Joey Tribbiani has always had his own way of moving through life, especially when it comes to love. So even though ‘Friends‘ ended years ago, fans still wonder why he didn’t get married.
Joey was not romantically involved with anyone by the time the original show said goodbye, and not married by the end of his spinoff. And since that series actually gave him a real relationship, the question only got bigger.
Joey Never Saw Marriage The Same Way The Others Did
Back in Friends, Joey wasn’t anti-love; he just didn’t think long-term. He enjoyed dating, flirting, and living in the moment. When Phoebe and Rachel revealed their pregnancies, Joey immediately offered to marry them, but not because he was in love. He simply thought it was the “right thing to do,” showing he connected marriage with responsibility, not romance.
Related: ‘Joey’: Why ‘Friends’ Spinoff Was Doomed From The Beginning
Meanwhile, everyone around him moved into the next stage of life. Ross and Rachel found their way back to each other, Monica and Chandler became parents, and Phoebe married Mike. Joey didn’t follow that path, and honestly, it made sense. Forcing him into a marriage at that point would have felt fake, because commitment was something he’d always struggled with. So when Friends ended, he remained single, and it didn’t feel weird. But the spinoff gave him another chance to figure things out.
The Spinoff Finally Put Joey In A Real Relationship
In the spinoff, Joey met Alex Garrett; smart, supportive, and nothing like the short-term dates he used to go after. In the pilot, he flirted with her before finding out she was married, which immediately slowed things down. By the end of season 1, Alex separated from her husband, and little by little, she and Joey moved toward something serious.
In case you missed it: The Surprising Journey Of ‘Friends’ Theme Song
Season 2 made things messy when Gina pushed Alex to date Joey’s friend Dean, and Joey had to watch it happen. That’s when he finally admitted, out loud, that he cared about Alex. It was a huge moment because Joey rarely shared his feelings in Friends. The two officially became a couple, and it was clear he was trying to grow.
At one point, the duo even got engaged. But both of them admitted privately that they weren’t sure marriage was the right move yet. They loved each other, but they just weren’t ready for that next step. And Joey wasn’t pretending otherwise.
Why Marriage Wasn’t On Cards Even At The End?
By the end of Joey, he had changed, but not in a dramatic sitcom way. He didn’t suddenly become a marriage guy just because everyone expected it. His biggest fear had always been commitment, and even though he pushed past it to be with Alex, he still needed time. Emotional growth doesn’t flip like a switch.
Alex understood that, too. She had just gotten out of a marriage and didn’t want to rush into another one. So instead of forcing a wedding, they chose to build the relationship slowly. For Joey, settling down didn’t have to mean tuxedos and rings; it meant staying, trying, and caring. That choice actually respected who Joey was.
Related: 10 Behind-the-Scenes Secrets For Every ‘Friends’ Fan
If the writers had married him off just to tie things up neatly, it would’ve erased everything that made his character unique. His ending showed progress, not a personality rewrite. And honestly, Joey and Alex getting married later is totally possible. The show simply didn’t need to show it.
He remains the only member of the Friends group who didn’t get married, and that’s part of what makes his story interesting. He didn’t fail at love; he grew into it differently. By the end of the spinoff, he was in a real, committed relationship and finally understood what emotional responsibility looked like. He didn’t need a big wedding to prove he’d matured. Just choosing to be with Alex showed a level of growth the old Joey never had. In true Tribbiani fashion, he did it his own way.
