The Friends gang was famously close, but Rachel wasn’t always the best friend to Monica . Debuting on NBC in 1994 and running for 10 seasons, the show followed six friends—Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, Ross, and Joey—navigating life in New York City.
While Friends is celebrated as one of the greatest TV shows of all time, it also showed the messy side of friendships. Over the years, the group overcame fights and misunderstandings, but Rachel often acted selfishly toward Monica. Though they had known each other for years, their friendship was reignited when Rachel ran away from her wedding and moved in with Monica—but it came with plenty of drama and moments where Rachel let her friend down.
Every Time Rachel Was A Bad Friend to Monica 
Rachel wasn’t always the best roommate or friend to Monica. Growing up in comfort, she often struggled with basic responsibilities like cooking or cleaning—but her friendship missteps went beyond that.
An early example comes in Season 2’s “The One After The Superbowl, Part 2”. Monica, a huge fan of Jean-Claude Van Damme, is too intimidated to approach him, so she sends Rachel. Instead, Rachel flirts with him, agrees to go out, and even jokes about a threesome with Monica and Drew Barrymore—leaving Monica furious.
The most memorable incident is “The One With Monica’s Thunder”, where Rachel kisses Ross on the night of Monica’s engagement celebration, stealing her spotlight. She does it again in “The One After I Do”, making Monica and Chandler’s wedding all about her pregnancy. Even when choosing baby names, Rachel takes “Emma”—a name Monica had long planned for her own future child—though Monica graciously lets her.
Over 10 seasons, Rachel grew more independent and less self-absorbed, but she never fully grasped what being a best friend truly meant. She was lucky to have Monica, who forgave her again and again for being a truly terrible friend. 💖
