For a sitcom like Friends, being funny is supposed to be the selling point. Chandler Bing is usually the first name fans think of when the comedic appeal of the show is brought up, as, arguably the main funnyman in the series. He remained this way throughout the 10 seasons, although this did tend to hide quite a bit of his emotional depth.
When one looks a little deeper into Chandler’s characterization, things about him can be seen in a significantly different light. He was actually harboring feelings of inferiority, among many other issues that the show didn’t dwell on as much as it should have. This stemmed from problems from his childhood to the way he was treated by others.
10 Things About Him Were Largely Ignored
It’s actually pretty sad how the friends not only chose to throw Rachel a surprise party over Chandler, but that they outright forgot about his birthday coming earlier than Rachel’s. Stuff about him was routinely ignored, even when he made it clear he didn’t like it.
This included the time he got glasses and was pretty psyched about it, only for everyone to claim they thought he always wore them and make a joke about it. Chandler was just as sad as Joey when his BarcaLounger was broken, but those feelings were ignored and left unaddressed. Overall, Chandler’s happenings were never given significance, leading to him keep stuff to himself.
9 His Friends Constantly Belittled Him
When it comes to the friends doing bad things to each other, their attitude towards Chandler was the worst. In particular, Phoebe would frequently say to Monica, and even to Chandler’s face, how he wasn’t good enough for Monica and how he wasn’t much of a man.
The other friends were similar in this treatment, routinely making fun of him and then calling him out when he did the same. Even his mannerisms were mocked, such as the gang imitating the way he talked or when Joey dressed up as Chandler and was met with applause for doing a satirical impression of him.
8 His Parents Never Cared For His Feelings
There’s no doubt about the fact that Chandler’s parents rank as among the worst out of all the friends. While they outwardly doted on him, they didn’t care about the impact of their behavior on him when he was a young boy.
For example, his father made him dance in a risque number at his nightclub as a teenager, while his mother spoke about his intimate details on-air. Chandler also claimed he’d been around when his parents were engagedc in sexual activities, despite the fact he was only a child! It’s no wonder he was so messed up when it came to his parents.
7 His Masculinity Always Remained Fragile
You can’t fault Chandler for being so intimidated by Richard, seeing as he always had the wrong idea of what it meant to be a man. Having been led to believe doing stuff like figure skating was wimpy, he took to pretending he had an interest in stuff like football, just to feel validated in his masculinity.
This kind of attitude never got better either, as he made remarks like, “... If I were a guy,” without even realizing it. Of course, it didn’t help that he was singled out by people like Ross, Joey, and Phoebe when he showed a slight inclination towards more "feminine" things, whatever that means.
6 He Made Fun Of Himself So Others Wouldn't
As far as comedy goes, Chandler’s one-liners were a riot and could always be counted on to deliver the laughs. However, he was often the brunt of the jokes and he would start off making fun of himself before anyone else got the chance.
This was picked up on by Phoebe’s therapist ex-boyfriend Roger, who put Chandler on the spot for using humor as a defense mechanism. Underneath all the self-deprecating jokes was his hope for a few words of consolation, but those hardly ever came his way.
5 The Women He Loved Cheated On Him
It’s hard not to get annoyed by the women Chandler had feelings for, as ranking his past girlfriends presents the very real truth that he was treated pretty badly. Among the women, Kathy and Janice were women he’d fallen in love with, only for this love to be tossed aside.
Both of them cheated on Chandler and didn’t fess up about it until they got caught. Chandler didn’t even get proper apologies from them, which kind of justifies his extreme insecurity with Richard stealing Monica since he had a history of losing women to their past lovers.
4 His Insecurities Were Played For Laughs
If one were to look at some of Chandler’s most memorable quotes, they would be both funny and heartbreaking. This is because his misery and insecurities were often turned into comedy acts. His fear of commitment should have been something he got professional help for, but it was instead something the others laughed about.
Phoebe even tried to exploit this insecurity by trying to get Chandler to make Gary have similar feelings. On occasion, when Chandler did overcome this fear -- such as when he became too committed to Janice or Monica -- he was shamed for being too clingy.
3 He Was Never Taken Seriously
Being a comedy show, Friends characters are generally ranked based on their humor, and Chandler ranks at the very top here. This was taken to the extreme, however, with Chandler himself bemoaning the fact that everyone only saw him as the funny guy.
When he wanted to be taken seriously as a parent, especially as the prospective guardian of Emma, Ross and Rachel admitted they only saw him as a “fun parent,” not as a serious father figure. Joey’s ex-girlfriend Janine even called him “blah!” when Chandler was just trying to be a good company.
2 Nobody Helped Him Regarding His Hatred Of His Career
The best example of why Monica was the best love interest Chandler ever had was because she was the only one who took his hopes of finding a new career seriously. However, this happened as late as in the ninth season. Prior to that, nobody even bothered to ask him what his job was.
A big deal was made about everyone’s career, with Joey, Rachel, and Ross frequently sharing their career troubles and garnering help and advice with their career dilemmas. Chandler, though, simply festered in the hatred of his occupation and had to become unemployed as a way of finding an out.
1 He Hated Himself For A Long Time
Everybody might like Chandler, but he didn’t have similar feelings for himself. On more than a few occasions, he admitted to hating himself. In fact, he considered his mastery of makeup and grooming to be the result of a “self-loathing touch.”
When he was close to proposing to Monica for the first time, Chandler admitted he had “little life” before he fell in love. It’s clear that, despite his monetary success and close friend circle, Chandler couldn’t claim to be happy in life until he was already in his 30s.
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