renter's insurance.
- While Rachel and Ross are financially stable enough to have a kid, he's right that she's way in over her head and the responsibilities of being a parent go far beyond just financial support. Sandra agreed with him on this, she just went about the more civil approach of asking her questions every mom should know rather than just yelling her on the phone for hours without letting her get a word in. Also given how his own marriage failed and it was revealed they only stayed together for the kids, it's understandable why he'd be concerned Rachel is having a baby with someone she's not even dating even if Ross is promising to be involved.
Noodle Incident: After they announce their divorce, Jack Geller mentions an "incident" in Hawaii that told him and Judy that the relationship was doomed. When Rachel asks what he's talking about Jack shoos her out of the room rather than explain.
Parental Favoritism: According to Jill, Rachel is the one daughter he's actually proud of. Of course, in comparison to her two sisters, Rachel has made a successful life for herself and refused any help offered by both her parents. Mrs. Green has also shown a lot of praise for Rachel, yet barely talks about her other two daughters.
Pet the Dog: Despite being an all-around Jerkass, it actually turns out that Dr. Leonard is proud of Rachel for being his one daughter that adapted to living on her own.
Rich Bitch: Sandra. Rachel is sometimes exasperated when it came to her mother's snobbishness.
Stepford Smiler: Sandra before their divorce.
Unwanted Spouse: Discussed in "The One With the Lesbian Wedding" and "The One With the Two Birthday Parties." In the former, when Sandra arrives for a visit she casually announces that she and Leonard are getting a divorce and revels on the fact that she'll soon be a single woman again. When Rachel calls her out on the fact that she's being so nonchalant, Sandra responds that she knew she didn't love Leonard when Rachel left Barry on the altar and adds that: "you didn't marry your Barry, but I married mine." In the latter episode, when the gang comes up with the idea of having two parties to keep Sandra and Leonard separated, as the divorce had been recently finalized, Rachel goes back and forth between the festivities to spend time with her parents, and all Sandra and Leonard do is bitch about how they didn't make the decision to get a divorce sooner.
Upper-Class Twit: Sandra displays many of the characteristics that Rachel had before she set out on her own, including dependence on others for money, lack of respect for people in minimum-wage jobs, and lenient attitude towards marriage.

Jill

Jill Green

Played By: Reese Witherspoon

One of Rachel's younger sisters who's still very much a spoiled rich girl relying on her father's money.

Annoying Younger Sibling: When Rachel tries to help her, Jill ends up breaking the rules and dates Ross to spite her sister.
Brainless Beauty: A beautiful Upper-Class Twit.
Disproportionate Retribution: Don't ever tell her to not date your ex-boyfriend because of the history, or else she will steal him to torture you.
Dumb Blonde: Jill and Amy are both blonde and dimwitted.
It's All About Me: She is very self-absorbed and spoiled.
Ms. Fanservice:
Jill: [spins around to show off her outfit] What do you think?
Rachel: I-I don't like it.
Jill: Really?
Rachel: It's kinda slutty.
Jill: It's yours.
Rachel: Yeah, well... I'm a slut.
Jill: Me too!
Replacement Flat Character: Whether intentional or not, Jill showed just how much the formerly spoiled and selfish Rachel has changed.
Spoiled Brat: "Daddy cut me off. And you know what I said to him? I said, 'I'm gonna hire a lawyer and I'm gonna sue you and take all your money and then cut you off!' But he said he wouldn't pay for my lawyer!"
The Unfavorite: In comparison to Rachel, who is the daughter Dr. Green is most proud of. It's unclear how she is ranked in comparison to Amy.
Unseen No More: It's mentioned in early episodes that Rachel has two sisters. She first appears in season 6.
Upper-Class Twit: Just like Rachel was in season 1 (and her other sister Amy), she's an incompetent rich Spoiled Brat who is clueless in the most basic tasks.
Weight Woe: In season ten, Amy claims that Jill has gained 15 pounds mostly on her "ass and face".

Amy

Amy Green

Played By: Christina Applegate

Rachel's other, meaner sister.

