Joey is the lovable goof on Friends who is often described as a shallow womanizer whose not too bright. His life passions consistent of eating and becoming a famous actor. He does have some terrific qualities though, such as his endless optimism, fierce loyalty, and gentle nature. And while he might not be the first to get the punchline of the joke, fans could always count on him for a laugh.
Joey is not the deepest character on the show, but he’s not as surface based as fans might assume either. There is a lot more to Joey than meets the eye. Here are the 10 things even diehard fans didn’t know about Joey Tribbiani:
His Middle Name is Francis
Joseph Francis Tribbiani Jr. is the formal name of everyone’s favorite dimwitted actor. While he often goes simply by Joey, his middle name was used a few times throughout the series. He was once told he needed to have a less ethnic-sounding name to help him get roles. Chandler being the sarcastic friend he is, had the brilliant idea of changing it to Joseph Stalin.
Joey decides to use it as his stage name, but luckily he eventually finds out who Joseph Stalin is and goes back to being Joey Tribbiani. Having an ethnic sounding name is a lot better than sharing a name with an unpopular dictator.
He had an Imaginary Friend
Fans learned some interesting facts about Joey and fell more in love with his character in season 4, episode 12, such as what his favorite food was and what his childhood imaginary friend’s name was. During Chandler and Joey’s bet against Monica and Rachel, the girls correctly answered questions about Joey’s make believe friend in the lightening round.
This is when fans discovered Joey’s childhood pretend friend was named Maurice and he was a professional space cowboy. Joey having an imaginary friend as a kid made his character all the more charming and lovable.
He’s a Big Stephen King Fan
In season 3, episode 13, “The One Where Monica and Richard are Just Friends”, fans discovered that Joey’s favorite book is The Shining by Stephen King. Joey and Rachel have a disagreement about which book is better, The Shining by Stephen King or Little Women by Louisa May Alcott; The Shining being Joey’s favorite read and Rachel’s top book being Little Women.
The Shining is so terrifying to Joey that he has to stuff it in the freezer when it gets to scary for him. Also five seasons later in season 8, episode 12 fans learned Joey is a fan of the movie Cujo, which is based off the book by Stephen King.
Has Seven Sisters
It is a well known fact that Joey has a large loving family and many sisters. But just how many sisters does Joey have? There are seven Tribbiani sisters in total: Gina, Dina, Tina, Mary Angela, Mary Theresa, Veronica, and Cookie. Even though Cookie has the sweetest name, she is definitely the toughest of the sisters; she once confessed to Phoebe that she shot her husband.
Poor Joey is the only son of the family. Joey proves to be a great brother though throughout the show, always being there for his sisters when they need him.
Had the Most Love Interests on the Show
Joey earned his reputation as being the lady’s man of the group. He had the most love interests throughout the ten seasons with a total of 17 flings and relationships. Phoebe is close behind though, with her number totaling 16. No wonder these two were bests friends.
It’s hard to keep track of all of the women in Joey’s life, but there were some memorable relationships, such as the crazy stalker Erika, played by Brooke Shields, and the intelligent Charlie, played by Aisha Tyler. But none were more memorable than his relationship with Rachel.
Matt LeBlanc Hated Joey and Rachel’s Relationship
Almost every fan was not a fan of Joey and Rachel’s relationship, which began with Joey’s crush on her in season 8. But no one hated it more than the man behind Joey. Matt LeBlanc, who played Joey Tribbiani, felt this was out of character for Joey as he was a loyal friend above all else.
Marta Kauffman, one of the show’s creators, told People magazine that LeBlanc felt the relationship was incestuous and was very uncomfortable with it. Lucky for him, the love affair didn’t last long. Even during this short lived romance, fans always knew Ross and Rachel were destined to be together.
Matt LeBlanc is Fluent in French
In season 10, episode 13 “The One Where Joey Speaks French”, Phoebe unsuccessfully attempts to teach Joey French for a role since his resume states he’s fluent in it. Phoebe soon finds out Joey is the worst French student ever, and ultimately gives up.
In real life, however, Matt LeBlanc can speak French fluently since his dad is French-Canadian. The name “LeBlanc” actually stems from the French word “blanc” which means white. Poor Phoebe had to go through all of the hassle of teaching French to Joey, when he knew it all along.
Joey Could Have Been a Different Character Completely
When Matt LeBlanc first auditioned for the role of Joey Tribbiani, he was not too crazy about the script. And the creators of the show were not too crazy about him either. In fact, LeBlanc disliked the script they had given him so much, he decided to put his own spin on it. LeBlanc suggested making Joey somewhat of a dimwit.
At first the creators did not appreciate LeBlanc’s take on the character, but NBC loved it and made the creators cast him. NBC made the right choice. LeBlanc played the character so well, they even gave Joey a spin off when Friends ended.
Joey and LeBlanc Both had Rough Starts to Their Careers
Matt LeBlanc can genuinely sympathize with Joey’s struggle of getting his big break. Before Joey was cast in Days of Our Lives and started to get movie roles, he had to act in cringe-worthy plays and embarrassing commercials. Just like Joey, LeBlanc also had several failed attempts at stardom.
His acting career started with a role in a Heinz Tomato Ketchup commercial in 1987. LeBlanc’s acting career had such a rocky start that when he took the role of Joey, he only had $11 to his name. LeBlanc eventually went on to receive a Golden Globe and several Emmy nominations. It’s quite the inspiring rags to riches story.
Joey Eventually Moved to Los Angeles
When Friends ended most of the gang had received their happy endings. Monica and Chandler were married with their babies, Ross and Rachel were back together with their baby, and Phoebe was happily married to Mike. But fans of Joey do not need to worry about what happened to their favorite character.
After his friends all became coupled up, Joey moved out to Los Angeles to fully pursue his acting career. Although technically he should have made the move sooner considering Days of Our Lives, the soap opera he starred in, was filmed in California.
