The events of September 11, 2001, affected a number of movies and shows in development at the time. That included everything from Spider-Man to George Carlin’s 12th HBO special, which he planned to call I Kinda Like It When a Lotta People Die. The hit NBC sitcom Friends, then preparing for the premiere of its 8th season, also had to make some alterations to one of its upcoming episodes. You see, October 11’s “The One Where Rachel Tells…” originally featured an entire subplot about newlyweds Monica and Chandler Bing being detained at the airport.
In the aired version, Monica and Chandler grow frustrated with another married couple who are always ahead of them in line on their way to their honeymoon. At the airport, the other couple gets bumped up to first class, and when they finally arrive at the hotel, they’re upgraded to a much nicer suite than Monica and Chandler. This leads to a confrontation between the couples, and the Bings wind up getting the fancy suite in the end. But Monica and Chandler were never supposed to make it to the hotel at all.
Why Friends Cut an Entire Monica and Chandler Airport Storyline After 9/11
One of the deleted scenes finds Monica and Chandler going through airport security. After they get past the metal detectors, Chandler points out a sign that prohibits jokes about aircraft hijacking or bombing. “You don’t have to worry about me, ma’am. I take my bombs very seriously,” he says to one of the TSA agents standing nearby. Chandler is then promptly escorted away by security, and the pair are later subjected to having their luggage searched.
Once they’re cleared to board their flight, Monica gets a call from Joey and Phoebe, who inform her that they smell gas coming from her apartment. Since they don’t have a way in, they ask if she wants them to break down the door to check if everything is alright. “No, I want you to stand there and wait for the whole place to blow up,” she yells, just as one of the men who was interrogating her walks up behind her.
You can check out the entire deleted subplot below.
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