While everyone ends happy enough in Friends, the love lives of the main characters are rocky, to say the least throughout the course of the show. All of the main characters date a wide variety of people during the shows 10 seasons, and they certainly know how to pick them!
Whether they’re cheaters or if they’re just plain annoying, the main characters do date some horrible people during the show. Of course, this is all part of the ups and downs that comes with life and is one of the reasons that the show was so successful. No great television show has just likable characters. There need to be people that fans aren’t rooting for, and Friends certainly had that in some of the partners. So, within this list, we will take a look at the 10 romantic partners of the main characters that Friends fans hated.
Paolo
We kickstart this list with one of Rachel’s earliest partners, Paolo, who was someone that fans just hated. While you could see why Rachel was attracted, there was just something about him that felt off, right from the start as he had a sleazeball feel about him.
Ultimately, the main reason fans hated him is because of the fact Ross was so in love with Rachel at this point in the show. Everyone knew it, including the rest of the group and only Rachel was oblivious which made it so frustrating to see him around. However, he really proved himself to be a vile person when he makes a pass at Phoebe during a massage. Willing to not only cheat on Rachel but to do it with one of her best friends makes him a true scumbag.
Janine
Next on the list is Janine, who might have been gorgeous on the outside, but on the inside she really was hideous. Joey fell head over heels for Janine, who was a stunning dancer, but for some reason, she absolutely hated Chandler and Monica.
Claiming that “She’s loud and he’s blah,” as her reasoning for not liking them, Janine was never going to win over the Friends fans. With Monica and Chandler being so beloved, it didn’t matter how nice she was to Joey, the audience simply couldn’t get on board.
Janice
It is quite hard to say that fans ‘hated’ Janice because even though she was very annoying, she was also very funny. This is why she only ranks low on the list because she ended up morphing into one of the most popular supporting characters at the same time as being hated.
Fans didn’t actually want to see Janice end up with any of the main characters in the end, but they equally wanted to see her on the show. However, it cannot be denied that she is incredibly annoying, which is why so many fans didn’t like her. Janice dated both Ross and Chandler during the show, but never quite managed to get her hands on Joey. Even though she always meant well and treated them fairly enough, she was just too mind-bogglingly annoying to deal with.
Ursula
Friends fans never liked Phoebe’s twin sister, Ursula to begin with and when she started dating Joey it was always going to end in disaster. All this relationship did was create heartbreak for Joey and make fans dislike Ursula even more.
The relationship caused a strain on Joey’s friendship with Phoebe, who had always been one of his closest pals. That was tough for fans to see as nobody actually wanted Joey to be in a relationship with Ursula, who once again simply proved herself to be cruel.
Gavin
Gavin was one of Rachel’s boyfriends on the show, and unfortunately, he wasn’t very well-liked. The main reason fans didn’t appreciate him is because when he was first introduced to the show as a complete and utter jerk who had taken her job.
When Rachel is away on maternity leave, Gavin is the person who fills the spot, and in the end, the pair become a couple. However, they don’t exactly get along when they first meet due to his arrogant and sexist behavior. Their relationship ends up being very brief, thankfully as Rachel has to focus on her new role as a mother. But even though he starts to improve as a character, he never really won audiences over.
Elizabeth
Elizabeth wasn’t as annoying as most of the characters on this list, at least, not intentionally. The fact was she was just far too young to be romantically involved with Ross and it didn’t make him look great. People liked Ross too much to see him in this relationship and Elizabeth got the brunt of the hate.
She was just far too immature to be taken seriously and was more of a party girl at that point in her life. While she could have been a fun character had Ross been much younger, or Elizabeth much older, sadly that just wasn’t the case.
Barry
Even though Barry and Rachel’s relationship is already over by the time we meet them, he still does feature on the show several times. Even though it is Rachel who decides to walk out on him during their wedding day, that doesn’t mean that he is a nice guy.
He makes the decision to date Rachel’s old best friend Mindy for starters. But it is his decision to openly mock Rachel at their wedding where he really showed himself to be a jerk. Thankfully, Rachel rises above the bait and ends up busting out some smooth karaoke. However, it left fans not liking him as a character because of how he acted towards her. Thankfully, Barry isn’t featured too much on the show.
Emily
Emily is involved in one of the most serious relationships throughout the course of the show. Actually marrying Ross in London on the show, you would think the writers would have created a great character that would have suited him.
However, in classic Ross fashion, he just falls for the wrong sort of person. Emily and Ross totally rush everything in their relationship, which is one of the reasons it doesn’t work. That and the fact he says Rachel’s name at the altar. While Emily does start out as a charming character, it quickly becomes clear she is incredibly demanding and controlling. Making Ross move to London, despite the fact he has a child, and trying to end his friendship with Rachel due to their history, it is clear that deep down she’s not the nicest of people.
Julie
There was nothing actually wrong with Julie, with her only bad trait being that she was too nice, if that is even a thing? Fans just didn’t gravitate towards her and the main reason for that was because of the circumstances she found herself in.
Rachel had finally decided she did have feelings for Ross and it seemed like the dream couple was just about to happen. But then in walked Julie. While she didn’t do anything wrong, except fall in love with Ross, the audience was desperate to see him with Rachel by this point. Unfortunately for Julie, the fans all sided with Rachel on this one and just ended up hating her during her stint on the show. Had she been around at a different time, she likely would have been a fan favorite.
Kathy
When it comes to the romantic partner that Friends fans hated the most, there is no doubt that Kathy took first prize. While she seems sweet and innocent, this smart and attractive actress actually creates a huge problem within the group, almost tearing it apart.
While she starts off dating Joey, it quickly becomes clear that she is better suited to be with Chandler. The pair end up falling for each other and she cheats on Joey with his best friend in a moment that stunned audiences. Granted, Chandler has to take half the blame for that situation, but when they decide to give their relationship a go, Kathy shows her characteristics. She winds up cheating on Chandler as well, even after Joey gives them their blessing, which just infuriated fans.
