The first and last lines of 27 'Friends' characters

First appearance: Season one, "The Pilot/The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

The first scene of "Friends" shows Monica (Courteney Cox) talking to her friends in Central Perk coffeehouse.

Her first line, which is the first of the series, is "There's nothing to tell! It's just some guy I work with," in reference to a date she has later that night. 

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

Monica and the main friend group all say their last lines in Monica's empty apartment on the series finale. The group reminisces and says goodbye as Monica and Chandler are moving out of the city with their adopted twins.

When Rachel asks the couple if they have time before they have to be at the house, Monica responds with her final line, "We've got some time."

First appearance: Season one, "The Pilot/The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) says the second line of the series when he teases Monica about her date.

He says, "Come on! You're going out with the guy. There's gotta be something wrong with him."

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

While everyone is standing in Monica's apartment, they place their keys on her front table to return them to the building manager.

Joey's last line is "Yeah. I guess so," in response to Phoebe saying "I guess this is it."

First appearance: Season one, "The Pilot/The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey have one of the strongest friendships in the group, and they have easy banter from the very first scene. 

Chandler adds to Joey's snarky comments about Monica's date in his first line, "So does he have a hump? A hump and a hairpiece?" 

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

After Rachel asks if they have time to do something and suggests they go for coffee, Chandler makes one last sarcastic comment in his final line, "Sure. Where?"

First appearance: Season one, "The Pilot/The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) joins in with the others in asking about Monica's date on the pilot episode.

Her first line is, "Wait, does he eat chalk? Just cause I don't want her to go through what I went through with Carl."

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

Phoebe says her last line in Monica's apartment — which she also lived in before the start of season one. 

After everyone gives up their apartment keys, Phoebe says, "So, I guess this is it."

First appearance: Season one, "The Pilot/The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

When Ross (David Schwimmer) shows up for his first scene, he's in a pretty gloomy mood.

He walks over to his friends in Central Perk and says "Hi" before explaining that he's still miserable about his wife, Carol, leaving him for a woman named Susan.

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

After Phoebe comments that each of them lived in Monica's apartment at some point, Ross says that he hasn't.

Monica corrects him by reminding him that he spent a summer living there with their grandmother while he was trying to make it as a dancer.

In Ross' final line he says, "Do you realize we almost made it 10 years without that coming up?"

First appearance: Season one, "The Pilot/The One Where Monica Gets a Roommate"

Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) arrives at Central Perk in a wedding dress, having just left her fiancé, Barry, at the altar.

Her first line is, "Oh God, Monica, hi! Thank God. I just went to your building and you weren't there."

Then she continues to introduce herself to the rest of the group. 

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

During the show's final scene, Rachel has a hard time keeping it together.

She frequently ducks her head behind her hair and leans into Ross to hide her tears, but it's clear that she's crying when she says her last line, "OK, should we get some coffee?"

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Sonogram at the End"

In her first scene, Ross' ex-wife Carol (Anita Barone) goes to the museum Ross works at with some important news.

She starts the conversation by greeting Ross and getting the other pleasantries out of the way before explaining that she's pregnant with his child.

Last appearance: Season seven, "The One With the Truth About London"

After Rachel babysits for Ben, he starts pranking his parents, Ross and Carol (Jane Sibbett).

Rachel then visits Carol to try to convince Ben to forget all of the tricks she taught him.

During the visit, Carol says her last line of the series off-screen, "Rach, do you want some sugar in your coffee?"

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Sonogram at the End"

Judy Geller (Christina Pickles), is Ross and Monica's mother.

During her first scene, she tells Monica, "Oh, Martha Ludwin's daughter is going to call you."

She goes on to passive-aggressively criticize Monica's hors d'oeuvres before explaining that the girl is going to call Monica for help landing a job in the food industry. 

Last appearance: Season 10, "The One With the Cake"

Judy appears throughout the series to visit her kids.

Her last appearance is at a birthday party for Emma (Noelle Sheldon), Ross and Rachel's daughter.

As she leaves she says her last line, "Nighty-night!"

