One would be hard-pressed to find a more beloved sitcom thanFriends,the legendary NBC comedy that dominated the ’90s and early 2000s.The series is packed with hilarious moments and memorable characters, but few dynamics are as entertaining as the sibling relationship between Monica and Ross Geller. Played byCourteney CoxandDavid Schwimmer, these two bring a perfect mix of sibling rivalry, childhood memories, and genuine love to the screen. Whether they’re competing in the Geller Cup or teaming up for a dance routine, Monica and Ross never fail to make us laugh.
Monica is Rachel’s and Phoebe’s roommate and friend, while Ross is Chandler’s college roommate, who later becomes roommates with Joey. Throw in their parents, Judy (Christina Pickles) and Jack (Elliott Gould), and you have the mix of a family that is both funny and relatable. While we can certainly create a list of the best Geller family moments, this one is about the kids. It’s time to rank the funniest moments from one of sitcom’s greatest siblings.
10"The One with Rachel’s Assistant"
Season 7, Episode 14
“The One With Rachel’s Assistant” is one of the ten episodes directed by Schwimmer. The episode kicks off with the gang gathered in Monica’s apartment, watching an episode of Joey’s detective series, “Mac and C.H.E.E.S.E.” While Joey is convinced the show is fantastic, the rest of the friends struggle to hide their true opinions about its quality. This episode also marks the first appearance ofEddie Cahillas Tag Jones, Rache’s new assistant, adding to the showa hilarious storyline for her character.
Meanwhile, Monica tricks Chandler into revealing an embarrassing story about Ross’s trip to Disneyland, where he had an unfortunate accident on Space Mountain after eating tacos. Ross finds out and yells he has food poisoning. He starts to retaliate, sparking a series of hilarious secret spills between the three. Among the revelations: Ross used to wear leg warmers in college; Chandler and Ross entered a Vanilla Ice look-alike contest (Chandler won, while Ross came in fourth and cried); Monica once ate the macaroni, off her jewelry box after being sent to her room without dinner; Ross watchedGolden Girlsevery Saturday night; Monica couldn’t tell time until she was 13; and Ross drunkenly slept with a cleaning lady in college, which he initially blamed on Chandler.
9"The One with Ross' Teeth"
Season 6, Episode 8
In this episode, audiences find out a little bit more about Janine, portrayed by Elle Macpherson,an unpopular Friends’s characters. Chandler grows concerned that Joey’s new roommate, Janine is making their apartment too girlish with her decorative contributions. Meanwhile, Phoebe visits Rachel’s office to make some copies and tells Rachel that she made out withRalph Laurenin the copy room. However, it turns out that Phoebe actually kissed Kenny, the copy guy, not Ralph Lauren. Ralph Lauren himself makes a rare cameo in the series, appearing twice in an elevator with Rachel and Kim.
Monica sets Ross up with her colleague Hillary from the restaurant, prompting Ross to whiten his teeth to an unnaturally bright shade. Alarmed by the results, Monica tries to help Ross find a shirt that might distract from his glowing teeth, but nothing works. She suggests that Ross wear makeup to lighten his skin, hoping it will make his teeth look less obvious. In the end, Ross applies makeup to lighten his skin, adding to Chandler’s despair as he feels that all his friends are turning into women.
8"The One with the Baby on the Bus"
Season 2, Episode 6
In this episode, Joey and Chandler accidentally leave Ben on a bus while babysitting him. Meanwhile, Phoebe gets fired from her Central Perk singing gig and is replaced by a professional musician. This episode also marks the first appearance of the iconic song “Smelly Cat.” Monica struggles to keep Ben from crying, and Joey and Chandler tease her about it. Meanwhile, Ross has an allergic reaction to Monica’s kiwi-lime pie, prompting Chandler and Joey to volunteer to babysit Ben while Ross and Monica head to the hospital.
