Phoebe Buffay-Hannigan

Lore & Background

Phoebe's backstory is revealed piece by piece across the series. Her father, Frank Buffay, abandoned the family when Phoebe was a child. The woman she believed was her mother, Lily Buffay, committed suicide when Phoebe was about 14, by means of carbon monoxide poisoning. Later, Phoebe discovers she has a paternal half-brother, Frank Jr., and meets her real mother, Phoebe Abbott (Teri Garr), who had given her up for adoption when she and Ursula were born. In season two, it is revealed that Phoebe was legally married to a "hoping to be gay" Canadian ice dancer, Duncan (Steve Zahn), for six years, to help him acquire his green card. They divorce when he realizes he is heterosexual and going to marry another woman. Phoebe's twin sister Ursula (also Kudrow) is a crass waitress, and they have a very strained relationship. When Ursula performs in porn under Phoebe's name, Phoebe cashes in Ursula's pay slips. Phoebe's age is inconsistent: in "The One with the Mugging," she was 14 when Ross was 12, but in season 4 she states she is 29, and in season 7 it is revealed she was born a year earlier than she thought.

In Their Own Story

The rain tapped softly against the window of Central Perk as Phoebe sat on the worn orange couch, strumming the acoustic guitar resting on her lap. The coffee shop was quiet tonight, save for the hiss of the espresso machine in the corner. She hummed a low melody, eyes closed, lost in the rhythm of a new song about lost keys and found hope. When she opened her eyes, Monica looked back with that familiar mix of concern and amusement. Phoebe smiled, knowing that no matter how strange life got, this circle of friends would always be her anchor.

Reader's Guide

Phoebe Buffay stands out as the group's spiritual and eccentric anchor, balancing her friends' grounded lives with whimsical wisdom. She is a masseuse and part-time, aspiring folk-type musician, who plays a dreadnought style acoustic guitar and sings very awkward or absurd, self-composed songs. She has been shown busking in the subway, outside of Central Perk, as well as at a public library, and has been seen frequently playing live sets inside the coffee shop. Her song "Smelly Cat" is introduced in "The One with the Baby on the Bus." In "The One Where Eddie Moves In," a record company produces a full budget music video for the song, in which her voice is overdubbed by a much better singer; she turns down her record deal when she discovers the depth of the deception. Phoebe is a vegetarian and an avid tree hugger. She dabbles in trendy New Age ideas and superstitions throughout the series, including sensing the spirit of her mother in a lost cat, reading tea leaves, and dismissing Charles Darwin's theory of evolution as "too easy" in "The One Where Heckles Dies." Phoebe had two serious romantic interests that overlapped: physicist David (Hank Azaria) and Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd). Mike was introduced early in the ninth season during a double blind date with Joey. After a whirlwind romance, Phoebe and Mike break up after he says he never wants to marry again. While on a trip to Barbados, both David and Mike propose to her, but she rejects David, realizing she is in love with Mike. She ends up marrying Mike.

Did You Know?

• Phoebe's twin sister Ursula was originally a character created for the American sitcom Mad About You, where she appeared as a waitress.
• Phoebe's song "Smelly Cat" was released on a 1999 album by Chrissie Hynde, who taught the song to Phoebe in the episode "The One with the Baby on the Bus."
• On August 26, 2015, Lisa Kudrow performed "Smelly Cat" as a duet with Taylor Swift during Swift's concert in Los Angeles as part of her 1989 World Tour.
• Phoebe was legally married to a Canadian ice dancer named Duncan for six years to help him get a green card, but they divorced when he realized he was heterosexual.
• In "The One Where They All Turn Thirty" (season 7), it is revealed that Phoebe was born a year earlier than she thought.