‘Friends’ Character Phoebe Buffay Almost Had A Completely Different Ending, Show Co-Creator Says

Of all the stars of the hit sitcom Friends, Phoebe Buffay, played by Lisa Kudrow, was by far the most eccentric. Perhaps it was for that reason that the show’s writers had a difficult time deciding which direction to take her character. Fans know that Phoebe eventually ended up with pianist Mike Hannigan played by Paul Rudd, whom she married in the final season of the show. But her character’s ending was almost completely different, a co-creator of the show revealed, according to Today.

Phoebe almost ended up with David, the scientist guy, played by Hank Azaria. The writers had trouble deciding who made the most sense to end up with Phoebe, explaining that both men were talented actors and great with her character. Co-creator David Crane explained the dilemma in a recent interview.

“There was definitely a possibility of that. I mean, we didn’t definitively know (whom she’d end up with). They’re both amazing actors. I mean, both Paul and Hank are fantastic, and fantastic with her. We sort of went back and forth. I don’t even remember all the pieces that led to where we landed, but yeah, it could have gone the other way. Phoebe would have been great with either one.”

Fans of the show will remember that Phoebe and David ultimately broke up early on in the show when he had to go to Minsk, Russia for work. They do reconnect years later, but only briefly. It wasn’t until the final season of the show in which David played a pretty pivotal role in the future of Phoebe’s character. At that point, she was grieving over her breakup with Mike whom she had broken up with because he did not want to get married. David re-entered her life at just the right time and for a minute, it seemed the pair would actually end up together. However, when Mike unexpectedly proposed to Phoebe, David’s role in the show was quickly over.

Despite the fact that Friends concluded in 2004, the show doesn’t seem to be decreasing in popularity. Fans have been begging for a reboot and while that is not likely going to happen anytime soon, there is reportedly another project in the works. Back in October, Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green on the show, revealed that the original cast is working on a secret project together. As The Inquisitr previously reported, Ellen DeGeneres tried to get more information out of Aniston about what this project would look like but she remained tight-lipped.