02. The six main characters were all named after characters from the soap opera All My Children

It’s actually true! The six main characters on ‘Friends’ were all named after characters from the soap opera ‘All My Children.’

‘All My Children’ was a very popular soap opera that portrayed the lives and relationships of its characters in Pine Valley in a dramatic storyline.

Among these characters was Ross Chandler (Robert Gentry), who inspired Ross’s name. Chandler’s name comes from the main family in ‘All My Children,’ the Chandlers, and Joey is named after Joe Martin (Ray McDonnell). 

Rachel Green’s name is a nod to the complex character Janet Green (Kate Collins), while Phoebe was named after Phoebe Wallingford (Ruth Warrick). Originally, Monica was named Monique, a name used in the soap opera as an alias for Monique Jonvil, who was, in reality, the character Daisy Murdoch (Gillian Spencer).