Fan Theory Finds Funny Connection Between 'Friends' and 'Parks and Recreation'

NBC's Friends has been off the air since 2004, but that hasn't stopped people from watching and rewatching the beloved sitcom. As fans know, there is even a reunion special in the works, with the six main cast members—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer—as well as the creators, David Crane and Marta Kauffman, reuniting for an unscripted show on HBO Max. Could we be any more excited?! There are plenty of memes and Reddit posts still circulating about the show, but one theory has challenged fans to perhaps think about their favorite Central Perk crew a little differently.

Mental Floss reports that a Redditor once found a hilarious connection to the Parks and Recreation gang, and compared to the other theories, it kind of makes sense. In Friends episode “The One With All the Candy,” Rachel insists she doesn’t sleep with guys on the first date, only for her friends to call her out. Monica rattles off three names: Matt Wire, Mark Lynn, and Ben Wyatt. Could Rachel be talking about Ben Wyatt from Parks and Rec? See the clip below.

As the Reddit user Phefflin explains, their ages work out. Ben would’ve been 26 at the time of the episode, making him a perfectly realistic date for 29-year-old Rachel. "So in conclusion, I think at some point after Ben left Partridge, Minnesota in shame after his failure as mayor, he went to NYC for a brief time, met Rachel, and either had a one night stand, or a relationship," the fan writes. It could be!

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