Who Was A Better Friend, Rachel Green Or Monica Geller?

Sitcoms like Friends either make people feel grateful for their existing big friend group… or wish that they had a similar social situation. Whether someone has five BFFs or just one, there’s no denying that the characters on this 90’s show really care about each other. Two of the closest characters are Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), who reconnect in the pilot episode after knowing each other in high school. Of course, Monica’s brother Ross (David Schwimmer) is madly in love with Rachel, which complicates things and also leads to an epic and dramatic love story.

Rachel cares too much about the superficial, but Monica has her flaws as well. It’s interesting to compare these two iconic sitcom characters and see who would win as a better pal.

10 Rachel: She Goes To Monica’s Grandma’s Funeral

Rachel goes to Monica’s grandma’s funeral, which is proof that she’s a really good friend. She wants to be there for Monica during this tough time.

Sure, the season one episode “The One Where Nan Dies Twice” is pretty silly and full of things going wrong, but Rachel’s commitment to being a support system for Monica can’t be ignored. This might be a season one storyline that fans don’t always recall.

9 Monica: She Lets Rachel Live With Her

The pilot episode of Friends introduces the budding friendship of Rachel and Monica. Since Rachel isn’t getting married, she decides that she’ll crash at Monica’s apartment, and as fans know, the two end up becoming roommates.

This is definitely one reason why Monica is the better friend. If she was a cold, unfeeling jerk, she would tell Rachel to find her own place to live. Instead, she approaches the situation with compassion and knows that Rachel needs her.

8 Rachel: She Tries To Be A Friend To Ross Even During Breaks

The Ross/Rachel relationship is very up and down and even the biggest fans might have trouble recalling all of the times that they fight, break up, and make up.

Even when the two aren’t romantically involved, Rachel tries to be a good friend to Ross. She knows that they should be nice to each other since they’re in the same friend group, and that’s not something that everyone would do in this situation.

7 Monica: She Loves Cooking And Hosting

Monica is a huge foodie and even a casual viewer of Friends knows that she loves cooking for her friends and family.

She’s always the one who wants to host holidays and this is a big deal, as it doesn’t really seem like anyone else in the group knows their way around a kitchen. If Rachel was going to host, she would totally light something on fire and then just order pizza, which wouldn’t exactly be the same as making a nice meal from scratch for the people she loves.

6 Rachel: She Reaches Out To Monica After Years

It’s worth noting that Rachel is the one to reach out to Monica after it’s been years since they last spoke or saw each other.

This proves that Rachel is the better friend as she remembers how important Monica was to her and she wants them to be close again. This is really sweet, and Monica definitely appreciates it. This decision changes both of their lives.

5 Monica: She Isn’t So Whiny And Self-Centered

Rachel dates a lot on Friends and whether she’s coupled up or not, she definitely has a tendency to whine and complain. She can also be pretty self-centered as she mopes around a lot and feels like her life isn’t going the way that it should.

While this is relatable, it’s tough to watch all the time. Monica is a better friend than Rachel because she can pull herself together a lot more often, even if she’s having a tough time at work or in her love life. She doesn’t drive everyone crazy by feeling sorry for herself.

4 Rachel: She’s Equally Supportive Of Monica And Phoebe

While Rachel and Monica are definitely best friends, it’s also true that Rachel is a good pal to Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow).

Rachel and Monica don’t form a clique like some TV or movie characters do and they don’t include people. Rachel is supportive of both of her girlfriends and she’s always there for Phoebe, even when Phoebe is being her usual quirky self and it might be hard to understand what she’s doing.

3 Monica: She Cares About Her Friends’ Well-Being

In the season five episode “The One With Joey’s Big Break,” Rachel has a problem with her eye as it’s itchy and bright red. Monica proves that she’s a better friend as she cares about the health and well-being of the people in her life. She wants Rachel to see an eye doctor, but in true Rachel fashion, this becomes a silly situation.

Not all of Monica’s scenes are worth watching but this one is great, as it shows how much compassion she has for Rachel. It also shows that she’s a lot more mature about being a grown-up and taking care of health problems when they arise.

2 Rachel: She Accepts That Monica Is Moving On

In the sixth season of Friends, Monica makes a huge life change: she and Chandler (Matthew Perry) move in together.

Rachel and Monica go through some growing pains about this situation, as Rachel doesn’t think that it will really happen, and Monica wants her to be upset about it. They do talk it through in a fairly mature manner and Rachel accepts the reality. This makes her a great friend, as many people would be jealous and try to make their friend feel bad about doing this to them.

1 Monica: She Tries To Help Rachel Find Love

In the fifth season episode “The One With All The Kissing,” Monica knows that Rachel has been really heartbroken and tries to help her friend find love. She arranges a date with Dave (Zen Gesner).

Fans might still discuss the “break” but one thing is for sure, Rachel was always destined to be with Ross. Still, Monica is trying to help her out and it’s a really sweet thing to do.

About The Author

Aya Tsintziras
(1742 Articles Published)

Aya Tsintziras is a freelance writer who writes about pop culture and TV. She has a Political Science degree from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Journalism from Ryerson University. She loves coffee, reading, working out, and watching TV. She lives in Toronto with her husband.

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