Friends fans discover lie that could 'never be true' 21 years after show ended

Even 21 years after the last episode aired, Friends remains one of the most popular shows on television. You can often find episodes of the sitcom rerunning on various channels on your TV, and there are dedicated fans who will rewatch the entire series at least once a year.

But even die-hard fans of the show are only just realising that some parts of the fictional series are so outlandish they could actually "never be true" in the real world. And in a video shared on TikTokby Justin Taite, one of those lies was brought to light - and it's all to do with Matt LeBlanc's character, Joey Tribbiani.

If you're a fan of Friends, you'll know that Joey is an actor, and one of the biggest roles he lands is playing Doctor Drake Ramoray on the soap opera, Days of Our Lives. But did you know Days of Our Lives is a real TV show - and there's no way Joey ever could have starred on it?

READ MORE: Robert Redford dead: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid film icon dies at 89

READ MORE: Ricky Hatton's ex-girlfriend Claire Sweeney breaks silence after boxing legend's death

Days of Our Lives aired on NBC in the US, the same network that premiered Friends, between 1965 and 2022, and new episodes have been on Peacock since 2022. So, while the show does really exist, there's one thing that would have stopped a real-life Joey from ever appearing on it - and it's all to do with where Friends is set.

In his TikTok video, Justin, who is an actor, confirmed he recently recorded an episode of Days of Our Lives himself, so he knows that it wouldn't have been possible for Joey.

He said: "Joey Tribbiani could not have been on Days of Our Lives. I know this because I shot an episode back in April, and what I learnt debunks this entire thing.

"After I booked Days of Our Lives and I'm walking through the soundstage and taking it all in, it dawned on me. Do they have a studio in New York, or is Days of Our Lives specifically shot in Burbank [California]? As I'm getting my makeup done, I asked the makeup artist something. I said, 'Did they shoot this in New York?' and she says, 'No, why?'

"I said, 'So there's no way that Joey Tribbiani could have ever played Dr Drake Ramoray, because he would have to fly from New York to California and back - 10 hours of flying every day - just to make it to Central Perk in time for coffee'.

"Everybody in the makeup room starts laughing, and [the makeup artist] goes, 'I've worked on this show for 12 years and I have never thought about that once'."

Justin went on to say that Friends itself was filmed at Warner Bros. in Los Angeles, which is just a few streets away from the Burbank studio where Days of Our Lives is shot. So while it might make sense for Joey to walk to the other studio, it doesn't quite translate when Friends is supposed to be set in New York.

Commenters on Justin's video were equally baffled by the revelation. Many said they had no idea Days of Our Lives was even a real show, while others pointed out further discrepancies between the sitcom and real life.

One person said: "Not me thinking Days of Our Lives was a made up show for Friends."

Another added: "Wait, Days of Our Lives is a real show?"

A third jokingly shared: "The most unrealistic part is that six people would have that much free time to always hang out in the middle of the day. I know they had jobs in the show, but they barely ever went."