There’s no question that Friends is one of the best sitcoms of all time, but to make an ensemble work, there had to be great characters for Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Phoebe and Joey to interact with. One of the biggest figures in Ross’ life — and one of Friends’ most beloved side characters — was his ex-wife Carol Willick.
We learned in the series premiere that Carol and Ross divorced after she came out as gay, but as the former couple continued to be a part of each other’s lives, two different actresses played the role of Carol. Let’s take a look at why Anita Barone was replaced by Jane Sibbett on Friends.
Why Anita Barone Only Played Carol For One Episode
While Ross (David Schwimmer) set up his and Carol’s situation in the first episode, we actually first saw her in Episode 2, “The One with the Sonogram at the End.” Carol, played by Anita Barone, visits Ross at his museum job to inform him that she’s pregnant with his child. This leads to some pretty complicated emotions and a hilarious scene at the OB/GYN’s office between Schwimmer, Barone and Jessica Hecht, who played Carol’s lover Susan. However, that was the last time we saw Barone on Friends.
According to Express (UK), Anita Barone chose to leave Friends after that episode to try to land a bigger part on another series. She did end up portraying Jeff Foxworthy’s wife Karen on The Jeff Foxworthy Show, but when the series jumped from ABC to NBC after its first season, she was recast in that role by Ann Cusack. Barone has continued to make appearances — usually one-offs — on series as recently as 2023.
How Jane Sibbett Turned Carol Into A Recurring Character
Ross was married so many times on Friends, it’s kind of funny that he got an extra wife through casting. Of course the writers didn’t know that Ross was fated to have three divorces when Jane Sibbett was hired to replace Anita Barone as Carol Willick. Sibbett made her debut later in Season 1 and would go on to appear in at least one episode for the first seven seasons.
That’s not how it was originally planned, though. Jane Sibbett explained on the Back to the Best podcast in 2023 that she was hired to appear in just two episodes, but after “The One with the Candy Hearts,” which would have been her last appearance, showrunner Marta Kauffman loved what she brought to the character and decided to expand the part. Sibbett said:
She said she saw something that the way I was playing it, that I was playing it for real. I wasn’t playing it for laughs. Which is because — Jess [Hecht] and I always say this — we were the straight men to [David Schwimmer’s] comedy, right? The gay women playing the straight men. But because I was playing it for love and because I did it in a way that [Kauffman] didn’t really write it for, she loved it so much she wanted to have it in the show, and so then I was asked if I would just be a recurring character.
Jane Sibbett would appear in 15 episodes overall in Friends’ 10 seasons, and in that time became an important figure in LGBTQ+ pop culture. In fact, Carol Willick and Susan Bunch’s wedding in Season 2 was the first lesbian wedding in TV history.
Some have speculated that Anita Barone is likely kicking herself for giving up a role on what would become such a huge series, but as Jane Sibbett said, it was only intended to be three episodes, so we really can’t fault Barone for setting her sights higher. If you want to relive the most ridiculous Friends episodes or all 16 of Carol Willick’s appearances, all 10 seasons are available to stream with a Max subscription.
