FRIENDS ran for ten seasons, each episode leaving fans with something or the other to remember. Whether it was Gunther’s crush on Jennifer Aniston’s Rachel or the obsession Courteney Cox’s Monica had with perfection, everything was created in a way that’ll never leave your thoughts. Honestly, who is complaining?
However, there were quite a few polarizing moments in the show as well. For starters, the good old debate of whether were they on a break or not. (Yes they were but what Ross did was still uncalled for). One such moment from the show that has not aged well is Courteney Cox’s fat Monica.
FRIENDS’ Fat Monica Joke Has Aged Like Milk
In the flashback episodes of FRIENDS, we get to take a look at Courteney Cox’s Monica before her transformation. She had been overweight for years and a constant target of Chandler’s insensitive comments.
In the past, Monica developed a crush on her brother’s best friend but when she hears Matthew Perry’s Chandler making fun of her, she decides to turn her life around, saying no to the delicious pies her mom had offered her. As a switch flipped, Monica loses a ton of weight as revenge.
Fat Monica had been the center of many jokes, including the time when David Schwimmer’s Ross said, “I grew up with Monica. If you didn’t eat fast, you didn’t eat!” While this was all taken as fun and light-hearted humor, the newer audience of the show is not as accepting of the fat jokes as the old.
On Reddit, a user left a post on the subreddit r/friends_tv_show, stating that Monica wasn’t even as fat back in the day as people made her to be.
However, it looks like there is a difference of opinion amongst the fans here as the old gen of FRIENDS fans stand in support of the show’s decisions while many of the new generations don’t.
Fat Monica Causes Debate in the Fanbase
After the OP made his post, his replies were filled with passionate fans putting their own opinions out in the open. A fan stated that Monica was not fat, just “plus size” and all that mattered was that the character was happy in her body, skinny or overweight.
On the other hand, some fans weren’t too kind with their words, citing instances from the show to prove the OP wrong. Remember when Ross outed Monica to their parents saying, “Hurricane Gloria didn’t break the porch swing. Monica did!” The joke was further elevated when their parents revealed that they had already figured this out on their own.
Fans also pointed out how Monica had to have her band uniform specially made so that it could fit her.
Take a look at how FRIENDS fans defend the writers’ decisions:
Monica is one of the best characters in the show. Everything from her passion for her career to her relationship with Chandler was written down to perfection. No matter what the opinions may be on fat Monica, one thing’s clear for sure – we all love Monica in all shapes and sizes! Yes, even when she has a hidden room for hoarding.
FRIENDS is available to watch on Max.
