9 Most Outrageous Friends Fan Theories

Remember Ben? You know, Ross' son, Joey and Chandler left him on a bus, Monica banged his head, Ross claimed that he was pretty serious about keeping him in his life. Despite that last one, Ben's last appearance came in season 8 episode 12, and he was only briefly mentioned after that. 

The disappearance has infuriated and mystified fans for years, but what if there is an explanation?

As Ross even says himself, when singing the 'big butts' song to his baby girl, he is a terrible father. He tries to force Ben to play with a G.I. Joe doll rather than Barbie, doesn't take him to his London wedding, allows him to be used to get Sting tickets, and totally ignores him at Monica and Chandler's wedding reception even though they're sitting right next to each other. Ross also displays increasingly questionable behaviour through the years, especially in terms of his rage. 

So, what if Carol simply had enough? By the time Emma is born, Ben's grandparents forget he exists, and it doesn't appear as though he ever meets his half-sister. The reason for Ben not appearing in the final half of the season could be that Ross actually lost custody of his son.