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Sonogram at the End"

Ross and Monica's dad, Jack Geller (Elliott Gould), is also introduced on the second episode of the series.

In his first line, he adds on to what Judy was saying about their family friend, telling Ross, "You remember the Ludwins, the big one had a thing for you."

Last appearance: Season 10, "The One With the Cake"

Jack also goes to Emma's birthday party on the final season of "Friends."

In his last line, he explains why he no longer drives at night, saying, "Last winter I went up on a church lawn and drove right through a manger scene. The papers thought it was a hate crime."

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Sonogram at the End"

Susan (Jessica Hecht) is introduced at Carol's sonogram appointment.

She says, "Hi. Hello, Ross" when she walks in.

Last appearance: Season six, "The One That Could Have Been, Part 2"

Susan's last appearance was on an episode where Ross imagines what his life would be like if he and Carol had stayed together.

In that alternate universe, Susan is introduced after Ross suggests that he and Carol have a threesome to reignite their sex life.

Susan says her last line while walking into Ross and Carol's apartment, "Hello Ross. I love what you've done with this space."

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Sonogram at the End"

Barry (Mitchell Whitfield), Rachel's ex-fiancé, appears when Rachel meets up with him to return her engagement ring.

He's with an orthodontic patient when he says his first line, "Come on in," to Rachel. 

Last appearance: Season six, "The One That Could Have Been, Part 1"

As the main friends imagine what their lives would've been like if some things had gone differently, Rachel thinks of an alternate universe where she married Barry.

She also meets Joey, who's a successful soap-opera star, and considers cheating on Barry with him. She can't bring herself to cheat on her husband, but when she gets home, she finds Barry in bed with another woman.

Barry's last line is, "You said you were gonna be away all weekend!"

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the East German Laundry Detergent"

Chandler's girlfriend Janice (Maggie Wheeler) is introduced when Chandler is trying to figure out how to break up with her.

She complains about her day in her first line, which involves her saying "Oh my God" for the first of many times.

Last appearance: Season 10, "The One Where Estelle Dies"

Janice last appears on season 10, when Monica and Chandler are looking for a house.

Janice is looking at the house next door with her husband, so to stop her from moving there, Chandler kisses her and convinces her he still has feelings for her.

Her final line is "Goodbye, Chandler Bing."

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Monkey"

David (Hank Azaria) first meets the main friends at Central Perk.

Phoebe is angry at him for talking during her set until he explains himself, saying, "Nothing, I was just saying ... I was just saying to my friend that I thought you were the most beautiful woman I'd seen in my life ..."

Last appearance: Season nine, "The One in Barbados, Part 1"

After returning sporadically throughout the series, David last appears on the episode where the group goes to Barbados.

He plans on proposing to Phoebe there, but she chooses Mike in the end. 

David's last line is about the work trip to Minsk that originally broke him and Phoebe up. He sarcastically says, "It was a good trip."

First appearance: Season one, "The One With Mrs. Bing"

Nora (Morgan Fairchild), Chandler's mother and a successful erotic novelist, is first shown when the group watches a TV interview with her.

Her opening line is "OK, um, this is kind of embarrassing, but occasionally after I've been intimate with a man …" 

Last appearance: Season eight, "The One After I Do"

Nora appears a handful of times during the series, frequently embarrassing Chandler with her inappropriate remarks.

She's last shown at Monica and Chandler's wedding, and her final line is "Well, it's a funny story."

First appearance: Season one, "The One With Two Parts, Part 1"

Phoebe has a strained relationship with her twin sister, Ursula (Kudrow).

Joey and Chandler first run into Ursula at the restaurant she waitresses at, and they mistake her for Phoebe.

Her first line is "Hi. OK, will that be all?"

Last appearance: Season eight, "The One With the Halloween Party"

During her last episode, Ursula brings her fiancé to a Halloween party at Monica's.

Phoebe realizes that he thinks Ursula is far nicer than she is, and that Ursula lied to him about her life.

Ursula's last line, said off-screen, is "Hurry up, I gotta pray!"

