Does Joey have ADHD in Friends? Why some fans think so

Friends set an impeccable standard for friendships, thanks to its group of relatable protagonists - Joey, Rachel, Monica, Ross, Phoebe, and Chandler. However, if there is any character that has garnered particular attention, it is Joey, portrayed by Matt LeBlanc.

Joey left no leaf unturned to entertain the audience with his antics. As a result of this, many devoted fans have wondered whether this friskiness is a sign of him having ADHD or Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

According to the National Institute of Mental Health, ADHD is a disorder that causes inattention, impulsivity, and hyperactivity. Given this context, fans have co-related his actions with traces of this condition, despite there being no official confirmation of the same from the show's creators.

Disclaimer: Major spoilers ahead. All views mentioned here are solely those of the author.

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Friends: Some instances when fans feel Joey exhibited symptoms of ADHD

One of the very common symptoms of ADHD is the inability to comprehend social cues.

In season six, episode 17, The One With Unagi, Joey is broke and needs money quickly to get new headshots for his acting career. For this, He decides to enroll in a medical experiment to earn some cash. However, the only available experiment requires identical twins. To get around this, Joey hires a fellow actor named Carl to play his fictitious twin, Tony.

What may be considered to point towards the ADHD narrative here is that he fails to identify that Carl looks very different from him, and instead blames his fake replica for their failure to be selected in the medical experiment. In addition to that, the fact that Tribbiani convinced himself that the plan could work speaks volumes about his ability to understand social cues.

The next instance is found in season six, episode 24, The One with the Proposal: Part 1.

In this episode, Joey attends a charity event with Rachel and Phoebe. The event has a silent auction. However, Joey misunderstands the auction rules. He thinks it's a guessing game and thus, "guesses" $20,000 for a yacht, leading him to ultimately win it.

It is thus evident that Joey acts impulsively by guessing $20,000. Not only this, he misses auction details, showing inattention. He plans poorly, doesn't follow rules, and faces unexpected consequences. All in all, these activities could be seen as ADHD traits.

Furthermore, an additional case that prompts fans to wonder if Joey has ADHD is found in episode 13 of season 10, titled The One Where Joey Speaks French.

During this segment, Phoebe tries to teach Joey French for an audition. Joey struggles and speaks gibberish. He thinks he's doing well, but Phoebe gets frustrated and quits. She later goes with Joey to the audition and tells the director Joey is her "mentally disabled younger brother."

Although incredibly humorous, this episode reflects his inattentiveness in grasping a new skill, a common difficulty faced by people with ADHD.

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Was Joey's character intentionally "dumbed" down?

James Burrows directed 15 episodes of Friends, including the pilot. In his book, James Burrows: Five Decades of Stories from the Legendary Director of Taxi, Cheers, Frasier, Friends, Will & Grace, and More, he revealed that he intentionally made Joey Tribbiani less bright.

Joey in Friends (Image via Netflix)

The reason conveyed was the striking parallels between Joey and Chandler Bing. An excerpt from the book read:

“I had only one note for David and Marta: Joey and Chandler were too similar. In Joey’s original incarnation, he was too smart. They “dumbed” him down a bit so the two characters wouldn’t play in each other’s wheelhouse.”

Therefore, the show's creators made Joey less intelligent.

Despite being less competent than other characters, Joey makes up for it with his unwavering loyalty and kindness, making him a fan favorite.