21 surprising facts that you probably didn't know about 'Friends'

It actually had a number of working titles — Insomnia Cafe, Six of One, and Friends Like Us — before it was shortened to the single-word name, according to NBC.

Nancy McKeon, from "The Facts of Life" fame, was considered for Monica, according to E! while both Jane Lynch and Kathy Griffin auditioned for the role of Phoebe, according to The Washington Post.

Matthew Perry was starring in a FOX pilot called "LAX 2194," which was about alien baggage handlers in the year 2194, while Jennifer Aniston had auditioned for six pilots that year and was waiting to see if one, called "Muddling Through," would be picked up. Neither show ended up making it, but, unfortunately, Jennifer was still waiting for the news by the time the cast took their photos, so she had to sit out for a few — just in case, according to People magazine.

They wanted to add an older character who could be a mentor of sorts to the group. In an early draft of the pilot, this character was called "Pat the cop," according to NBC.

He admitted that he had only $11 in his pocket when he auditioned for "Friends," in an interview with The Sun.

Lisa Kudrow had been playing a character named Ursula on the series "Mad About You." It was a recurring role and Lisa was still making appearances on the show, so Ursula ended up being written in as Pheobe's twin sister. There was even one episode where Helen Hunt, who played Jamie on "Mad About You," confuses Phoebe for Ursula at Central Perk.

It's the same bar from "How I Met Your Mother."

After a radio station played it on loop, it began getting a lot of requests and airtime. So The Rembrandts, aka the band behind the catchy tune, ended up making a second verse and releasing it, according to BuzzFeed. For eight weeks, the song topped the Billboard Hot 100 Airplay list in the US, and also peaked at number one in Canada for five weeks in a row.

The two apparently "seemed the most sexual of the characters," according to co-creator Marta Kaufman.

In the third season, he denies Chandler's offer for chocolate milk by saying, "No thanks, I'm 29," according to HuffPost. In the fourth season, when the guys realize they don't like partying as much as they used to, Joey says to Ross and Chandler "We're 29." In the fifth season, Ross wonders what to do about Emily, saying "I either keep my wife and lose one of my best friends, or I keep my friend and get divorced for the second time before I'm 30."

In "The One Where Rachel Tells Ross," there was meant to be a scene where Monica and Chandler are detained at the airport after Chandler makes a bomb joke. It was deleted following the attacks.

The costume designer had to alter her dress in order to hide her growing belly, according to Racked. This is also the reason why we see Emily in bed, under covers, talking to Ross on the phone in season five, according to Comedy Central.

In actuality, he was paid for the appearance and donated the paycheck to charity, according to Entertainment Weekly.

Once in "The One With All the Thanksgivings" (while she has a turkey on her head) and another time when he blurts out "Because I'm in love with Monica!" in "The One Where Everybody Finds Out."

In the episode following Courteney Cox's marriage and name change to Courteney Cox Arquette, the opening credits were altered so that everyone in the cast had Arquette after their name.

Sadly, they couldn't find a part for him, according to the Emmys.

When he was asked whether he thought "Seinfeld" would still be as successful today, he asked "Has 'Friends' been on too?" When the answer was yes, he replied, "So they managed to steal it without seeing it," according to the New York Post.

Courtney Cox was the only member of the cast who was never nominated.

In the episode "The One with Rachel's New Dress" — where Rachel means to surprise Joshua in a sexy dress and then his parents walk in — the role of Joshua's dad was played by John Bennett Perry, who is Matthew Perry's father.

Addressing the crowd at Ross and Emily's rehearsal dinner, Joey claims he "first met Ross at this coffeehouse back home," in "The One With The Flashback," the two actually meet at a bar that later turns into Central Perk.

There was a very subtle "reserved" sign on the coffee table in front of it, as Bustle pointed out.

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