Babysitter from Hell: When Amy took care of Emma. She was completely idiotic, irresponsible and had no understanding towards babies. She regarded Emma as dull for presumably not wanting sushi and somehow managed to get Emma's ears pierced. When confronted about this she avoided the blame and claimed that Emma needs a fun aunt.
Brainless Beauty: She is even dumber than Jill.
Brutal Honesty: Amy is extremely tactless and repeatedly insults Rachel's friends.
Cloudcuckoolander: She has a poor memory, keeps thinking Phoebe's name is Emma, that "Phoebe" is just a weird noise and keeps confusing Ross with a falafel cart vendor, whose only resemblance to him is his dark hair.
Dumb Blonde: Jill and Amy are both blonde and dimwitted.
Evil Counterpart: To Rachel. Both grew up as shallow, spoiled rich girls, but Rachel never becomes a Jerkass with a complete Lack of Empathy like Amy.
Hate Sink: She's self-absorbed, rude, selfish, mean-spirited and overall unpleasant, she even explicitly said it would be awesome if Ross and Rachel died so she can have their baby, right to their faces. Not only that, she said that their baby (and her own goddamn niece) wasn't even that cute to their faces. Not even Joey can stand her, despite her good looks.
Hidden Depths: Very very hidden but she does seem to love Rachel, at least more so than she does Jill. She and Rachel even bond on talking about how fat Jill has become.
Hypocrite:
Amy: You’ve just always been like this. You just have to have everything, and I couldn’t have anything. Like in junior high, when you stole Timmy from me. I mean, do you even realize how much that hurt me?
Rachel: Timmy was my boyfriend! And you made out with him!!
Amy: Oh come on, that was 20 years ago. Get over it.
Innocently Insensitive: For what it's worth, she genuinely doesn't seem to realize when she has insulted someone. For example, she compliments Ross and Monica by saying they were better than people from Rachel's past not realizing they're the same people.
It's All About Me: Also combined with Lack of Empathy and a total disregard of other people’s feelings, as lampshaded by Rachel.
Jerkass: Even Joey can't stand her. The only woman Joey seems to dislike more than her is Janice.
Joey: She may be the hottest girl I've ever hated.
Rich Bitch: More so than Jill who is also a Spoiled Brat but much nicer towards Rachel and her friends.
Spoiled Brat: To the point that Jill, despite being bratty as well, is Rachel's favorite sister.
Suspiciously Similar Substitute: For Jill. Christina Applegate was cast as Rachel's other sister Amy since Reese Witherspoon was unavailable to reprise her role as Jill. Justified in that it had already been established that Rachel had two sisters.
The Unfavorite: She shares this title with her sister Jill, for both similar and different reasoning.
Unseen No More: It's mentioned in early episodes that Rachel has two sisters. She first appears in season 9.
Upper-Class Twit: Her lack of understanding on how the world works is even worse than Rachel at the beginning of the series.
Wasted Beauty: Amy is noted to be very attractive, but she's also extremely rude, obnoxious, and annoying. Everyone finds her insufferable, including Joey who's always hitting on hot girls all the other times.
Joey: She may be the hottest girl I've ever hated.

Phoebe's Relatives

Ursula Buffay

Ursula Pamela Buffay

Played By: Lisa Kudrow

Phoebe's identical twin sister, originally created for Mad About You. The two of them really don't get along.

