YOUR FAVORITE MTV SHOWS ARE ON PARAMOUNT+

Is 'Friends' Responsible For Calling Celebs 'MOM' And 'DAD' On Twitter?

Probably not but also maybe.

Getty Images

By John Walker
February 26, 2015 / 5:34 PM

You know that thing where teens respond to their favorite celebrities' tweets and Instagram posts with an all-caps "MOM" or "DAD?" You can apply it to anyone, and its meaning can range from "I love you adopt me" to "This is really embarrassing and messy but I still love you."

Trust me. I learned all about it at the #hip #teen convention for #hip #teens last year. I know what I'm talking about. #vapebort

Anyway, I think I've stumbled upon an early example of this "MOM"/"DAD" usage in -- of all places -- an April 1996 episode of the NBC sitcom "Friends." Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) have started spending a lot of time with Monica's (Courteney Cox) boyfriend, Richard (Tom Selleck). Why? Because he's like the cool dad they never had.

[image src="wp-attachment://2091335" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.19.51 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.19.51 PM"]

Richard, who thought they were all bonding as buddies, is none too thrilled about being thought of as a "dad" figure, so Joey and Chandler try to play off the label as some kind of affectionate term like "dude" or "buddy."

[image src="wp-attachment://2091333" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.19.08 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.19.08 PM"]

[image src="wp-attachment://2091336" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.17 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.17 PM"]

They lie and say that "dad" is part of their "young person's vernacular" which is just a '90s way of saying #hip #teen speak.

[image src="wp-attachment://2091337" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.27 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.27 PM"]

[image src="wp-attachment://2091338" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.32 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.32 PM"]

[image src="wp-attachment://2091340" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.41 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.41 PM"]

And much like "MOM"/"DAD," anyone can be "dad" -- as long as they are dad. You know?

[image src="wp-attachment://2091341" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.58 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.20.58 PM"]

[image src="wp-attachment://2091343" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.21.08 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.21.08 PM"]

[image src="wp-attachment://2091344" title="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.21.24 PM" alt="Screen Shot 2015-02-26 at 4.21.24 PM"]

Does this mean that "Friends" invented calling people "MOM" and "DAD" on Twitter? Not at all. But I did find a way to justify that 3:00 a.m. Netflix hole I fell into two nights ago, so I guess something good came out of all this.

Latest News