When Friends debuted on September 22, 1994, nearly 22 million people tuned in to meet Ross, Rachel, Monica, Phoebe, Joey, and Chandler for the first time. The NBC show was an instant hit, becoming a cultural phenomenon that would inspire everything from haircuts to the oversized mugs in your local coffee shop.
Almost 30 years since it first aired, Friends is still beloved by viewers around the world. According to ratings company Nielsen, the show was the most-watched sitcom in the U.S. during the COVID-19 lockdown, with 96.7 million minutes viewed in 2020.
Still, no matter how much of a super fan you claim to be, you’ll be hard-pressed to top Lynn Egan. Twenty-five years ago, a heavily pregnant Lynn was excited to watch the latest episode of her favorite show—until she went into labor.
It was December 18, 1997, and the next episode was due to air at 8:00 pm. Her contractions had started that morning, but Lynn Egan, from Louisville, Kentucky, powered through the pain to watch ‘The One With the Girl from Poughkeepsie.’
Her daughter Clare Egan shared her birth story online with the subreddit r/howyoudoin on December 19. Celebrating her 25th birthday, she titled her Reddit post ‘The One Where I Was Born.’
Also a huge Friends fan herself, Clare Egan wrote: “I have never been more proud to be my mother’s daughter.”
‘My Mom Waited 9 Hours For The New Friends Episode To Air, Before Going To Hospital’
Clare Egan told Newsweek that her parents were fans of the show from the very beginning.
“No matter what, they weren’t making plans that would interfere with watching Friends every Thursday at 8:00 pm,” she said.
Her original due date was December 22, but Clare Egan showed up a few days early. Lynn Egan went to the hospital around 11:00 am on December 18 but was sent home as she wasn’t far enough along. When the show started at 8:00 pm, the 29-year-old’s contractions were 5 minutes apart.
“By the time Friends aired, my mom had been in labor for nine hours,” Clare Egan said.
“They went to the hospital around midnight and I was born about 16 hours later at 12:35 pm on December 19th.”
“Her contractions were hitting around the commercial breaks but she continued to power through so she could watch the episode,” Clare Egan said.
Her dad Kirk Egan, now 57 years old, didn’t try to change Lynn Egan’s mind and instead patiently waited for her to finish watching the show.
“My dad is a very wise man who knew better than to try to tell a woman in active labor that she could not do something,” she said.
‘The Episode Was Worth The Wait And Pain’
Lynn Egan said that evening’s episode was “worth the wait.”
The season four episode, ‘The One With the Girl from Poughkeepsie,’ involves Monica (Courtney Cox) trying to win the respect of her new kitchen staff with help from Joey (Matt LeBlanc), while Chandler (Matthew Perry) attempts to set Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) up with a coworker.
Ross (David Schwimmer) struggles to choose between a local girl from New York and another in Poughkeepsie, and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) struggles to write a Christmas song using her friends’ names.
Clare Egan has inherited her parents’ love of Friends, and coincidentally, ‘The One With the Girl from Poughkeepsie’ is a favorite episode of hers. She also remembers watching the 2004 finale with her parents (and 52.2 million other fans), when she was just 7 years old.
“I had no clue what was going on but I knew by the way they were acting that it was special,” she said.
Clare Egan said Chandler reminds her of her father, thanks to his sarcasm and witty comebacks, so it’s no surprise that Chandler is also her mom’s favorite character.
Considering her parents’ love of the sitcom, she is surprised they didn’t choose a Friends-themed moniker for their daughter.
“Apparently, Seinfeld was on their mind when naming me—my first name is Elaine!”
Friends: The Reunion aired on HBO Max on May 27, 2021, with 29 percent of streaming households in America tuning in to watch.
Featuring the original cast along with some beloved recurring characters and celebrity guests, fans were treated to behind-the-scenes gossip and the stars’ favorite memories from the show’s 10-year run.
The post Mom In Labor Refused To Go Hospital Until She Watched Friends Episode appeared first on Newsweek.