Adaptational Villainy: Was merely a dimwit on Mad About You. Is borderline evil here.
Blatant Lies: Pretty much every word out of her mouth. Case in point, when Phoebe confronts her about doing porn, she denies it, despite clearly being in costume and in the middle of a shoot in her apartment.
Cain and Abel: The Cain to Phoebe's Abel.
Catchphrase: A dismissive, chuckling "okay".
Cloudcuckoolander: She's so weird that she makes Phoebe look sane by comparison.
Crossover: Ursula was a Mad About You character who predated Phoebe.
Dark Is Evil: As Phoebe's Evil Twin, she usually wears dark and black clothes.
Dumb Blonde: Even more on Mad About You, where she is a waitress with a serious problem in both taking and delivering orders.
Emotionless Girl: She doesn't seem to have any feelings or emotions. (in Mad About You, by contrast, she's a Perpetual Smiler)
Evil Counterpart: To Phoebe. Being her twin sister, she has a few traits in common with her, like being eccentric, kinky, and often a Bitch in Sheep's Clothing. But while Phoebe is a Good Bad Girl who can be genuinely sweet and compassionate, Ursula is a Jerk with a Heart of Jerk who has no likable moments.
Evil Twin: To Phoebe.
Faux Affably Evil: She always speaks in a calm, pleasant tone, but genuinely doesn't care about who she messes with.
Hate Sink: Every time she appears or is mentioned involves a Kick the Dog moment.
Jerkass: She's downright cruel and unpleasant.
Karma Houdini: Ursula hardly ever (if at all) suffers competence for her actions and the “Mad About Men” finale shows she eventually becomes governor of New York.
Lack of Empathy: Completely apathetic about Phoebe and everything she puts her through.
Light Feminine and Dark Feminine: The Dark Feminine (Femme Fatale who wears black) to Phoebe's Light Feminine (cheerful Manic Pixie Dream Girl who wears bright clothes).
Obfuscating Stupidity: On the surface she appears to be even more of a Cloudcuckoolander than Phoebe, but it becomes apparent that at least some of this is an act and she likes behaving the way she does just to screw with people.
Really Gets Around: At one point, she even becomes a porn star. She uses the stage name Phoebe Buffay.
The Sociopath: A rare comedic example. While she's not violent or murderous, she lies and says or does countless terrible things, all without a trace of guilt or remorse or even any insight into why her behavior is wrong—when Phoebe blasts her for using her name in porn films and for all the lies she's told her fiance, she is genuinely oblivious to how reprehensible her actions are.

Phoebe's Grandmother

Frances (Phoebe's grandma)

Played By: Audra Lindley

Phobe's maternal grandmother.

Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: She appears to be a nice enough person from when we see her, but according to Phoebe in a far later episode that Frances was a terrible person to everyone else and is more than likely burning in hell after death. At the very least, we do know that she wound up lying to Phoebe several times, including who her father was, who her grandfather was, and that the secret to the recipe for her famous batch of cookies was that they were really from Nestlé Toll House.
Character Death: In season 5 we learn that Frances has passed away.
Cool Old Lady: She has to be to look after Phoebe.
One-Shot Character: Despite Phoebe living with her from the beginning of the series until her death in mid Season 5, she only appears in Season 2's "The One With Phoebe's Dad". Apparently the producers were unable to contract her actress Audra Lindley to film more episodes as she was battling leukaemia which she died from in late 1997; Season 3's "The One With Frank, Jr.", which aired months before her death, has Phoebe explaining that Frances has been sleeping "a lot lately".
Only One Name: Her surname was never established, but it wouldn't be Buffay, because she is the mother of Phoebe's adoptive mother Lily.
Promotion to Parent: After Lily died.
Secret-Keeper: She knew where Frank Senior moved to after he walked out on Lily and the girls but kept that information from Phoebe.

Frank Junior

Frank Buffay Jr

Played By: Giovanni Ribisi

Phoebe's younger half-brother who she discovers while searching for their father. He and Phoebe struggle to bond at first, but he's genuinely happy to have an older sister.

Buffy Speak: He describes his love for his fiancée as "being with her is like... so much better than not being with her, y'know"
Cloudcuckoolander: To the point that Phoebe actually takes on the role of the Cloudcuckoolander's Minder when hanging out with him.
Happily Married: To Alice. They get married in "The One With Phoebe's Uterus"
Likes Older Women: Alice, at least. He loves her despite their age difference.
Long-Lost Relative: Whilst trying to find her father, Phoebe runs into her father's second wife and his son — AKA her half brother.
Make-Out Kids: With Alice. They are openly... affectionate with each other.
Must Have Caffeine: It's not said outright, but in season 10 it's pretty clear that his triplets have driven him so mad with their antics he relies entirely on coffee to have enough energy, shown by the classic caffeine rush he has when talking to Phoebe. He also mentions not having slept for four years, which must definitely mean this.
Nice Guy: Frank's an odd sort of guy to say the least but he doesn't seem to have a bad bone in his body and seems almost incapable of bearing anyone any ill will. Even when Phoebe nearly breaks up his engagement he forgives her immediately upon the situation being resolved and never brings up the matter again.
Teacher/Student Romance: Again, with Alice.

