All My Children was a daytime soap opera that was on the air for 41 seasons, from 1970 to 2011. The creators of Friends loved watching it, so they decided to name all the characters after the characters in the show.

Chandler was named after the Chandler family; Ross, after Ross Chandler; Phoebe, after Phoebe Tyler; and Monica, after Monique/Daisy Cordlandt. Joey got his name from Joey Martin, and Rachel Green, after Janet Green.