So many of us proudly claim to be a Friends fan. It’s a declaration that signals we are in on the communal network of quotes and references that 10 years and 10 seasons has blessed us with.
“I’m such a Phoebe!” we say.
“I’m such a Ross!” we say.
“Could I be any more of a Friends fan?” we say.
“I KNOW” we reply.
We are talking to ourselves, and the conversation is great.
But can we think of ourselves as true fans if we are ignorant to the star signs of each of the friends? Can we really think we understand each of these characters without being privy to their astrological readings?
The answer is no. To truly reach Friends enlightenment we must go back through all 10 seasons and track down the birth day and year of Monica, Rachel, Ross, Chandler, Joey and, the best character, Phoebe. So that’s exactly what I did.
Kidding! Haha wow I’m totally kidding I do not have that kind of time on my hands. But luckily, 30 years deep into the world wide web, you can trust someone else has indeed done the legwork on this investigation for us.
The evidence and final results are set out in a Tumblr post by user @louisslane, although the research is actually attributed an unknown (and now unfindable) Google search result. So whoever did the hard yards investigating the Friends birthdays, we are eternally grateful.
Phoebe Buffay: Aquarius
Starting with Phoebe, because she’s the best, we have her birthday on February 16, 1965. According to the calculations:
“Her birthday officially is February 16th which she tells Frank Jr. in TOW Frank Jr., the year is tricky. We have almost nothing to go by, except that she turned out to a be a year older than she thought she was (TOW they All Turn 30). Also in TOW the Mugging, where Phoebe realises she mugged Ross when he was roughly 12 years old, Phoebe seems to have been about two years older than him. Making her older than all of the gang and making her birthday (roughly): February 16, 1965.”
It makes sense that Phoebe is slightly older than the rest of the gang, because she is, in the words of Joey Tribbiani, “pretty wisdomous.”
Her Aquarius strengths shine bright as the most “progressive, original, independent, humanitarian” character. Astrology does it again.
Ross Geller: Libra
Ross Geller’s ‘official’ birthday is decidedly October 18, 1967. He tells Gunther something else at some point, but we all know Ross doesn’t like Gunther, so that’s a write off.
“His birthday has been stated as being October 18th in TOW Emma Cries, this was affirmed in an October episode in Season 2 (TOW Five Steaks and an Eggplant) in which the gang went to a Hootie and the Blowfish concert for Ross’ birthday. However, in one episode Ross states his birthday is in Decemeber, which offers a bit of a discrepancy… he says this to Gunther so I suppose he could just be… lying? At any rate, since the most common answer makes him born in October we will assume his birthday is October 18th. Based on his declaration in the first season of “Being 26 and divorced” and later reaffirmed in the 5th season of being “30 and divorced twice” Ross should be 36 by the end of season 10.”
This whole Libra thing though feels way off. Their strengths are supposedly being “cooperative, diplomatic, gracious, fair-minded, social”, but Mr. “WE WERE ON A BREAK” doesn’t seem to fit. Would have to do his full natal chart to understand this man.
Monica Geller: Aries
Monica’s exact birthday eludes us, but it’s approximated to be in late March/early April, 1969. According to the official research,
“Monica’s birthday has been referenced once and only once. In TOW the Ick Factor, set in early May, Monica says she’s “25 and 13 months”, meaning she turned 26 a month ago, in early April or late March, judging by how much she’s estimating. This is the only time Monica’s birthday is EVER mentioned. However, her age is mentioned a couple of times. She turned 26 in 1995, and Ross turned 27 in 1994, making him about 2 years older than her. She should thus be 35 by the end of season 10, making her birthday: Late March or Early April, 1969, as early as we can figure it.”
Monica is a clear fire sign, there’s no mistaking that. Aries are noted as “continuously looking for dynamic, speed and competition, always being the first in everything – from work to social gatherings.” So that checks out.
Joey Tribbiani: Capricorn
Joey’s birthday is estimated as some time in early January, 1967. It takes various scattered puzzle pieces to map that out:
“Going by when TOW Chandler Can’t Remember Which Sister was set, when it was Joey’s birthday party, then around early January. His birth YEAR we do know – he’s older than at least Chandler (and probably Ross by the same token), who we know to be about 36 by the end of season 10. Joey is also probably around 36 by then or possibly 37; because he was 13 sometime in 1981 (TOW Joey’s Fridge), going by that, he was born in 1967 and was 28 in Season 2. As near as I can tell his birthday is early January, 1967.”
I don’t know what to tell you but Capricorn could not be a more incorrect reading of Joey Tribbiani. Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s lying about his age like everything else on his resumé.
Rachel Green: Taurus
Rachel’s Birthday is set at May 5, 1969, and seems to get an in-proportionate amount of attention in the show.
“Her birthday is May 5th. This has been stated and reaffirmed in plenty of episodes feauturing her birthday which take place around then. One thing that hurts this is Rachel’s statement that she is an Aquarius (TOW Chandler’s Dad), which would make her born in late January or early February. She also has a birthday party in TOW Phoebe’s Rats, which aired in early January, so this would also tie in with the Aquarius/Jan/Feb date. But for the most part, the May 5th date is the more accurate one. As for her age, her being… 30 in the episode in TOW they All Turn 30 is completely off-putting. But for the most part it appears as if she would have turned 35 by the end of season 10. Her official birthday is thus: May 5, 1969.”
Taurus are known to “feel the need to always be surrounded by love and beauty, turned to the material world, hedonism, and physical pleasures.” Need I say more?
Chandler Bing: Aries or Taurus
Poor Chandler. The topic of his birthday is so neglected that it actually only comes up in relation to Rachel’s birthday, so it’s only able to be estimated as mid-late April, 1968.
“Chandler’s birthday has been referenced once, very vaguely. Rachel has a surprise birthday party (TOW Rachel Smokes) that is a month early and Rachel, surprised, remarks “Chandler’s birthday is even before mine.” This makes Chandler’s birthday a month or just less, before Rachel’s, putting his birthday in mid-late April sometime. He was in Ross’ class so if Ross was born on October 18, 1967; Chandler’s birthday is thus: April, 1968.”
The truth about Chanandler Bong will forever remain a mystery, and without even a resemblance of the information needed for a natal chart, we may never truly be able to know him. But we are all better Friends fans for trying.
So what does this tell us? The inconsistency with which the characters have been allocated star signs signals irresponsible writing. Astrologically speaking, Friends gets a little sloppy.
When building a character it’s vital that their star sign is appropriate to their personality, otherwise it can be very confusing for those of us trying to make sense of these fictional characters with whom we are obsessed. Just something to keep in mind.