Friends: Is This The Saddest Moment Of The Entire Series?

For a “Friends” fan, picking a moment that had you in fits of laughter shouldn’t be that hard a job. Between Ross pivoting, Chandler stuck in a box, and Monica putting a turkey on her head, there are a bazillion gut-busting moments that had audiences in fits of laughter. A harder find for some, however, might be trying to pinpoint one of the beloved show’s instances that had you reaching for the tissues and trying to hold back the tears. Naturally, fans have weighed in on their own selections, and one option that got a lot of attention was when the show was hit with a harder dose of reality than it had ever been before.

Over on the brilliantly named subreddit r/howyoudoin, “Friends”-loving Redditor u/jgonz185 said that among the 234 episodes of the classic sitcom, the saddest point in the story of those six New Yorkers is when two of them get some truly heartbreaking news. “I personally thought that the moment when Monica and Chandler realized they could not conceive was the saddest moment,” wrote the fan, referring to Season 9, Episode 21 — “The One with the Fertility Test.” Originally aired in 2003 as a mammoth 27-minute episode, not including ad breaks, it is a shocking gut punch to the show’s funniest and favorite couples.

However, others were quick to chime in with their own picks as well, leading to an understandably emotional debate.

While we’ve pegged that moment as one of the saddest sitcom moments ever, there are also a few break-ups and make-ups that made viewers reach for tissues by the box load. Besides Chandler and Monica being hit with and bouncing back from the life-changing info they receive, other fans highlighted Ross and Rachel’s initial break-up after “the break.” One fan deemed the episode to have the “best Jennifer Aniston acting,” while another added that it showed off “her knack for both comedy and drama.”

Another parenting moment that brought a lump to the throat for u/hanselpremium was Phoebe’s talk with the triplets in the hospital in Season 5, Episode 3 — “The One with the Triplets.” u/lovevibes was in agreement, saying, “Lisa Kudrow did such an incredible job during that scene. One of my favorite Phoebe moments.”

Of course, one scene that would rock any fan is in the show’s final episode, “The Last One.” u/Chenolyn said, “I think for me the saddest moment is when they’re all putting their keys down. I’ve seen the series countless times, and I still bawl.” They’re not the only one. After all this talk, it might be best to take the Joey approach and stick “Friends” in the freezer for a while.