First appearance: Season one, "The One Where Rachel Finds Out"

Ross returns home from a work trip to China with Julie (Lauren Tom), a woman he went to graduate school with.

During her first scene, she meets Rachel, who greets them at the airport — where she intended on confessing her feelings for Ross.

Rachel assumes that Julie is from China which leads to Julie's first line, "Thank you! I'm from New York!"

Last appearance: Season two, "The One With Russ"

Julie and Ross break up when Ross realizes that Rachel is in love with him.

While at Central Perk after the breakup, Julie meets Russ (Schwimmer), a man incredibly similar to Ross who Rachel briefly dated.

She's speaking to Phoebe and Chandler about Ross in her last line, "Actually, I've got some of his stuff that he, um ..." but she trails off when she locks eyes with Russ.

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Sonogram at the End"

Gunther (James Michael Tyler) works at Central Perk, and he appears in over 20 episodes before he says his first line.

On season two's "The One With Phoebe's Dad," he finally speaks, saying a terse "Yes" to Ross from behind the coffee counter. 

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 1"

Throughout the series, Gunther pines over Rachel.

In his last lines, he finally tells Rachel how he feels before she plans to leave for Paris, saying, "Rachel? I know you're leaving tonight, I just have to tell you. I love you. Now, I don't know if that changes your plans at all, but I thought you should know."

First appearance: Season two, "The One With Russ"

Joey's agent, Estelle (June Gable), almost solely appears in scenes where she's talking on the phone with Joey.

Her opening line is "Estelle Leonard Talent Agency."

Last appearance: Season 10, "The One With the Cake"

In her last scene, Estelle talks on the phone with Joey about an audition she forgot to tell him about.

Her side of the conversation ends with, "And you need to have a monologue prepared."

Estelle dies shortly after this, but Phoebe pretends to be her on a later episode.

First appearance: Season two, "The One Where Ross and Rachel ... You Know"

Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck) goes from being an old family friend of the Gellers to one of Monica's most serious love interests.

They first reconnect when Monica caters a party for Richard.

When he answers the door, he doesn't immediately recognize her, saying, "Come on in. Um, I'm sorry, is Monica Geller coming? I was told she was."

Last appearance: Season six, "The One With the Proposal, Part 2"

Richard's last scene is a conversation with Chandler, who confronts him for trying to win Monica back while she's dating him.

After a brief argument, Richard decides to leave the couple alone, and Chandler says he's a nice guy, to which Richard replies, "I know. I hate that!"

First appearance: Season one, "The One With the Birth"

Ross' son Ben (Charles Thomas Allen and John Christopher Allen) technically first appears as an infant on season one after Carol gives birth to him, but he doesn't speak until season two on "The One Where Old Yeller Dies."

He says "Hi" while Rachel is holding him.

Last appearance: Season eight, "The One Where Joey Dates Rachel"

Ben (Cole Sprouse) appears often throughout the show, but he doesn't always have lines, which is the case on his final episode.

His last line came a few episodes earlier on "The One With Monica's Boots." He says, "I have to go. My friend Doug is waiting for me over there."

First appearance: Season two, "The One With the Bullies"

Phoebe finds out that she has a younger brother, Frank Buffay Jr. (Giovanni Ribisi), while she's looking for her father.

She goes to what she thinks is her dad's house and asks to speak to Frank, only for her half-brother to come to the door saying "Yeah. What?"

Last appearance: Season 10, "The One Where Ross is Fine"

At one point on the series, Frank and his wife, Alice, use Phoebe as their surrogate, and she gives birth to triplets.

On his last episode, Frank desperately asks Phoebe to take one of his kids because of how overwhelmed he is. But he realizes he loves them all too much to give any of them up.

His last line is, "Oh crap. Don't wake up, don't wake up!" when his kids start waking up from their nap.

First appearance: Season three, "The One With the Hypnosis Tape"

While working as a waitress at a diner, Monica complains about her love life to Rachel.

