The Friends Fan Theory That Points To Phoebe Being A Secret Genius

Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) was a fan-favorite on Friends, known for being the care-free whimsy masseuse who was sometimes labeled ditzy by viewers. She could always be counted on for an off-the-wall comment and generally wasn't taken too seriously by her pals and some of the viewers. Phoebe just didn't seem to care about things most of the time, and definitely didn't engage in any of the drama like her pals did.

It was easy for some viewers to dismiss Phoebe's intelligence over the years, given that she never received a proper education and grew up on the streets. She definitely had her street smarts about her, but was generally so blase about and unbothered by the things going on around her, that her carefree spirit added a refreshing element to the series.

Perhaps this was all a ruse though — maybe Phoebe wasn't the ditzy blonde she appeared to be, and she should have been taken more seriously by both her roommates and the fans. Many viewers of Friends have supported a theory over the years that suggests Phoebe was actually an entirely different person than who she appeared to be.

Theories surrounding the Friends universe are a dime a dozen, and many of them revolve around Phoebe since she was the most unique of the bunch. A popular theory on Reddit suggests that the blonde was actually a "laidback genius" who had zero ambition and as a result, didn't take life too seriously.

The theory cited her argument with Ross in season 2 episode 3 where the two debated evolution. Phoebe admits that she doesn't believe in evolution, and later clarifies that she thinks it's just "one of the possibilities." Ross, unable to comprehend Phoebe's dismissal of evolution, absolutely loses it and even goes as far to take artifacts from the museum to prove her wrong.

Phoebe clearly doesn't care about the argument at all, and simply amuses Ross by going along with it throughout three separate scenes. She even makes him question evolution for a brief moment, at which point she realizes she won the argument. After making him feel terrible for abandoning his beliefs, Ross leaves the apartment, and Phoebe laughs and says: "That was fun, who's hungry?"

It all suggests that Phoebe knows exactly what she is doing at all times, and plays the fool just to entertain herself and her pals. Throughout the series, it's revealed she just picked up French and Italian as a second and third language, which is quite impressive given she has had no formal education. Maybe she really was a genius all along, but her carefree spirit outweighed everything else.