Most sitcoms have a character who is unique, quirky, offbeat, or whatever adjective we would choose to call them. In the world of beloved sitcom Friends, it's Phoebe Buffay. Played by Lisa Kudrow, Phoebe is a great pal, a determined musician (who might not be super talented but, hey, she tries), and always there with a clever comment.
It's hard to imagine the show without Phoebe, just like we couldn't really picture it without all six main characters. They truly complement one another and like the theme song says, they're always there for each other. So it's really no wonder that viewers have thought up some theories about Phoebe.... and these are super intriguing.
Keep reading to find out 14 things that fans of Friends have come up with about popular character, Phoebe Buffay.
14 Phoebe Was On Substances The Entire Time
According to NME.com, there is actually a theory that Phoebe was on substances the entire time. Marta Kauffman, the creator of Friends said, "That’s the saddest theory I’ve ever heard." And we would definitely have to agree with that. We can't imagine this being the case. It would be too strange.
13 Phoebe Is Homeless, Spying On Everyone At Central Perk
Refinery29 says that another fan theory is that Phoebe is homeless, spying on everyone at Central Perk.
Sure, we get that this makes a little bit of sense, because she does hang out outside the cafe... but that's because she's playing music. We don't even want to think about a homeless Phoebe.
12 Phoebe And Joey Were Sleeping Together Throughout The Series
NME.com says that there's a fan theory that Phoebe and Joey were sleeping together during the series. Matt LeBlanc actually mentioned this theory and was quoted as saying, "Towards the end we actually pitched the idea." The response was no. We're not sure how we feel about this one because they're such good friends.
11 Phoebe Is An Alien Visiting Earth
Lad Bible says that another fan theory about Phoebe is that she's an alien. This is because in a scene in the pilot, she's standing in Rachel and Monica's apartment kitchen and then suddenly on the couch. The website says, "So either she can be in two places at once or she has the power of teleportation."
10 Phoebe Is Smarter Than She Appears And Playing Ditzy On Purpose
Phoebe is famous for being confused a lot of the time. It's definitely part of her charm.
NME.com says that there's a fan theory about Phoebe being smarter than she appears to be. She's playing ditzy on purpose and laughing at the rest of the characters the whole time. Hmmm.
9 Phoebe Is Responsible For The Fire In Season Six
According to Nicki Swift, this fan theory says that the fire at Rachel and Phoebe's place in season six can be blamed on Phoebe. She knew some weird people because of her twin, Ursula, and they might have wanted "revenge" on Phoebe. This theory says that it wasn't Rachel's straightener that caused the fire, it was these people.
8 Because Phoebe's Twin Ursula Is On Mad About You, The Show Takes Place In The Same World As Friends
NME.com mentions the fan theory that Phoebe's twin Ursula being on Mad About You means that it's in the same world as Friends.
This is definitely a fan theory about Phoebe that we can't ignore as this would be pretty cool to imagine. Both shows are about '90s New York, right?
7 Phoebe Has Traveled Through Time
Phoebe is a wonderfully weird character, but is she able to travel through time?
Nerdbot.com has this fan theory based on a few things: Phoebe can speak several languages even though she doesn't have any degrees and she can guess things ahead of time (Emma's birthday, her death day, a lottery ticket). This one makes us think, that's for sure.
6 Phoebe's Brother Is The One Who Throws A Condom In Her Guitar Case
Glamour has a theory about Friends: in the episode "The One With The Baby On The Bus," Phoebe sees someone throw a condom into her guitar case and this theory says it was her brother. This was foreshadowing about how she would be their surrogate. That's interesting to consider.
5 Phoebe Switched The Address For Ursula's Adult Film Paychecks, So She Owes People A Lot Of Money
In the show, Phoebe switched the address for Ursula's adult film paychecks. She gave the filmmakers her actual address so they could mail the cheques to her instead of her twin sister.
According to Cracked, the theory is that she's owed them money for years and that's why she moves several times and has Rachel go with her to a self-defense class.
4 The Mom From How I Met Your Mother Is Actually Phoebe And She's Telling The Tale Of Friends
This fan theory makes us think... a lot.
Glamour says what if the mom, Tracy, from How I Met Your Mother is actually Phoebe? The explanation is that Tracy is telling the tale of Friends and says that she's Phoebe as she tells it. Glamour explains, "She is writing the story of the How I Met Your Mother characters, but using the Friends characters to do it."
3 Phoebe's Sister-In-Law Alice Being Involved With A Minor Caused Legally Problems And That's Why They Can't Adopt
This Friends fan theory on Reddit is that Phoebe's sister-in-law, Alice, dated a minor (Frank Jr.) and got in big legal trouble as a result. This makes sense as he was 17 when they were together.
The theory is that they can't adopt if she has gotten in trouble with the law, and that's why they have Phoebe be the surrogate.
2 Phoebe Is Actually Crazy And Everyone Is In An Insane Asylum
Nicki Swift brings up another Phoebe fan theory: she's actually crazy. More than that, everyone on the show is in an insane asylum. This theory is based on how Phoebe says she "hears voices" and it says that the gang lives in "apartments" that are actually rooms in the asylum. This does make us think.
1 Phoebe Is Writing A Novel About The Characters
According to this fan theory on Reddit, "In one episode she begins to write a book about Chandler and Monica and their lives, she says she had written many more (presumably on the same subject) and no one has ever read them." Was this why she was friends with them in the first place?
We could totally see Phoebe writing a novel about the other characters. She's very creative.