The Friends Fan Theory That'll Change How You View Chandler's Love Life

It's been almost two decades since "Friends" ended its run with an emotional finale that saw the gang head off to celebrate their respective happily ever afters. Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Monica (Courteney Cox) were getting ready to move to the suburbs to raise their kids. Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) and Mike (Paul Rudd), meanwhile, were set to embark on their journey as newlyweds. Elsewhere, Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) finally ended their on-again, off-again break to give their relationship a proper chance. It was evident that everyone, with the exception of Joey, had found their lobsters — or so it seemed.

Most "Friends" aficionados believe that the Central Perk regulars ended up with their true loves by the time the finale's end credits rolled. However, what if they didn't end up with their true lobsters after all? According to one fan theory, which was shared on Reddit, Chandler secretly had the hots for someone who wasn't Monica for quite some time. And no, it wasn't Janice (Maggie Wheeler).

According to Redditor u/GosmeisterGeneral, Chandler's crush on Rachel can be traced back to Season 3. In the episode entitled "The One with the Flashback," it's revealed that he was interested in Rachel during their younger years. Then, in the Season 10 episode "The One Where the Stripper Cries," it's revealed that the pair shared a kiss back in college.

The theory also notes how Chandler showed interest in Rachel following her original breakup from Ross. "Chandler consistently proves himself a shoulder to cry on for Rachel, offering to set her up with guys in the hope that a fling will help her get over Ross, so he can swoop in," they wrote. However, as soon as she expresses interest in a co-worker, he decides to abandon his secret pursuit of Rachel.

Other factors that support this theory include the time he tried to prevent Rachel from kissing Joshua (Tate Donovan) and when he bought her an expensive Christmas gift, similar to how he behaved around Kathy (Paget Brewster), with whom he was also in love with for a while.

In the end, Chandler dropped his interest after learning that Ross still had feelings for Rachel. Then, when he fell for Monica, all of the subtle hints and teases were dropped, suggesting that his feelings for Rachel disappeared over time. However, based on the aforementioned moments, it would seem that Chandler had a thing for Ms. Green during some spells in his life.