5 Minor Romantic Interests in Friends Who Totally Stole the Spotlight
Friends’ protagonists have dated one too many partners throughout the 10 seasons, but these five shamelessly stole our attention in every episode that featured them.
5. Season 3: Pete Becker
Courteney Cox had some of the best and most memorable on-screen romances in Friends. While too much has already been said about the amazing Tom Selleck, another guest star, Jon Favreau, was also a notorious scene-stealer. Favreau’s Pete Becker, a tech billionaire extraordinaire, became a fan favorite almost instantly.
Becker went out of his way to get Monica’s attention: he spent ludicrous money to show her how interested he was and even bought her a restaurant. After she finally gave up, Pete and Monica dated for a while but eventually broke up because of the billionaire’s new obsession — partaking in illegal fights that left him maimed.
4. Season 6: Paul Stevens
As seasons went by, more and more Hollywood A-listers were guest-starring in Friends. We had to jump over Brad Pitt’s amazing cameo, but there’s no way we’re not mentioning Bruce Willis’s Paul Stevens — Rachel’s boyfriend who also happened to be her ex-lover Ross’s new girlfriend’s father. What a situation it was!
While his daughter was admittedly too young for Ross, Paul was admittedly too old for Rachel. Despite that, they worked really well until she provoked the stoic man into revealing his true feelings and uncovered an underground river of uncried tears. Bruce Willis nailed his part marvelously, and we were all upset when he left Friends.
3. Season 2: Susie Moss
One of the earliest big-name cameos on Friends belonged to Julia Roberts who starred as Chandler’s insidious romantic interest. Roberts was happy to join the show as Susie Moss since she was dating Matthew Perry in real life anyway, but she still made the Chandler actor write her scientific paper on physics to convince her.
Susie Moss was only around for one episode where she got back at Chandler for humiliating her many years ago, but Julia Roberts was immaculately charming in that role. After leaving her unfortunate admirer in a public WC in just women's underwear, Susie left Friends forever. Roberts and Perry’s romance didn’t last much longer, either.
2. Season 8: Parker
Alec Baldwin’s one-episode character didn’t even have a last name that we’re aware of, but his presence was strong, to say the least. Parker was Phoebe’s boyfriend for an episode, and while the two appeared happy together, Parker was…too happy. About everything. All the time. In fact, all the other friends in the group hated him.
Phoebe tried to come to terms with her partner’s overly enthusiastic nature and defended him against her friends, making them feel bad — but in the end, even she had to admit that Parker’s golden retriever vibes were exhausting. Phoebe broke up with him after a fight; staying true to himself, Parker called it “the best break-up ever.”
1. Seasons 1–10: Janice
Another character without a last name, Janice became the staple of Friends, nonetheless. Initially planned to only be around for one to three episodes, guest actress Maggie Wheeler immediately became a fan favorite — so she kept returning over and over again throughout all 10 episodes of the show. She was a delight!
Janice’s random encounters with the main characters always signaled the beginning of an especially great episode. Fans loved her for her annoying signature laughter and wholesome and sincere personality. If any love interest across the entirety of Friends deserves to be called a scene-stealer then it’s Maggie Wheeler’s Janice.