Carol Willick, Friends

Carol Willick (Jane Sibbett)

Carol, Ross’s wife, left him shortly before the first episode of the show, when she realized that she was a lesbian.

Prior to the show, Carol met Susan at the gym and discovered she was gay. Before the divorce, Ross and Carol slept together, and Carol got pregnant. Carol’s storyline in the first season revolved around her pregnancy and how she and Susan would take care of the baby. In S2, Carol’s storyline was about her and Susan getting married and how their son, Ben, was growing, and in season 3 Ross questioned how two lesbians could raise a boy. Carol’s appearances and storylines were centered around how everything was affecting Ross. In S3 Ross was also seeking support from Carol after he and Rachel broke up, but Carol got upset when she learned he cheated on Rachel.

In season 6 there was a two episode special about an alternative reality where Carol and Ross didn’t divorce, and showing them unhappy and with an abysmal sex life. Within the episode, Ross, in an attempt to spice things up, suggested having a threesome, much to the excitement of Carol, who invited Susan, who, to Ross, was just a woman from Carol’s gym. They went through with the threesome but Carol and Susan did not pay attention to Ross and he mainly sat and watched.

Carol’s last episode in the series was in season 7, when Rachel was teaching Ben practical jokes.

Appearances:

• 16 episodes.

Female love interests:

• Susan Bunch (Jessica Hecht, lesbian, recurring, 12 episodes, wife)

Relationship story arc with a woman: Yes

Male love interests:

• Ross Geller (David Schwimmer, main cast, ex-husband)

Relationship story arc with a man: No

Male love interest after being identified as a lesbian? Yes, in alternate reality special

Filter Relationship Arc:

• Female (Recurring)

Storyline during sweeps? Yes, she often appeared in November/February

[1] A relationship story arc is defined as explicit, developed on screen, and lasting more than 3 episodes. It is listed as questionable or subtext if romance is only implied, mentioned instead of shown on screen, part of a dream sequence, or otherwise not explicit for the viewer.
[2] Sweeps episodes air in February, May, July and November, the periods when advertising rates are set. A character is marked as "sweeps" when there is a very limited number of episodes that address their sexuality, all air during sweeps period, and the storyline is otherwise ignore/dropped.