When it comes to determining the favorite member of the Friends cast, a lot of people tend to point the finger at Chandler Bing. And while there’s no denying that Chandler is hilarious, he still doesn’t edge out Joey.
I’ve watched and rewatched Friends more times than I can count. After years of extensive research, I’ve now come up with 10+ solid reasons why Joey is even more interesting than Chandler on Friends .
Joey once snuck into Charlton Heston’s dressing room and used his private shower!
How many people can actually claim that they’ve broken into the dressing room of arguably the greatest actor to ever live? Much less showered in his private bathroom.
But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to tall Joey tales.
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He was willing to give up meat during Phoebe’s pregnancy.
Most fans of the show won’t need any reminding that Phoebe was a staunch vegetarian, and openly opposed eating meat.
After she became pregnant, the baby began having meat cravings. To offset the animals being consumed, Joey vowed to go without meat until the triplets were born.
Joey ate a ‘disgusting’ meat-pie desert to spare Rachel’s feelings.
What lengths would you go to in order to spare a friend’s feelings? If your name is Joey Tribbiani then it means you’d even eat a Frankenstein desert that consisted of meat mixed with custard and jam.
The fact that he enjoyed it is inconsequential.
He let Chandler date Kathy, even after he betrayed his trust.
Chandler flat-out went behind Joey’s back and lied to him. In spite of all this, Joey still forgave him and even allowed the two to continue dating.
Would Chandler have done the same? I don’t think so.
Joey has a far more interesting romantic life.
Probably because Chandler doesn’t, nor has he ever had much of a romantic life to speak of.
Sure, Joey was a bit of a dog, especially in the early seasons. But it was always done tastefully and in the spirit of good humor.
He loves the New York Knicks so much, that he even wrote it on his Sperm Bank application.
Does Chandler love anything as much as Joey loves the Knicks? I honestly couldn’t say, but I’m inclined to lean towards “no.”
Chandler may be the more intellectually inclined, but he has no passion.
Joey is honest, even to a fault.
Let’s get one thing clear: Joey didn’t have to come clean to Ross. He did it because it was an integrity move.
At the end of the day, there isn’t a cast member on Friends with a better moral sense than Joey Tribbiani.
He knows how to derive satisfaction from the little things in life.
Chandler’s whole shtick was being a mopey, self-obsessed narcissist with commitment issues. Joey is all about fun.
All he needs is a comfy chair, a little TV, maybe a pizza (or two), and he’s good to go.
If it wasn’t for Joey, the Chick and the Duck would never have waddled their way into our hearts.
If you recall, Joey bought the chick for Chandler in order to help him feel better.
Later on, they brought home the duck so that it wouldn’t be lonely.
Joey’s job is way cooler than Chandler’s.
Joey is a struggling actor, but he’s had his 15 minutes of fame on more than one occasion.
What does Chandler Bing even do? I’ll bet you can’t tell me the answer without looking it up on your phone.
Because “how you doin’?” is simultaneously the greatest catchphrase and the worst pick-up line of all time.
If anyone else on the face of the planet were to utter the phrase “how you doin’?” they’d come off as arrogant and idiotic.
But the way Joey delivers the line with such austerity, it’s impossible not to love it,
He created Ultimate Fire Ball!
Yes, Joey and Chandler created Fire Ball together. But Ultimate Fire Ball is a perfect example of Joey taking something good and turning it into something great.
Ultimately, it’s just how his mind is wired.
Joey is a better friend to Chandler than Chandler is to Joey.
I understand that Chandler carried Joey financially for a long period of time, but the emotional aspect of their friendship is heavily in Joey’s favor.
Remember when he bought them matching gold bracelets so they could be “bracelet buddies”?
His refusal to share food.
If you want to carry on a successful friendship with Joseph Tribbiani, you must come to understand one vital and absolute truth: Joey doesn’t share food.
It isn’t a joke, so don’t even try it. Seriously, you’ll thank me for it.
Joey is truly selfless.
Joey might act like a big kid a lot of the time, but in the end, he almost always does the right thing.
Like how he let Emma have Hugsy, his favorite stuffed animal, even though it was incredibly difficult for him to let go.