Alice Knight

Played By: Debra Jo Rupp

Frank Junior's wife and former teacher.

Age-Gap Romance: She's 26 years older than Frank Junior when they get together. Phoebe objects to their relationship because of it.
Happily Married: To Frank Junior.
Law of Inverse Fertility: She and Frank want a family but due to her age they can't conceive. They ask Phoebe to act as their surrogate to get around this.
Make-Out Kids: She and Frank are very affectionate during their first episode. They calm down about this when they get married.
Put on a Bus: Her last in-person appearance is in "The One Hundredth" at the hospital when Phoebe gives birth to the triplets. Frank Junior does mention her during his last appearance in season ten.
Teacher/Student Romance: She was Frank Junior's Home Economics Teacher when they met.
Too Many Babies: Frank notes that she's "pretty tired" after four years of raising triplets and might get on board with giving one of the kids to Phoebe.

Phoebe Abbott

Played By: Teri Garr

An old friend of Lily's who turns out to be Phoebe and Ursula's biological mother.

Generation Xerox: She and Phoebe (junior) are very similar.
Long-Lost Relative: She didn't feel ready to be a mother, and walked out on her family. Frank and Lily took over, and Lily is the adoptive mother who passed away, leaving Phoebe alone at the age of 14.
Luke, I Am Your Father: With similar impact to the original line, in context.
Polyamory: "Frank, Lily and I... The three of us were... a couple."
Tell Me About My Father: Why Phoebe visits her in the first place.
What Happened to the Mouse?: In the two-parter at the beach house, it's revealed that Phoebe's biological mother is very much alive. After this two-parter and one Season 4 guest appearance and sending her a mink coat in Season 5, she never appears again and came down with Chuck Cunningham Syndrome. While Phoebe's dead mother Lily still continues to be brought up whenever applicable, there's never any mention of her not having been Phoebe's biological mother. During her toast at her wedding rehearsal Phoebe starts to mention her mother who couldn't be there, but even then it's not clear if she meant Phoebe or Lily.

Frank Buffay

Frank Buffay Sr

Played By: Bob Balaban

The father of Phoebe, Ursula and Frank Junior.

Daddy Had a Good Reason for Abandoning You: Walked out on his children because he thought he was a terrible father and honestly thought him leaving would be for the best.
Disappeared Dad: Walked out on Phoebe, Ursula and Lily, and later on Frank Jr. and his mother.
Long-Lost Relative: Phoebe starts looking for him in Season 2. He doesn't show up until Season 5.
One-Shot Character: Only appears in one episode.
Parent Never Came Back from the Store: Frank Junior's mom tells Phoebe that he went to the grocery store four years earlier and is due back "any minute now".
Shrinking Violet: He's an incredibly nervous man, never raising his voice for anything, easily spooked, and eventually reveals that he left the family because he didn't think he was a good enough father.
Unseen No More: In the season 2 episode "The One With Phoebe's Dad", Phoebe wanted to meet her father (it turns out the guy from the pictures wasn't him) but eventually decides she's not ready for that. He remains unseen until a season 5 episode where he makes his first and only appearance.
What Happened to the Mouse?: He made one appearance and was never seen or heard from again; even when Phoebe got married, she asked Joey (and later Chandler) to walk her down the aisle rather than try to find him.

Lily Buffay

Phoebe and Ursula's late mother.

Abusive Parents: Some of her parenting techniques were well-intentioned but ultimately harmful. Aside from censoring movies to "shield" them from sad endings, Phoebe also mentions that she taught the girls to bottle up their feelings instead of properly communicating with their loved ones. Monica theorises that the latter may have contributed to Lily's eventual suicide.
Deceased Parents Are the Best: Phoebe always speaks fondly of her even though it's clear that she didn't exactly give her girls the best childhood.
Driven to Suicide: She killed herself when Phoebe and Ursula were 14.
The Ghost: Phoebe talks about her a lot but as a Posthumous Character the audience never sees her, not even via photographs.
Goodbye, Cruel World!: Left a note that included a poem and the truth about Phoebe Abott being the twins' biological mother. Ursula apparently got rid of it without bothering to let Phoebe know it existed.
Secret-Keeper: She let Phoebe and Ursula believe she was their biological mother, only admitting the truth in her suicide note. Since Ursula was the only one who read the note, Phoebe had to find out the truth for herself as an adult.

