Friends: 10 Life Lessons We Learned From Joey Tribbiani
Friends is filled with teachable moments. Given all the ups and downs the characters go through, there's bound to be life lessons in there somewhere. Joey has several instances in which his mistakes, qualities and life experiences all offer something that audiences can learn from.
Wearing comfy clothes to a Thanksgiving feast is certainly an essential lesson, as is watching what you say in interviews, as it may just affect your career in an undesired manner, like it did for Joey. Joey even learns lessons himself when his famous pick-up line doesn't work on Janine, and when he utilized integrity when it came to his big acting break.
10 Come To Thanksgiving Prepared
Joey loves food. Therefore, it's no surprise that he looks forward to a Thanksgiving feast or when he takes on the challenge of eating an entire turkey by himself. For the latter, he even turns Phoebe's maternity pants into his "Thanksgiving pants."
After doing so, he manages to eat an astonishingly large amount of food in one sitting. Stuffing yourself is not the life lesson embedded in this instance; instead, it's wearing stretchy pants, and other comfortable clothes, especially when the "meat sweats" come.
9 Self-Confidence And Humility Go Hand In Hand
Joey is very self-confident. That's a good thing, and it comes in handy given his line of work in which he often faces rejection. However, Joey does have his moments of self-doubt, but for the most part, his confidence is strong.
Sometimes it can even be too strong, given he's sure he can get any woman to like him, especially when he gives them his famous "Joey pick-up line." He's visibly shaken when it doesn't work on Janine, his new roommate, for instance. So while self-confidence is a good thing, it's healthy to also have some humility, too.
8 Watch What You Say, Especially In Interviews
Joey has a knack for saying the wrong thing at certain times, especially in interviews. In fact, when he participated in an interview not long after getting the role of Dr. Drake Ramoray, he made the mistake of saying that he wrote most of his lines, which in turn got him killed off of Days of Our Lives.
Later, when he takes on another interview for Soap Opera Digest, he asks his friends to be present to ensure he doesn't say the wrong thing. He nearly accomplishes that, until he says at the very end that he doesn't watch soap operas because "he has a life." Better luck next time for Joey, but for audiences, they've certainly learned from Joey's mistakes.
7 Don't Pretend To Be Something You're Not
Pretending to be someone or something you're not tends to not work out, and Joey can attest to that. Fans certainly remember when Joey went overboard when he pretended to be a Porsche owner just to impress and make conversation with passersby on the street.
He was eventually foiled when someone landed on the tarp, revealing several boxes made to look like a Porsche underneath. Joey also pretended to be interested in museums to share a common interest with Charlie when he was dating her. It's best to always be yourself, and leave out any pretending.
6 Try New Things, You Just Might Enjoy It
Joey defends Rachel when Treeger hurts her feelings, but it lands Rachel and Monica in a bunch of trouble when Treeger threatens to report them and have them evicted for illegal subletting. To prevent that, Joey agrees to help Treeger practice ballroom dancing to impress a woman he has a crush on.
Another time, Joey and Rachel got one another to read their favorite books, with Rachel perusing The Shining and Joey reading Little Women. In both circumstances, Joey didn't think he'd enjoy ballroom dancing or Little Women, but as it turns out, he loved both experiences; especially the latter, given his reaction when Rachel spoiled the book for him by telling him that Beth dies, showing how much he loved the book.
5 Don't Risk Your Life For A Sandwich
While out on a ride-along with Phoebe's boyfriend Gary, Chandler and Ross, the guys believe someone has fired a shot at them. Joey dives towards Ross's side, covering him, which hurts Chandler considering he believes Joey would save Ross before he'd save him.
Joey eventually confesses that he'd actually dove towards Ross to save his sandwich. While it spares Joey from having a rift with Chandler, it doesn't spare him from common sense. Even if it's the greatest sandwich in the world, he can get another one. He can't replace himself or his friends, after all.
4 Maintain Your Integrity
When Joey got the audition for the chance to play Dr. Drake Ramoray, it was a big deal, as it was his first big break in his acting career. However, he got the impression that the casting lady wanted to sleep with him, and he determined that he just couldn't do it.
Namely because he'd always wonder if he got the acting job because of his night with her or because of his acting ability. His integrity by declaring he wouldn't sleep with her for the part actually got him the part. Integrity is important, and this particular instance in Joey's life is a great example of integrity and the good that can come of it.
3 Pay Your Friends Back
Chandler supported Joey emotionally and financially, ensuring Joey followed his dreams and had food and shelter all at once. Chandler does so happily; even when he moved in with Monica, he tried to give Joey money, wanting to make sure Joey would be okay. Joey loves Chandler, and points out that it's not the money he'll miss, but Chandler himself.
Joey does get around to paying Chandler back when he's making more money, and he even paid it forward by helping out Monica and Chandler when they were experiencing financial troubles. It's awesome to have a good support group, but it certainly doesn't feel good when someone is taken advantage of, which makes it important to pay people back.
2 Stand Up To Your Family
When Joey finds out that his father is cheating on his mother, he's understandably shaken. Even more shocking is the fact that his mother knew about it, and was actually okay with the entire thing; she was upset by the fact that Joey had stood up for her.
Nonetheless, Joey did do the right thing in pointing out to his father that he had to make a choice, and that the way he was treating his wife was wrong. Joey loves and cares for his family deeply, and he had their best interests in mind, even if his mother was okay with the situation. It was difficult, but Joey stood up to his family when the occasion called for it.
1 Follow Your Dreams, Don't Doubt Them
Joey did not have an easy road to finding work in the film industry. His dream was to be an actor, and he went through many years of plays that Chandler certainly didn't think much of, and points where he was without a steady income. Chandler supported him a great deal, but Joey also refused to give up on his dream, despite the naysayers.
Joey does have his moments of doubt and even considers pursuing other work; however, because he was determined, he stayed in his desired industry and eventually got to play the memorable role of Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of Our Lives.