One of her customers, Pete (Jon Favreau), overhears her and joins the conversation, saying "Yeah I'll have a slice of cheesecake and a date if you're giving 'em out."

Last appearance: Season three, "The One With the Ultimate Fighting Champion"

Monica and Pete only date for a few episodes before he decides to follow his dream of becoming an Ultimate Fighting Champion.

Pete continues to get injured in fights but refuses to give up his new hobby, so Monica breaks up with him.

He's a bit out of it during their last conversation, but in his final line, he asks Monica to leave a note about their breakup since he's on a lot of painkillers and may not remember anything by the next day.

First appearance: Season four, "The One With Joey's New Girlfriend"

Kathy (Paget Brewster) is first shown at Central Perk.

Chandler starts flirting with her, and she introduces herself when he asks if he told her his name. Her first line is, "No, you didn't. Hi, I'm Kathy."

The two seem to get along, but Chandler soon realizes that Kathy is Joey's new girlfriend.

Last appearance: Season four, "The One With Rachel's Crush"

Chandler and Kathy aren't able to ignore their chemistry and end up kissing while Kathy is still with Joey, which puts a strain on the men's friendship.

Chandler and Kathy don't date for long, though, because Kathy ends up sleeping with a coworker.

Her last line is "Yeah," when Chandler finds a pair of men's pants at her place and asks if they belong to the coworker.

First appearance: Season four, "The One With Joey's Dirty Day"

Emily (Helen Baxendale) is introduced as Rachel's boss' niece.

Rachel is supposed to take Emily out, but Rachel asks Ross to do it for her so she can go on a date.

In her first line, Emily, who'd been waiting for Rachel to open the door after she traveled in the rain, says "Hello? Yes, thank goodness."

Last appearance: Season five, "The One With the Ride-Along"

After Ross says Rachel's name at the altar instead of Emily's, Emily is mortified and unsure whether or not she can stay with Ross.

She realizes she can't trust him enough to be with him and the two get divorced.

Emily ends up getting married to someone else, but she leaves a voicemail for Ross saying she's thinking of him and might want to get together.

The last part of her message is her final line. She says "Are you thinking about me? Of course you're not, but if you are, call me tonight. OK, bye."

First appearance: Season six, "The One Where Ross Dates a Student"

While Ross is working as a professor, he dates one of his students, Elizabeth (Alexandra Holden).

She's first shown when she walks up to him after class and says, "Professor Geller? I wanted to say how much I enjoyed your class."

Last appearance: Season six, "The One With the Proposal, Part 1"

Ross breaks up with Elizabeth after realizing that she's too immature for him.

After their breakup, he stands by the entrance to her dorm building wondering whether he made the right decision, and Elizabeth throws a water balloon at him and yells, "You suck!"

First appearance: Season seven, "The One With Rachel's Assistant"

When Tag (Eddie Cahill) first walks into Rachel's office, she assumes that he's a model who got lost on his way to a different office.

He immediately corrects her and uses his first line to explain that he's there to interview as her assistant. She ends up both hiring and dating him.

Last appearance: Season eight, "The One With the Red Sweater"

When the group finds out that Rachel is pregnant, Phoebe mistakenly assumes that Tag is the father after finding a sweater that looks like his.

Around the same time, Tag wants to get back together with Rachel, until he finds out that she's pregnant.

He later runs into Ross, who's wearing the same sweater as him, and asks whose baby it is. But Ross thinks he's asking about the sweater label and not Rachel's child.

His last line is "Yeah," in response to Ross. 

First appearance: Season nine, "The One With the Pediatrician"

When Joey forgets to set up a blind date for Phoebe, he calls out the name Mike in Central Perk.

Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd) responds, "Yeah?" and ends up going on the date with Phoebe.

Last appearance: Season 10, "The Last One, Part 2"

Mike is last shown when Monica and Chandler bring home the twins they adopted.

By this point, Mike and Phoebe are married, and he tells Phoebe that he wants to have children. When she agrees, he says, "Really?"

This story was originally published in August 2021 and most recently updated on September 18, 2024.