Joey's Relatives

Joseph & Gloria Tribbiani

Joseph Francis Sr and Gloria Tribbiani

Played By: Robert Costanzo and Brenda Vaccaro

Joey's parents.

Bad Liar: Gloria says that she worked out Joseph was having an affair because of his terrible excuses for where he was.
Gloria: "I'm sleeping over at my accountant's" (shrugs) I mean, what is that? Please!
Innocently Insensitive: Joseph's introduction sees him trying to make friendly jokes to the rest of the gang but keeps accidentally brining up topics they'd rather not talk about.
I Was Quite the Looker: Joey claims that Gloria was "a handsome woman in her day" before she had her numerous children.
Kavorka Man: Joey's dad is not much to look at, yet he has extramarital affairs.
Like Father, Like Son: Like his son, Joseph Sr doesn't take relationships too seriously, since he cheats on his wife and it's implied he Really Gets Around.
One-Shot Character: They only appear in "The One With The Boobies". Joseph would make a second appearance in Joey but the episode in question never aired in the United States due to the show being cancelled.
Took a Level in Kindness: Gloria believes the affair did this to Joseph. Previously prone to anger, he felt so guilty he started going out of his way to keep her happy.

Joey's sisters

Tribbiani Sisters

Joey's numerous sisters who are rarely seen apart.

Ascended Extra: Gina, played by K.J. Steinberg, becomes a regular character in Joey, although portrayed by a different actress, Drea de Matteo.
Characterization Marches On: Dina, played initially by Lisa Melilli, changes completely in looks, personality and age when she's portrayed by Marla Sokoloff in Season 8.
Jerk with a Heart of Gold: Gina, in the spinoff Joey.
Massive Numbered Siblings: A family of eight children.
One-Shot Character: All seven of them only appear in "The One Where Chandler Can't Remember Which Sister", although they are sometimes mentioned. One of them (Dina) appears in another episode, but Marla Sokoloff instead of Lisa Melilli. As mentioned above Gina became a main character on Joey and Mary Theresa makes a second appearance in that show too.
Teen Pregnancy: Dina in "The One With Monica's Boots". And according to Joey, this is part of Gina's backstory with her son Michael.
Uncanny Family Resemblance: Much to Chandler's dismay. When they appear at Joey's birthday party, they're all wearing similar clothes, make-up and hairstyles. While drunk, Chandler makes out with one of them and can't remember which one it was. Even the other friends admit they couldn't tell one from the other if they had to.

Chandler's Relatives

Nora Tyler & Charles Bing/Helena Handbasket

Played By: Morgan Fairchild & Kathleen Turner

Chandler's parents who divorced acrimoniously when he was a child. As a result, he has difficult relationships with both of them.

