Chandler Bing's Friends Timeline Explained

Any proper "Friends" fan will tell you that the show would be absolutely nothing if just one of the six core cast members weren't there. It's a through-and-through ensemble series that simply wouldn't be the same without all of the gang.

However, an even more honest "Friends" fan would tell you that the most important cog in the sitcom's well-oiled machine might be Matthew Perry's laugh-out-loud portrayal of Chandler Bing.

For ten incredible seasons, Chandler redefined TV sarcasm and was the go-to joke factory that ensured not a lot of time passed by per episode without a rock-solid laugh to cut the tension. In later seasons, his propensity to always be a goofball and not take anything seriously even became a bit of a plot point as the other characters reckoned with their friend who traded in laughter rather than emotion.

That's not to say, however, that Chandler wasn't also responsible for some of the most emotional or poignant moments in the show, such as reconciling with his estranged father, breaking the news to his wife that they were unlikely to conceive a child, or just gathering enough courage to propose. "Friends" fans far and wide can agree that Chandler brought an X-factor to the show that made it unique from every other sitcom on the air. His was a humor that lives deep inside all of us, but hadn't been on TV before. Could that be any more important?

In that spirit, it's worth taking a complete look at Chandler Bing's complete "Friends" story.

While his five best friends are in somewhat low-paying or unstable professions (massage therapist, actor, chef), Chandler begins "Friends" in a stable but soulless corporate job. This takes a toll on him in Season 1, when he's offered a promotion and quits instead. Bubbling with anticipation, he takes an aptitude test — only to discover he's best suited for the job he already had. Although he doesn't address his displeasure with his career for several more years, this sparks Chandler's constant desire to do something better with his life.

Perhaps his career disillusionment causes a bit of loneliness in his personal life, because it's also around this time that he starts struggling to end his on-again, off-again relationship with a woman named Janice. While kind, she's a bit grating and has many of Chandler's long list of pet peeves. Still, he keeps falling back into a relationship with her — at one point, he recalls having to break up with her three times in a single calendar year.

Chandler's dating life crosses paths with his work life when he learns that people who meet him, particularly co-workers, often assume he's gay. Fortunately, he becomes comfortable with his outward persona — thanks in large part to the acceptance of his friends.

When Season 3 begins, Chandler is in a serious relationship with Janice and has even managed to look past the eccentricities that once grated on him. He even has some friction with his best friend, Joey, when Joey admits he can't stand Janice being around.

Unfortunately, this is also the season in which Chandler experiences his first real adult heartbreak. When it comes to light that Janice has still been seeing her ex-husband, Chandler recalls how he felt about the man his dad ran off with. Knowing that he doesn't ever want to be seen by a kid as "that guy," he tells Janice to go give her marriage and family another shot.

He manages to get out of his post-break up depression by getting drunk and hooking up with one of Joey's sisters, earning the scorn of his friend as well as the massive cadre of Tribbiani sisters. Although Joey vows to be mad at Chandler for 10 years, their friendship gets back to normal pretty quickly — in fact, they mend fences just in time for the breakup that rocks the group like no other.

After Rachel suggests they go on a break, Ross sleeps with someone else and the two break up for real. As if the Janice thing didn't bring up enough repressed memories, Chandler reverts back to smoking and overdoing it on the comedy as a coping mechanism as the group navigates the split between two core members. The season ends with Chandler wondering why he remains single while other people's relationships have such a big effect on him.

Chandler and Monica agree that making their relationship work means keeping it a secret from the rest of the group, but Joey quickly puts it together. In yet another act of loyalty to Chandler, Joey goes above and beyond to help them keep their secret, even at the expense of his own reputation at times.

Eventually, though, the rest of the group discovers their relationship — and they're overjoyed to hear that they're not just having a post-London fling, they've already professed their love for each other.

However, now that they're not operating in secret, Chandler finds himself further down the road on a relationship than ever before. This forces him to tackle his last great fear — commitment. With everyone in his life asking where things are headed with Monica, Chandler finds himself at a familiar crossroads — run for the hills solo, or commit to marriage. He overcompensates a bit and proposes to Monica too early in front of everyone. She rejects the proposal but understands what the gesture meant for him.

However, they're soon staring marriage in the face again in Las Vegas. After a hot streak at the casino, the duo are about to pull the trigger on a quickie Vegas wedding when they notice Ross and Rachel have beat them to it, taking the wind right out of their impulsive sails.

Season 7 sees Chandler really coming into his own. He's proven himself a good man, but now he has to start looking like a good husband and father as he and Monica plan their wedding. 

It's revealed that he's socked away substantial savings, and demonstrates that he's focused on his and Monica's future when he stops her from using the money on a wedding rather than a house for their future family.

Where once there was a man afraid of commitment now stands a man actively planning for a future he's excited about. However, he still has one more major bout with his fear of commitment. At his rehearsal dinner, Chandler is still struggling to write his vows. After seeing his own parents in the same room for the first time since their marriage fell apart, he starts to doubt himself and wonder if he's really got what it takes to be a good husband and father.

In perhaps his worst act ever, Chandler leaves a note for Monica explaining that he can't go through with the wedding. Fortunately, his friends find the note first and attempt to rectify the situation before Monica finds out. Ross and the gang manage to track him down and convince him that he's being ridiculous, and he agrees. When Chandler hears that the group incorrectly believes Monica is pregnant (it's actually Rachel), it gives him the bump he needs to do the right thing and go through with the wedding.

Chandler's second year of marriage proves to be incredibly difficult. His career takes a sharp turn when he falls asleep during a meeting and inadvertently agrees to head up his company's office in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Monica initially agrees to leave New York with him, until she's offered her dream job as head chef at an upscale Manhattan restaurant. He agrees to split his time between New York and Tulsa, but it quickly becomes apparent that this is unsustainable. Realizing the toll his career is taking on his life and his marriage, Chandler quits. Impressively, he starts a brand new career in advertising, taking an unpaid internship just to get his foot in the door. While he quickly thrives in his new office environment, the pay cut is detrimental to his and Monica's plans to have a child — and the situation gets worse.

After they spend a year trying in vain to conceive, Chandler learns that they may never be able to conceive a child together — news that he has to break to Monica in a heartbreaking moment of maturity. Undeterred by the career bumps and family news, Chandler forges ahead, taking the reins on adopting while working extra to carve out a salary that can help support the family he intends to make.