At the hospital, Ross is terrified of getting a shot for his allergic reaction and crushes Monica’s hand in pain when he receives it. When Ross and Monica return home, they find Chandler and Joey with Ben. Ross attempts to change Ben’s diaper but notices “Property of Human Services” stamped on his butt. In a panic, Chandler distracts Ross with a slice of kiwi-lime pie, shouting, “Run, Joey, run!” This episode also reveals that Ross has a PhD, as Monica mentions it to the doctor administering his shot.
7"The One Where the Stripper Cries"
Season 10, Episode 11
Rachel and Monica throw Phoebe a clean and elegant bachelorette party, not realizing that Phoebe really wanted a typical wild party with a male exotic dancer. At Phoebe’s request, Rachel and Monica quickly search the yellow pages and find a phone number for a male stripper,played byDanny DeVito. Fun fact: DeVito came up with the stripper routine himself. Meanwhile, Joey appears on the game show “Pyramid,” where he hilariously loses almost every round, despite his partner’s obvious and simple clues. Chandler and Ross attend a college reunion, remembering about their misadventures from 1987.
Back at Monica and Chandler’s apartment, Ross and Chandler tell Monica that Rachel had kissed both of them at a college party. When Ross mentions Rachel being on his bed, Chandler reveals he had put Rachel on his bed, causing Ross to question who he actually kissed. Monica realizes in horror that she was on Ross’s bed, leading them to the shocking realization that they kissed each other, making Ross Monica’s first kiss. This episode marks the fifth and final appearance of Fat Monica.
6"The One With Ross’s Tan"
Season 10, Episode 3
This is one of “Friends” most memorable episodes. Phoebe and Monica’s old roommate, Amanda (portrayed byJennifer Coolidge), comes to visit. Amanda, a New Yorker from Yonkers, has picked up a British accent and exhibits egocentric behavior.Lisa Kudrowstruggled to maintain her composure while filming with Coolidge, as seen in the season 10 blooper reel on DVD. Meanwhile,Rachel and Joey have their first date. Joey, typically confident in date activities, struggles as Rachel keeps slapping him, and he can’t seem to undo her bra. After discussing it with Monica, Rachel and Joey “power through” their uncomfortable phase.
Meanwhile, jealous of Monica’s spray-on tan, Ross decides to get one himself. However, he messes up the procedure, spraying himself twice in the front after counting to five Mississippi before it starts again. Trying to fix it, he ends up with two more spray tans in the front, resulting in a weird mahogany tone. Chandler makes the situation even more memorable withhis quote “Was that place… The sun?” and by tricking Ross into believing he also got super-tanned and then snapping a photo of it.
5"The One Where Ross Got High"
Season 6, Episode 9
In this classic Thanksgiving episode, Monica hosts the holiday dinner while Chandler uses the occasion to try and win her parents over. Rachel is put in charge of making dessert, but due to a mix-up with stuck cookbook pages, she ends up cooking a trifle that includes a layer of beef, with peas and onions. Meanwhile, Monica and Chandler are trying to hide the fact that they are living together from Monica’s parents, Jack and Judy Geller, who dislike Chandler.
Ross eventually figures out why Jack and Judy dislike Chandler: they mistakenly believe Chandler got high in Ross’s college dorm room and blamed the smell on Chandler. Ross tries to avoid confessing the truth, forcing Monica to reveal it was Ross who got high, not Chandler. This leads to a series of hilarious revelations as Ross and Monica yell out long-held secrets: the mailman didn’t steal Jack’s Playboys - Ross did; Hurricane Gloria didn’t break the porch swing - Monica did; Ross hasn’t worked at the museum for a year; and Ross married Rachel in Vegas and got divorced, again. In the end, despite the chaos, Jack and Judy are impressed with Chandler for being such a supportive friend and boyfriend.
4"The One with the Giant Poking Device"
Season 3, Episode 8
WhenRoss and Rachel were dating, Ross leaves Ben with Monica and Rachel to babysit him and for Rachel to bond with Ben. While playing airplane with Ben, Monica accidentally bumps his head, prompting her and Rachel to cover the lump with a teddy bear’s hat. When Ross calmly confronts Rachel about the bump, she reveals that Monica was responsible. Ross tries to make Monica feel guilty, saying that Ben is acting funny, but in the process, he ends up bumping his own head, adding to the humor of the situation.