Abusive Parents: Borderline. They're not intentionally hurtful, but both of them horribly embarrassed Chandler growing up in their own special ways; were neglectful, such as in not attending Parents Day because they didn't feel like going; and if Chandler's jokes are to be believed, one or both of them exposed Chandler to an orgy by the age of seven and one of them allegedly also tried to kidnap him after Cub Scouts in the wake of the divorce. Chandler also joked that, growing up, his father had him play one of the strippers in his Las Vegas show. Their spiteful and messy divorce also gave Chandler a host of commitment issues.
Amazingly Embarrassing Parents: Both of them are considered this to Chandler, his mother Nora being an erotic novelist who's accordingly very sexual, and Helena as a trans woman (whom Chandler recollects going to his swim meets dressed as Hollywood starlets.) With Helena it's an Exaggerated, if this quote from Chandler is anything to go by:
Chandler: All kids are embarrassed by their parents! You’d have to come up with a whole new word for what I went through...
Ambiguous Gender Identity: For many years on the show, descriptions of Chandler's unseen dad paint him as a gay man, a Drag Queen, and presumably a transvestite due to wearing garish dresses everywhere. This longtime depiction is shaken up when the character finally actually appears on the show and, being played by Kathleen Turner, is very clearly a woman — suggesting that all this time Chandler's second parent has been a trans woman, and that, even with her right there onscreen, the characters and writers were simply unable to properly understand and portray it. Years later, Word of God confirmed fan theories that Helena Handbasket is not merely a drag persona but the character's true identity, and that the show's consistent misgendering and deadnaming of her was a regrettable mistake. The show's credits at least were on the right wavelength, as they identify her as simply Helena.
Awful Wedded Life: Before they divorced. According to Chandler they had sexual power struggles over the pool boy.
Deadpan Snarker: Both of them. It's obvious where Chandler got it from.
Helena: Aren't you a little old to be wearing a dress like that?
Nora: Don't you have a little too much penis to be wearing a dress like that?
Drag Queen: Helena owns a drag cabaret in Las Vegas and performs as the headliner.
Foil: To Jack and Judy Geller, as like them they were Abusive Parents to their child without even realizing it which caused them to grow up with several issues while Jack and Helena are portrayed more sympathetically then their wives. However Jack and Judy are very much in love and still together, and unlike Nora and Helena their abuse was constant criticism on Monica as opposed to neglect with Jack being the only one to realize how much he messed up. Both Nora and Helena are divorced and dislike each other, but to varying degrees have realized their mistakes and want to make it up to Chandler.
Freudian Excuse: It seems their difficult relationship with Chandler was caused by their spiteful divorce, and to varying degrees both express regret about it though they both have a strong dislike for each other.
Mrs. Robinson: Nora made out with Ross in "The One With Mrs. Bing".
No Accounting for Taste: It's not clear why either of them got married in the first place.
Noodle Incident: That time Nora got arrested in London. All the audience hears is it had something to do with a craving for kung-pow chicken.
Parental Neglect: To Chandler. While it's obvious they love him, they weren't very good at being nurturing and did several things without any concern about his feelings. This trope is downplayed with Helena though, as when Chandler points out how she would come to his swim-meets dressed in drag, Monica points out that she was there at every meet cheering him on. She also took part in Cub Scouts with Chandler as the "den-mother."
Serial Spouse: Nora who apparently remarried three times after Helena.
Trans Equals Gay: Helena is referred to as gay.
Unseen No More: Chandler repeatedly refers to his father, mentioning him heading a gay burlesque show in Vegas, and how his father's coming out and divorce from his mother really gave him some issues. She finally appears in Season 7 where Monica convinces him to patch things up with his father so she can attend their wedding, with Kathleen Turner playing the role.
Wacky Parent, Serious Child: Chandler, probably the most normal of the group (in relative terms), finds his parents embarrassing and grew up as a somewhat cynical and snarky individual.

Kids

Ben

Ben Geller-Willick-Bunch

Played By: Charles Thomas Allen & John Christoper Allen, later Cole Sprouse

Ross, Carol and Susan's son who was born in the penultimate episode of season one.

Line-of-Sight Name: His name is taken from the tag on a janitor uniform Phoebe wears.
Meaningful Name: Ross and Susan agreed to this name because they reached an understanding while locked in Janitor Ben's closet.
Mouthy Kid: Later in the show, when played by Cole Sprouse.
Out of Focus: He disappeared after season eight. After Emma was born (indeed, after Rachel got pregnant), he's barely mentioned again.
What Happened to the Mouse?: Played for Laughs when Jack calls Emma "my first grandchild" and Ross has to remind him that Ben exists.

Emma

Emma Geller-Green

Played by: Cali Noelle Sheldom

Ross and Rachel's daughter (his second child, her first) who is born at the end of season eight.

Babies Make Everything Better: Averted. Ross and Rachel did not get back together after he accidentally got her pregnant during a drunken hook up and the stress of raising a child strained their relationship further. When they got back together in the finale, their child had nothing to do with it.
Baby's First Words: Rachel gets excited by Emma saying her first word, "gleba". At first, Ross doesn't think it's a real word, but then Rachel looks it up in the dictionary and finds out that it means "fleshy, spore-bearing inner mass of certain fungi" and he thinks it means she will grow up to be a scientist.
Cheerful Child: She really enjoys the song "Baby got Back".
Daddy's Girl: Ross is a caring father to her.
Girls Love Stuffed Animals: In one episode, Emma takes a liking to Joey's stuffed toy penguin, Hugsy, and refuses to be without it. During her first birthday party, Monica arranges Emma's various stuffed animals as part of a "game".

