Matt LeBlanc’s character arc left many fans unsatisfied at the end of FRIENDS. Fans hoped that Joey would figure out his career and love life by the end of the series. Things got worse when the makers announced a spin-off with him, which is considered one of the worst spin-offs. While fans hated his brief romance with Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel, the show dodged the bullet with another Joey romance arc.
During the show’s run, there were fans who wanted Joey and Phoebe to hook up. However, when Lisa Kudrow’s character finally found Paul Rudd’s Mike, fans were more than happy with this couple. Interestingly, LeBlanc had pitched a story where Joey and Phoebe had been having casual hookups the entire time.
Matt LeBlanc’s Pitch For A Joey-Phoebe Hookup In FRIENDS Was Rejected
Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow‘s characters were true friendship goals for many fans in FRIENDS. While the friends group had Chandler & Monica and Ross & Rachel as a couple, many fans were actually impressed with the platonic friendship between Joey and Phoebe. There were occasions when the two of them went out of their way to help the other.
Some fans, who shipped them together, always wondered why they never hooked up. It was one of the questions asked to LeBlanc and Kudrow in 2015 after their nominations for Episodes and The Comeback respectively. LeBlanc revealed to PEOPLE that he had indeed pitched the idea to the makers of the show, who rejected it.
The Man with a Plan actor had the idea for one of the later episodes to reveal that Joey and Phoebe had been having s*x the entire time. He shared that he had pitched to reshoot some of their “historical scenes”, this time with extended scenes revealing their relationship. However, the creators turned down this idea immediately. LeBlanc shared with PEOPLE:
Towards the end we actually pitched the idea that Joey and Phoebe had been having casual s*x the entire time. We’d go back and shoot all the historical scenes and just before a moment that everyone recognizes, there’s Joey and Phoebe coming out of a broom closet together. But they were like, ‘Nah.’
It was perhaps one of the best decisions on the show, which took some questionable turns in the last few seasons. Turning their sweet friendship into a casual hookup would’ve ruined both their arcs, not to mention the similarity with Chandler & Monica’s arc. Moreover, FRIENDS would have turned into just a show about three couples who were friends with each other.
FRIENDS Cast Was Creeped Out About Matt LeBlanc-Jennifer Aniston Romance In The Sitcom
Marta Kauffman and David Crane dropped the ball when it came to another relationship that almost ruined the show. When they approached the cast with the idea of Joey falling for Rachel, the cast was reportedly uncomfortable. According to Kelsey Miller’s book, I’ll Be There for You: The One About Friends, Matt LeBlanc shared that the relationship “felt incestuous” (via PEOPLE).
The book went into Crane’s POV for the storyline, who shared that the romance angle paid off in story dividends. Crane shared that LeBlanc was at the best of his acting prowess, thanks to this storyline, and earned his first Emmy nomination for his performance in Season 8.
Miller further shared Jennifer Aniston‘s hesitance in romancing LeBlanc. She wanted it to be a crush and not a love story. Her demands were met and Rachel and Joey broke off their relationship after realizing that they couldn’t be more than friends. The relationship eventually only resulted in keeping Rachel and Ross apart for a little bit longer.
FRIENDS is now available for streaming on Max.
