Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Cole Sprouse shares theory about why his Friends character Ben was 'basically killed off'

Ben Geller doesn't get much, if any, acknowledgement during the last two seasons 

Clémence Michallon
New York
Friday 22 February 2019 16:10 GMT
Comments
Friends: 'The One with the Truth About London' Ben and mimics Rachel

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Cole Sprouse has shared his theory explaining why his Friends character suddenly fell off the radar towards the end of the show.

The 26-year-old actor played Ben Geller, the son co-parented by Ross Geller, Carol Willick and Susan Bunch, from 2000 to 2002.

However, his character doesn’t get much acknowledgement – if any – after season eight, which some fans have equated to Ben being practically killed off the series.

Sprouse addressed the issue in a video for GQ, in which he visited several websites and social media platforms to answer questions about himself and his work.

“How do you feel about basically being killed off of Friends?” one person had asked him on Twitter.

Sprouse blamed the disappearance on his fictional father’s parenting skills, or lack thereof.

“Critics would agree that Ross was never really the most present father and so it doesn’t surprise me too much,” he wrote back.

After his appearances on Friends, Sprouse became with his brother Dylan one of the stars of The Suite Life of Zack & Cody, which aired from 2005 to 2008.

Support free-thinking journalism and attend Independent events

He now plays Jughead Jones in The CW’s Riverdale.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in