TV Romance
7 of Chandler Bing’s Girlfriends on ‘Friends’, Ranked
Chandler Bing is the comedy king of Central Perk and beyond, breaking more than a few hearts during his 10-season run on the beloved sitcom Friends.
Played by Matthew Perry, Chandler has a unique charisma. He is self-deprecating but incredibly confident in his material. He has a soft spot for the ones he loves while also being hilariously observant and judgmental of others. He also has the least memorable job in TV history yet maintains the most stable, no-nonsense career out of all of his friends.
While Monica (Courtney Cox) quickly becomes endgame, and the two friends-to-lovers become the fan-favorite couple of the series, Chandler has plenty of his own relationships, breakups, makeups, and more before he finds his forever person. There’s one person in particular who will never beat any other partner for the best fit for Chandler. I mean, could they be any cuter?
Keep reading to see all of Chandler’s relationships in the series ranked from worst to best partner for Chandler. Let us know if you disagree or agree in the comments below.
7. Joanna
Coming in last as one of Chandler’s worst relationships, Joanna (Alison La Placa) may have aged the most poorly as both a lover and employer. Originally Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) boss, Joanna and Chandler go on a date, and he doesn’t find even that interesting to begin with. However, thanks to his major avoidant tendencies, he keeps promising to call her back, which lands them in a workplace situationship. Where Joanna falters is when she handcuffs Chandler in her office and leaves him in there without consent — and without his pants. The relationship naturally dissolves, leaving Chandler and Rachel mortified. Honestly, he’s lucky he didn’t ruin his friendship with Rachel in the midst of this messy situation.
6. Ginger
After meeting in Central Perk, sparks fly between Ginger (Sherilyn Fenn) and Chandler almost immediately. Shaping up to be an actually successful relationship for the guarded Chandler, the budding romance gets turned on its head when Joey (Matt LeBlanc) reveals that he and Ginger used to go out. Not only that, but Joey also committed his most shameful act: He threw her wooden leg in a fire. Despite Ginger’s more complicated history with the friend group, Chandler still seems open to love…until Ginger dumps him when he reveals he has a third nipple. Her loss.
5. Kathy
Kathy (Paget Brewster) is one of Chandler’s funniest and coolest partners during his time on the show. But she’s also going out with Joey, making this yet another fated relationship that Chandler has in common with his best friend. Chandler and Kathy’s origin story leaves something to be said about the ethics of falling in love with your best friend’s girlfriend. Despite it working out and Joey somehow miraculously forgiving both of them, Chandler can never get over his fear that Kathy will do the same thing to him. After countless fights, Kathy goes ahead and sleeps with her friend, with whom Chandler picks a bone with the most. Whether he drove her away with his lack of trust or she was going to be unfaithful regardless, the world may never know.
4. Julie
Julie (Stacy Galina) is a small part of the show but a big part of Chandler’s romance origin story. After running into him and Monica, Julie alludes to the fact that Chandler was a terrible partner to her when they were both teenagers at camp. To make amends, Chandler attempts to clear the air so that they can both move on and decides to apologize to her for breaking up with her because she gained weight. Turns out, she didn’t actually know that that was his reasoning. While Chandler’s apology is well-intentioned, poor Julie has to pay the price…again.
3. Aurora
Aurora (Sofia Milos) is the definition of cool on this show, an elegant polyamorous woman who happens to fall for Chandler. The entire length of their relationship, Aurora is transparent about her multiple partners, which include her husband and boyfriend, and Chandler tells her he’s okay with that. However, he isn’t really okay with it. Aurora, having done nothing wrong, deals with the very jealous Chandler when she tells him she’s seeing someone new. While the two were definitely not compatible, she undoubtedly opened up his world, if only for a brief moment.
2. Monica
These friends-to-lovers are without a doubt one of the best couples of the entire series. They are best friends who balance each other out perfectly. They make a great team, especially when they hide their romance from all of their best friends and roommates. The two have known each other for so long that they’re able to call each other out on their issues, whether Chandler is being avoidant or Monica is being too mean. The result is the healthy ups and downs of two humans working through life together.
1. Janice
While there is no disputing Monica and Chandler’s balanced relationship, the real fire of Chandler’s romantic life is without question Janice (Maggie Wheeler). She always shows him how much she loves him, and he eventually loves her right back. Janice and Chandler could have wound up together if she didn’t end up leaving Chandler for her husband, but ultimately, we can’t blame her. She knew her worth, and Chandler took her love for granted. From her iconic laugh to being the life of the party to even being a good friend to her partner’s best friends, Janice will go down in Friends history as the real one who got away.