Jack and Erica

Jack and Erica Bing

The twins Monica and Chandler adopt in the final season. They're born during the Grand Finale.

Babies Ever After: The show ends with the birth of Chandler and Monica's adopted twins.
Babies Make Everything Better: Justified as Monica and Chandler longed for children and went through a lot to get them.
"Near and Dear" Baby Naming: The girl is named after her biological mother Erica, while the boy is named Jack after Monica's father/his adoptive maternal grandfather.
Surprise Pregnancy: Played with, Erica (the birth mother) knew she was pregnant...she just didn't know it was twins.
Unto Us a Son and Daughter Are Born: Two opposite-sex twins, Jack and Erica.

Pets

Marcel

Played By: Katie the Monkey

A capuchin monkey Ross has as a pet during the first season. A friend of his helped free Marcel from an animal testing facility.

Actor Allusion: In his final appearance in Season 2, Marcel has become a performing monkey in films and commercials, and Ross catches up to him on the set of a fictional sequel to Outbreak, a film which featured the same monkey who played Marcel.
Mischief-Making Monkey: Engaged in the usual monkey behaviors of throwing things, stealing things, and making messes.
Put on a Bus: Ross donated him to a zoo near the end of Season 1. They reunited in Season 2's "The One After the Super Bowl". He is mentioned three times afterward: in a season 6 episode, when Ross and Chandler are arguing over the "Dr. Monkey" joke and Ross reminds Chandler that he had a monkey; in another season 6 episode in which Ross, to fill a moment of silence, recalls the time he had a pet monkey and admits it was a stupid idea; and in season 7, when he and Joey are bringing up each other's past embarrassments and Joey throws out that Ross and Marcel shared a bed.

The Chick and The Duck

A pair of birds acquired by Joey and Chandler during the third season.

Absent Animal Companion: Their last appearance was early in Season 7 (and their appearances that season consisted only of The Duck's voice being heard from offscreen) and they weren't mentioned again until the series finale, which revealed that they had died at some point. Chick Jr. and Duck Jr., who were living with Joey as of the end of Friends, were nowhere to be seen in Joey's spin-off show.
Artistic License – Animal Care: Keeping fowl in an apartment probably isn't as easy or clean as their multi-season tenure on the show made it look.
Cock-a-Doodle Dawn: The Chick starts crowing in the morning once "she" grows into a rooster. Rachel's frustration with this kicks off the apartment-swap plotline.
Does This Remind You of Anything?: Several of Chandler and Joey's conversations about them sound like parents discussing their children.
Chandler: Ever since we got this chick, we've been fighting a lot more than we used to.
Joey: I dunno, maybe we weren't ready to have a chick.
Dog Got Sent to a Farm: The gang told Joey that the birds had been sent to a farm upstate that doesn't allow visitors. Rachel almost blows the secret before Phoebe shushes her.
A Dog Named "Dog": Apart from two separate throwaway jokes that called the chick "Yasmine" and the duck "Dick", it seems Joey and Chandler never gave them any name apart from "The Chick" and "The Duck".
Killed Offscreen: They both died at some point but how is not gone into.
Loyal Animal Companion: After Chandler breaks up with Kathy, they can be seen following him everywhere he goes. In a deleted scene, Monica comments on how sweet it is.
Noisy Nature: They are constantly quacking, cheeping, and clucking in every scene they're in.
Replacement Goldfish: Chick Jr. and Duck Jr., another baby chick and a duckling that Joey buys in the series finale as a going-away present for Chandler and Monica. This is when it's revealed that the original Chick and Duck have been dead since sometime in Season 7 but Joey was fed the line that they were sent to a farm upstate. Ultimately, Chandler decides that Joey should keep them, and Joey ponders getting a goose as well.
Riddle for the Ages: Chandler balks at giving the Chick up to a shelter and decides to keep it. How he came home from the shelter having also adopted an adult duck is never made clear.
Your Tomcat Is Pregnant: The Chick was assumed to be female until he grew up to be a rooster.

Characters / Friends: Family Members

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