03-05-2025
College basketball recruit Chandler Bing swears he's not named after Mathew Perry's 'Friends' character
Could this be any more of a coincidence?
A real-life Chandler Bing — a senior at Pace Academy in Atlanta, who has committed to play college basketball at Vanderbilt University — says he wasn't named after the late Matthew Perry's character on Friends. Really.
"My parents weren't even thinking about the show," Bing told The Tennessean in an interview published Friday. "My mom has seen the show, but when they were naming me, I guess she didn't watch it that much, wasn't even thinking about that."
Committed #blessed #godores⚓️
— Chandler Bing (@Chandler_Bing35) April 30, 2025
Of course, that's never stopped people from cracking jokes about his name.
He got them a lot growing up, "especially when I was younger," he told the newspaper. But he might not have understood their meaning.
"I actually haven't watched the show," Bing the basketballer said. "But I never really had a problem with [the jokes]. Once people told me about it, I was like, 'OK, well, I know I'm going to get it a lot now.'"
No word if there's a real Miss Chanandler Bong out there.
The love for Friends has only grown since the NBC series ended its 10-season run in 2004. Starring Perry, as well as Courteney Cox (Monica), Jennifer Anniston (Rachel), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), and David Schwimmer (Ross), the show famously followed a group of young adults making their way in New York City.
While the show was a hit during its run, its subsequent release on streaming and incessant reruns have only made it bigger. More than three decades after the sitcom premiered, fans continue to quote the characters, particularly the sarcastic Bing, and snap up merchandise such as vinyl figures, shirts, and coffee mugs. They can visit the Friends Experience in multiple cities to view costumes and props from the died in October 2023, at 54. The cause was determined to have been a drug overdose.
His former costars continue to mourn the loss. Just last month, actress Maggie Wheeler, who played Perry's sometimes girlfriend Janice on the show, said she thought she had seen a sign from her late friend.
Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly
