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How Phoebe Can Really Afford Her Apartment In Friends

The upcoming "Friends" reunion has all of us excited to see the gang back together. While everyone is psyched about this long-awaited reunion, a few people have taken this opportunity to look back and question some overlooked aspects of the series. Some wonder how old everyone is on the show, while others want to know what happened to Ben (Cole Sprouse). Although the reunion won't answer everything that we've questioned over the years, it should give us some more context to let us generate our own theories.

One of the biggest mysteries from the show is how Phoebe can afford a two-bedroom New York apartment, despite working limited hours. Throughout the show's 235 episodes, Phoebe has never had a consistent job. This is the complete opposite of Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), who was employed the entire time, moving from a waitress at Central Perk up to an executive at Ralph Lauren. We all know Phoebe works as an occasional masseuse and sometimes plays her hit songs like "Smelly Cat" for tips. Still, anyone with common sense knows it's impossible to afford anything in Manhattan without a consistent and high-paying job.

We did the investigation and figured out how Phoebe can keep a roof over her head.

Phoebe's family has her back

Only superfans may know this one, because Phoebe has only mentioned it on a couple occasions. Phoebe first moved into her apartment because her grandma, Frances, lived there and turned it into a two-bedroom by putting a wall up, according to "The One With Joey's Bag" and "The One with The Holiday Armadillo." Then, after Frances died, the spacious apartment was then put in Phoebe's name. She would continue to live in that apartment for the entire duration of the show, similar to her friend Monica (Courteney Cox).

Frances may have purchased the apartment before her death, allowing Phoebe to stay near her friends and not have to worry about rent. This could explain how she can afford to live in the heart of New York. Because she doesn't have to worry about making monthly payments, unlike Rachel, she can maintain the lackadaisical attitude that everyone knows and loves. Hopefully, this Thursday's reunion will provide us many more answers to these long-asked questions. Maybe we'll hear about the ultimate fate of Joey's pets.