11 Of The Most Iconic Moments From 'Friends'

Though Friends has been off the air longer than it was on, the beloved sitcom remains one of the most popular television series of all time. Thanks to reruns and streaming, the show has continued to find new and devoted fans over the past seventeen years. All of the jokes, gags and heartwarming moments live on in a way few series experience. There are too many to count, of course, but here are some of the most iconic moments from Friends:

Phoebe performs 'Smelly Cat' for the first time.

The iconic song was first sung by Phoebe in the sixth episode of season two, 'The One With The Baby On a Bus.' Phoebe gets replaced as the performer at Central Perk by a professional singer named Stephanie, who was played by Chrissie Hynes of The Pretenders. Phoebe tries to give Stephanie some pointers and teaches her 'Smelly Cat,' the song that would go on to become one of the longest-running gags in the show.

Joey doesn't share food.

During the ninth episode of the tenth season, 'The One With the Birth Mother,' Joey convinces Phoebe to set him up with her friend Sarah. Despite sensing the match wouldn't work out, Phoebe relents and sets them up on a date. Things go awry when Sarah keeps trying to eat food off Joey's plate. At the end of the episode, Joey and Ross commiserate over their dating lives at Central Perk. When Ross tries to eat a piece of Joey's muffin, he finally snaps: "Joey doesn't share food!"

"PIVOT!"

Even considered an iconic moment by the show's creators Marta Kauffman and David Krane, the scene where Rachel and Chandler try to help Ross get his new couch into his apartment is a standout for most Friends fans.

Brand new information.

Twenty years after 'The One Where Rachel Tells...' first aired, fans of Friends still use Phoebe's iconic "that is brand new information!" line, usually in gif form, as a reaction stand-in. Not only is this line one of the most memorable from the sitcom's ten season run, but the episode also remains a fan-favorite as Ross finally finds out he's the father of Rachel's baby.

"We were on a break!"

One of the best parts of sticking with a series, especially a sitcom, through all of its seasons, is watching long-running gags begin and evolve. There is no better example of that than Ross and Rachel's season-long debate over whether or not they were really on a break. What starts as a bitter fight between the two characters in season three eventually turns into a huge inside joke among them and their friends. Fans of the show are in on it, too, of course.

Holiday Armadillo.

This moment is so iconic the episode was named after it—AKA 'The One With the Holiday Armadillo.' This episode sees Ross hosting his son, Ben, for the holidays for the first time. Ross wants to surprise Ben by dressing up as Santa (just like Susan does for him every year), however, he can't find a suit rental in time. Instead, Ross rents an armadillo costume and comes up with a new character— the Holiday Armadillo.

Ross toasts Rachel and Joey's romance.

The pressure of entertaining—and, you know, Rachel and Joey's burgeoning romance—gets to Ross in this hilarious toast from season ten. Though this is a low point for Ross, it's truly a highlight of David Schwimmer's comedic abilities.

The apartment bet.

Rachel and Monica put their apartment on the line in a game of trivia with Chandler and Joey. In a tie-breaking lightning round, Ross stumps the girls by asking them what Chandler does for a living. Rachel's best guess? A transponster.

Will at Thanksgiving.

Friends was known for bringing in top-notch guest stars for memorable turns on the show. No guest star was quite as memorable as Brad Pitt, though. Pitt portrayed Will Colbert, an old high school classmate of Ross, Rachel, and Monica, who has some lingering animosity towards Rachel. As all Friends fans know, the show's annual Thanksgiving episodes never disappoint.

Rachel gets off the plane.

Ross and Rachel finally get back together in 'The Last One.' After years of waiting and hoping, fans finally got to see these two characters get their happily ever after. Watching Rachel get off the plane was worth the wait.

All ten seasons of Friends are available to stream on HBO Max.

Photo: Getty/Warner Bros.