Some Friends Fans Think Phoebe Became Unlikeable Near The End - Here's Why

The immense "Friends" fanbase is nothing if not opinionated. After all, ten seasons of material (totaling over 230 episodes) inspires a proportionate amount of spirited debate — a pastime that was reinvigorated when HBO acquired "Friends," resulting in its becoming the platform's most-streamed show in 2020. Who cares if it concluded in 2004?

One character who's proven to be especially polarizing is Phoebe Buffay, played with Emmy-winning verve by Lisa Kudrow. According to some fans, the sextet's most eccentric member becomes increasingly unlikeable as the series progresses. "Phoebe in the second half of the show is a fundamentally different character than in the first," wrote u/Oxwagon on Reddit. "... We all remember Phoebe as the sweet, airy character she was in the first half, and then we encounter second-half Phoebe and are surprised by how toxic she is."

Indeed, when "Friends" began in 1994, Phoebe was a hippie oddball with earth-mother leanings combined with a street-smart edge. In the pilot, she even plucks at the air around Ross' (David Schwimmer) head, attempting to cleanse his "aura." For a number of fans, the shift occurs following her mid-series pregnancy, when her sweet and honest disposition gives way to her embracing lying and, in some instances, cruelty. "The dividing line is Phoebe's pregnancy in seasons 4 and 5," u/Oxwagon continued. "The show's creators discovered 'mean Phoebe' in her hormonal outbursts, and thought that it was so hilarious that they were never able to move on from it."

The impassioned "Friends" fans on Reddit came armed with receipts. U/MathProfGeneva mentioned Season 8's "The One With Monica's Boots," in which Phoebe lies about being Ben's mom in an effort to get tickets to a Sting concert. "The whole idea that she would do all these things for concert tickets doesn't fit who she was at all in previous seasons," they wrote. "... She went from the woman that hated the commercialism of Pottery Barn to a greedy, mean, materialistic person." Other fans cited her cruel treatment of Danny DeVito's character at her bridal shower, as well as when she claims to find Monica's (Courtney Cox) soulmate and parades him around Chandler (Matthew Perry).

Her description as "quirky," many fans agree, is a shield for her to act with impunity when it comes to dabbling in her friends' personal lives, airing her grievances, and even interrupting Susan and Carol's Season 2 wedding (she was, she claims, possessed by a spirit).

Looper readers agree that there's something inherently unlikeable about Phoebe. In a Looper survey of "Friends" characters, Phoebe and Ross each received 26.12% of the vote for least likeable. Interestingly, fans seem to agree that Phoebe becomes gradually worse over time, while Ross gets funnier (and less defined by his intense jealousy). U/alexkon3 summed up, "Ross in the early seasons for me is a bit unlikeable but post-break up Ross for the rest of the show imo is the funniest character."