Friends
Summary
Ross ' X - married woman Carol onFriendshad a substantial recurring part , but she was in reality played by two dissimilar actors over the class of the serial . At the beginning of the series , Ross had just disjoint Carol , his college lady friend , who had late amount out and left him to live with her pardner , Susan . Carol was introduced inFriends’second instalment , “ The One with the Sonogram at the End , ” when it was bring out that Carol was meaning with Ross ' shaver , who would become his son Ben . However , the Carol introduced in that episode was n’t the same as in the following episodes .
Carol was ab initio played by Anita Barone onFriends , who had previously come out in the comedy seriesCarol & Companyand in one episode ofSeinfeld , where she wager a chef who wanted Elaine Bene ’s shoes . Barone had originally auditioned for one of the main fibre inFriendsbut was offered the go back role of Carol instead . After playing her in one and only one sequence , Barone throw in , want to pursue a more full - prison term persona , and she was replaced by Jane Sibbett . Although never a master persona , Ross ' ex Carolappeared in intimately 20 episodes ofFriends , and Sibbett got pregnant attention for the role .
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How Jane Sibbett Replaced Anita Barone As Carol On Friends
Sibbet Was Initially Up For Another Role
Carol became a key part of theFriendsensemble who was a welcome addition to several episodes and that was largely thanks to Sibbet ’s characterization of her . However , Sibbett almost had an even more iconic role in the series . Before Sibbett became the second thespian who played Carol onFriends , she was actually initiallyoffered the role of Rachel inFriends . TheFriendsactress revealed ( vianews.com.au ):
“ I asked them ( agent ) if they ’d tell the manufacturer I was pregnant and they say , ‘ Oh no , we think we ’d tell them later . ’ And I said , ‘ No , you ’ve arrive to tell them now . ’ So apparently they ( producer ) said it would n’t work out . "
While such a high - visibility role would have been awful for her vocation , Sibbet let in that she does n’t have any regrets over not getting the part while praising Jennifer Aniston in the role :
“ There ’s no way anybody could have come close to what Jennifer Aniston did with Rachel . She was so staring , ”
WHERE TO WATCH FRIENDS
What Anita Barone Has Done Since Friends
She Remained A Sitcom Staple
While Anita Barone did n’t retrieve the big lead character she was look for after leaving her role as Carol onFriends , she acted steady in the years after . The actor star in the first season ofThe Jeff Foxworthy Showandthe light - livedThe War At Home . Among her most recent roles are Georgie Jones ( CeCe ’s female parent ) in Disney Channel’sShake It Upand one sequence ofK.C. Undercover . She continues to appear in invitee - starring part on prominent shows , let in the dramaA Million Little Thingsand in two episodes ofCurb Your Enthusiasmas a making love interest group of Larry David .
What Jane Sibbett Has Done Since Friends
Sibbett Remained Best-Known As Carol
Jane Sibbett has remained dynamic in her calling since her appearanceas Carol Willick . However , most of her success happened during her time as Carol onFriends . In the 90s , Sibbett was a series steady onHerman ’s Headand had a starring role in the Mary - Kate and Ashley Olsen filmIt Takes Twoopposite Steve Guttenberg and Kirstie Alley . Sibbett also had various appearances on ' 90s favorite likeTouched By an Angel , Sabrina the Teenage Witch , andThe Nanny , as well asAlly McBeal . In the 2010s and 2020s , Sibbett had use in the made - for - TV moviesA Date by Christmas Eveas Didi Dougherty andList of a Lifetimeas Dr. Elisabeth Boyer .
Though not a chief character , Carol ’s role on Friends was key as it show her continue relationship with Ross as they raised a Logos together . Her relationship with Susan was also a goodstep towards representation and inclusion on mainstream television . The character reference are call a “ positive example of a merry couple on television ” by GLAAD . It ’s unknown if Barone knew how frequent Carol ’s appearances were run to be or if the character ’s role turn as the series pass on , but even though she appeared in only one installment , it ’s one change that sports fan ofFriendshaven’t forgotten .
Carol Was Progressive And Problematic At The Same Time
Groundbreaking Aspects Of The Character Were Overshadowed By Offensive Jokes
While Carol ’s character onFriendswas a great representation of the LGBTQ residential district in the ' ninety , look back reveals some uncomfortable aspects of the depiction . Things have changed a lot sinceFriendsaired , and there are certain conniption with Carol that are problematic at best . Carol and Susan’sFriendswedding was certainly before of its sentence , and it was thefirst TV broadcast female same - sexual practice couple nuptials . However , some of the jest that come from how these topic were handled turn out to be fairly toxic . The Susan and Carol actors were reportedly chuck in their respective theatrical role because they did n’t " look like " gay woman ( viaMetro ) .
The scene to begin with on in the season where Ross goes in for Carol ’s ultrasound has n’t age well , as he try out to disbelieve their relationship in every way potential . The episode ’s humor completely overshadowed a historic tv set wedding moment for the LGBTQ community , and other weddings , like the Ross and Emily marriage , end up being far more memorable . Ultimately , the rewording of Carol onFriendswas just one detail in the complex history of the character .
