The ragtag bunch of misfits, otherwise known as the Gellers, were the central family in Friends. Since 2 out of the 6 main characters were Gellers, quite obviously, their parents, Jack and Judy made appearances from time to time.
Right off the bat, Jack, and Judy's parenting was plagued by favoritism, something that was a major cause of Monica's grief. Although they made amends with her eventually, she wasn't completely innocent either and neither was Ross. But like any other family, the overachieving Gellers made their unique family dynamic work.
10 Judy Pressured Monica To Get Married
Every time Judy Geller visited Monica, she pushed her to get married in one way or the other. Her first on-screen appearance was in season 1 and it coincided with the news of Rachel dumping Barry at the altar. Judy somehow made it about Monica, and proceeded to say, "Well, at least she (Rachel) had the chance to leave a man at the altar." When Monica sought clarification, the latter avoided trouble by saying it was an expression.
At Ross's second wedding to Emily, Judy picked on Monica in front of the Walthams by saying it could very well be the only wedding she and her husband get to throw. But by the 4th season, Monica had learned to deal with her mother's pressuring tactics and rude comments by making witty responses.
9 Judy Crossed The Line
There's no doubt Mr. and Mrs. Geller were odd parents, but the difference is, Jack gave Monica her space and Judy often crossed the line with her. During Monica's early years at her parents' house, Judy would often use the nasty phrase, "pull a Monica" to imply little Monica had something terribly wrong and the family was in need of a backup.
Season 4's "The One with the Cuffs," tells of Judy's overly critical behavior and underconfidence in her daughter. While catering a party for her mother, Monica lost a fake blue fingernail in one of the quiches. Judy pulled frozen lasagne out of the freezer saying she had them as backups just in case Monica would "pull a Monica." That's when an adult Monica snapped and walked out of the room.
8 Jack & Judy Played Favorites
The fact that Monica and Ross were treated differently hasn't escaped fans' attention either. Everybody knows how over-competitive the Geller household was. The parents reserved their criticism for Monica, while on the contrary, they fawned over Ross.
Ross was treated as a superior child next to Monica who was treated as the inferior one. Using the word "medical marvel" as an excuse to love Ross over his sister goes to show he received preferential treatment.
7 The Walthams Tried To Take Advantage Of The Gellers
In the two-parter, "The One with Ross's Wedding" Emily's father, Stephen Waltham tried to take advantage of the Gellers by demanding they pay for his built-in barbeque, wine cellar, new guest bath, landscaping, gazebo, among other things.
This of course had a backstory. As it's seen, the Gellers had decided to break with tradition and offered to pay for half of Ross's wedding. A progressive move, Stephen saw it as an opportunity to get them to pay for remodeling his house. Jack, of all people, wouldn't let anyone deceive him, and so he was prompted to raise a ruckus at the rehearsal dinner.
6 Ross Embarrassed The Gellers At His Second Wedding
Speaking of the infamous Geller-Waltham wedding, Ross left no scope for recovery when he said Rachel's name at the altar instead of Emily's. The Gellers, sitting dutifully in their seats, became speechless and uncomfortable watching their son embarrass himself. Furthermore, it wasn't easy for Monica to stand in the bridal row and face a room full of strangers either.
To make matters worse, Ross's wedding was held in London - an entirely different continent, with a different cultural etiquette. The wedding was one of the rare episodes in which Jack and Judy were disappointed with Ross.
5 Monica's Childhood Things Were Destroyed
If it were not for the protective, loving, and caring brother Ross, Jack would have never sought redemption for his behavior. In season 7's "The One Where Rosita Dies," he also admitted to "unconsciously" favoring Ross over Monica.
The admission came on account of the destruction of Monica's boxes of childhood stuff. They were used as small barriers to divert the water from Jack's Porsche. Ross's stuff was fine, and Monica's childhood memories were ruined all because Jack wanted to keep the bottom two inches of his car away from water.
4 Jack & Judy Spent Monica's Wedding Fund
Monica was crushed to learn her wedding fund was used to buy the beach house 7 years before her actual wedding took place. The Gellers had purchased the beach house when their daughter was 23.
Apparently, "7 years of beach fun" was the price Monica had to pay for losing out on her wedding fund. It's bad enough all of the money was gone, but Judy had to intervene and say, "But we just assumed if you got married after you turned 30 you'd pay for it yourself."
3 Jack's Online Business Failed
Another reason why the Gellers had no money for Monica's wedding was Jack's failed online venture. After emptying the Monica wedding fund twice (to buy the beach house, and to redo the kitchen), the Gellers might still have had some money left if Jack hadn't thought it was a good idea to sell ice over the internet.
Jack's defense was "it seemed like such a simple idea" but Judy didn't have any faith in the venture. Regardless, Jack and Judy lost their earnings on a failed business.
2 Monica Attempted To Make Her Parents Cry
Monica fell into the habit of tit for tat and genuinely thought it was the best way to deal with her parents. At Geller's 35th wedding anniversary, she intended for her parents to cry. "I can't wait. They are going be crying so hard, they'll be fighting for breath," she said seconds before she made the toast.
Monica's toast was about her family's dead dog, Chi-Chi, her deceased Nana, and Debra Winger in Terms of Endearment. Her speech fell flat, so she angrily walked off the stage saying, "here's to mom and dad! Whatever." It was a despicable thing to do, but so was the fact that no one in the audience (including Jack and Judy) was excited to hear Monica speak.
1 Emma's Birthday Messages Were Borderline Rude
On Emma's first birthday, one of the things Ross did for her was to record all of the party guests wishing her a happy 18th. It was a thoughtful gesture, but none of the guests complied. Since Emma hadn't slept properly the night before, she was still napping and the party was delayed.
Jack and Judy left a spooky message, speaking to their granddaughter about cholesterol charts and heart diseases in women. Monica and Chandler wanted to be out of there, and head to Vermont. They made no effort to leave their niece a polite message. Despite Ross's efforts, the recording turned out to be unsavory and rude.
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