Meanwhile, Phoebe is reluctant to visit the dentist because she believes that every time she goes, someone she knows dies. Joey struggles with whether to tell Chandler that he saw Janice kissing her ex-husband. When he sees Chandler thinking about buying pearls for Janice’s birthday, Joey can’t hold back any longer and spills the truth. This marks the last time Chandler breaks up with Janice, but he does so compassionately, despite still being in love with her.
3"The One Where Everybody Finds Out"
Season 5, Episode 14
Inone of the best episodes of the show, Phoebe discovers Monica and Chandler’s secret affair and tests Chandler’s loyalty by flirting with him. Meanwhile, Ugly Naked Guy’s apartment goes up for rent, and Ross is eager to secure it. While Rachel, Ross, and Phoebe are checking out the apartment, Phoebe looks through the window into Monica’s apartment and sees Monica and Chandler during a passionate moment. Shocked, Phoebe starts screaming, prompting Rachel to intervene and reveal that she already knew about Monica and Chandler’s relationship. Rachel convinces Phoebe to stay calm, fearing Ross’s intense reaction due to his recent anger issues.
Determined to win over Ugly Naked Guy and secure the apartment, Ross visits him, admiring his lack of clothing and ultimately deciding to get naked himself. Ross successfully acquires the apartment but later invites his boss over to show off his new place, hoping to demonstrate that he is ready to return to work. However, Ross’s plan backfires when he spots Monica and Chandler having sex through the window and starts yelling at them in front of his boss. By the end of the episode, all the friends are aware of Monica and Chandler’s relationship.
2"The One with the Football"
Season 3, Episode 9
In thismemorable Thanksgiving episode, the gang decides to revive an old family tradition by playing their own game of football. Monica and Ross are initially hesitant, revealing that they used to play football on Thanksgiving, competing for the Geller Cup. Their competitive spirit once led to a serious incident during Geller Bowl VI, where Monica broke Ross’s nose, prompting their parents to throw the Geller Cup into the lake and ban them from playing football again. Despite this history, the gang’s enthusiasm convinces them to play.
Monica selects Joey and Phoebe for her team, while Ross picks Chandler and, reluctantly, Rachel, who is upset about being the last pick. Theguys refuse to involve Rachel in the playsbecause she is not athletic at all. As Monica’s team takes the lead, Ross starts to get upset, so Monica proposes a trade: Rachel for Joey. Monica is forced to throw the ball to Rachel, who eventually catches it and seems to score. However, Chandler points out that Rachel was short of the goal line and that, since she wasn’t tackled, the ball is still in play. Ross and Monica dive for the ball, leading to a prolonged struggle. By the end of the episode, while the rest of the gang has moved upstairs for Thanksgiving dinner, Ross and Monica are still locked in a fierce battle over the ball, briefly interrupted by the realization that it’s beginning to snow.
1"The One with the Routine"
Season 6, Episode 10
In this episode, Janine invites Joey, Monica, and Ross to join her for the taping of Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin' Eve. While the gang heads to the event, Rachel and Phoebe search for their Christmas gifts from Monica. They convince Chandler to help them find the presents, hoping that discovering what Monica got them will give them clues on what to buy for her.
Monica and Ross are determined to make it on TV during the taping, but they need to dance on the platform, which is reserved for selected participants. To secure their spot, they revive ‘The Routine’ - a hilariously awkward dance they performed back in 8th grade. Impressed by their enthusiasm, the selection guy tells them they can dance on the platform, leading Monica and Ross to believe they’ll be featured on TV. However, once they’re out of earshot, he tells his cameraman that they’re only being filmed ‘for the bloopers reel.’ The song playing during Monica and Ross’s routine is ‘Trouble with Boys’ by Loretta.
