Friends: 16 Easter Eggs You Totally Missed

5. All My Children

Friends Rachel Green
ABC

Ross, Joey, and Rachel - all pretty common names. Chandler, Monica, and Phoebe? Less so. Or at least they weren't, but now of course they're all extremely well-known, and most commonly associated with Friends. But where did the inspiration for the names come from? 

Well, they're all actually based off characters from the (really really) long-running soap opera All My Children: Chandler for the Chandler family; Ross for Ross Chandler; Joey for Joe Martin; Phoebe for Phoebe Tyler; Monica for Monique Cortland; and Rachel Green after Janet Green. 

The show is actually referenced during Friends, with Gunther revealing to Joey that he used to play Bryce on All My Children, before they killed him off in an avalanche. 

Contributor
Contributor

NCTJ-qualified journalist. Most definitely not a racing driver. Drink too much tea; eat too much peanut butter; watch too much TV. Sadly only the latter paying off so far. A mix of wise-old man in a young man's body with a child-like wonder about him and a great otherworldly sensibility.