One of the major factors making the six protagonists on Friends unique individuals was their dating preferences. The sitcom was progressive for its time and didn't shy away from women having rich romantic and intimate lives. While Monica and Rachel were attractive in a conventional sense, Phoebe was more eccentric but nonetheless attractive.
Phoebe's list of suitors were some of the most peculiar men to appear on Friends and her dating life was a major contribution to the show's comic relief.
Phoebe Buffay's boyfriends on 'Friends'
Here's a look at the men Phoebe Buffay dated during the course of Friends.
1) Mike
Phoebe figured out the whole dating thing with Mike. Not only was he the best out of all the men she dated, he also accepted her entire "wonderfully weird" self. From playing air piano for her to proposing to her four times, the man made viewers fall in love with him along with Phoebe. The fact that he was played by Paul Rudd was definitely a cherry on the top. Not to mention, their wedding in the snow was one of the most unique and heartwarming episodes in Friends.
2) David
Phoebe's first true love and her most earnest relationship was with David, the scientist guy whose passion took him to Minsk. He did return to win Phoebe back but her heart already belonged to Mike by the time. David and Phoebe made for a beautiful couple but not more than Mike and Phoebe.
3) Gary
When Phoebe found a lost police badge and decided to have fun with it, she had no idea she'd end up dating the owner of the badge. Gary seemed like a great guy who was smitten with Phoebe and overlooked the fact that she had just broken the law by impersonating an officer. However, Gary turned out to be not-so-great when he shot a bird with his pistol as the two were contemplating moving in together.
4) Vince
Vince, the firefighter, was one of the two guys Phoebe was dating at one point. However, he dumped Phoebe during a picnic they shared (that included candles) by telling her that he couldn't be with someone who lit open flames in the middle of a wooded area. It was very firefighter-esque.
5) Duncan
Duncan was Phoebe's ex-husband who thought he was gay until he wasn't. He was a Canadian ice skater who she had married to help him become a US citizen. They were very good friends and she had a crush on him but he had told her he was gay. However, in season 2 Duncan returned to New York to ask Phoebe for a divorce because he realized he wasn't gay and wanted to marry a woman he was in love with. They parted on good terms.
6) Ryan
Ryan, the handsome navy officer, met Phoebe when he came to the shore. They shared passionate nights when he was in the city with one particularly memorable rendezvous being the time they both contracted chicken pox.
7) Eric
Portrayed by Sean Penn, Eric was initially Phoebe's evil twin sister's fiancé. However, when Phoebe learns about the lies Ursual (her twin) had told him about herself to get him to fall in love with her, she broke the two up. This paved the way for a blossoming romance between Phoebe and Eric which was ultimately shut down because Eric couldn't stand looking at her since she looked exactly like Ursula.
8) Roger
Roger was probably one of the worst men Phoebe dated. He was a psychiatrist who had no qualms about psychoanalyzing people outside of his practice. He psychoanalyzed all of Phoebe's friends much to their annoyance. Clearly, Roger was bad news.
9) Robert
Robert won the trophy for being Phoebe's funniest boyfriend. What made him stand out was his no underwear policy. He loved sports and was constantly seen wearing boxers which didn't bode well for him. Every time he lifted his leg to stretch, he ended up exhibiting everything, with Chandler and Joey being his most unfortunate victims.
10) Sergei
The foreign diplomat Sergei was the perfect gentleman who could offer so much to Phoebe. The only problem? He didn't understand a word of English and always needed a translator around. This made any private communication between him and Phoebe impossible.