The lovable and goofy Joey Tribbiani is undoubtedly one of Friends' most memorable characters. Still, Joey isn't just known for his love of food and simplistic outlook on life. Throughout his 10 seasons on the iconic sitcom, fans watched as Joey took on a series of embarrassing jobs in order to pursue his dream of becoming a successful actor.
The journey was definitely a struggle at times, and Joey's desire to make it big in a competitive field often led him to make some bad choices. From lying on his resume to criticizing the writers at his job, many of Joey's decisions led to his termination, but how many of his mishaps managed to slip through the cracks?
When He Showered In The Lead Actor's Trailer
After going to work with an unpleasant smell, Joey decides to go into the lead actor's dressing room in order to use his shower. Unfortunately for Joey, he gets caught by Charlton Heston, who misunderstands Joey's reasoning for invading his dressing room.
After Heston tells Joey to get dressed, he gives him some acting advice, believing Joey thinks he "stinks." Things ended up working out for Joey, but Heston easily could've had Joey fired from the film for violating his space.
When He Gave Away Central Perk's Food For Free
Joey's brief stint as a waiter at Central Perk certainly wasn't his finest moment, but it was filled with plenty of workplace mishaps. One of Joey's worst things he did at the job was definitely when he gave out free food to attractive women.
After finding out from Guther that customers get free food on their birthdays, everyone that Joey saw as datable ended up on the receiving end of free birthday treats. Though Gunther was taking the cost for all the free items out of Joey's tips, he had more than enough reason to simply show him the door.
When He Pretended To Be A Professional Dancer
After Joey lies about being a professional dancer on his resume (claiming to know both modern dance and ballet), Joey is asked to teach his fellow actors the combination for their audition. When the director witnesses the bizarre and clumsy performance taught to the group, he asks Joey to show the team the correct piece. Scared, Joey runs away, but he technically should have been let go long before that point.
It's strange that the director didn't ask to see Joey do the combination before taking off and even more surprising that Joey managed to get as far with his ruse as he did.
When He Created A False Identity
After Chandler gets Joey a position at his company as an entry-level processor, things seem to go smoothly, that is until Joey creates "Joesph the Processing Guy," his office character. While Joseph and his imaginary family initially seem harmless, Joey's creation begins to make things difficult for Chandler when Joesph starts calling him out in front of his boss and blaming him for his own mistakes.
Though Chandler does try to fire Joesph, he realizes that he can't, as Joesph is from a different department. Still, Joey agrees to leave. However, he most certainly should have been fired after the amount of conflict he caused.
When He Refused To Do A Reading
After getting fired from Days of Our Lives, Joey gets a second chance to return to the show but he initially messes it up by refusing to read for the character. Pitching a fit and declaring that he doesn't need to audition for the role, Joey walks out.
But after his other series gets canceled, he realizes he needs to go back and try to secure the part. While the part he initially wanted had already been cast, Joey manages to get his old role as Doctor Drake revived. Still, Terry certainly didn't need to offer Joey anything after his rude and overly unprofessional outburst.
When He Tricked His Drunk Co-Star
After finding out that he's scheduled to work on the day he's supposed to be officiating Monica and Chandler's wedding, Joey tries to rush the scene for his film. However, when he realizes he can't, as his co-star Richard is incredibly drunk and doesn't his lines, Joey tries to leave but is told that he has to stay as long as Richard is on the set and awake.
So in order to go, Joey tricks Richard into thinking that filming has finished for the day and carries him off the set. It's definitely a strange situation, but tricking his inebriated co-star was definitely not something that would ever be appropriate.
When He Attacked His Colleague On Live TV
Convinced that he will be hosting the PBS telethon, Joey shows up in a tux, only to find out that he's actually meant to be a phone operator and isn't even visible on screen. Later, after another operator refuses to switch spots with him, Joey physically attacks the man while the show is airing live.
Still, Joey is later seen back in his original spot despite his violent behavior, continuing to take pledges. It's shocking that Joey wasn't asked to leave the set after his extreme outburst of aggression.
When He Slept With His Co-Star
While starring in the play "Boxing Day" alongside actress Kate Miller, Joey ends up developing feelings for his co-star that are eventually reciprocated. The two end up sleeping together (while Kate is also dating the director of the play), but Joey ends up getting hurt after learning that Kate is moving away.
In addition, he ends up ruining his performance (although the play has already received poor reviews) after he learns that Kate is leaving and uses his character's big speech as a way to say goodbye. There are plenty of red flags here, such as the director dating Kate and later dumping her, but once things became clearly unprofessional Joey should have been asked to leave.
When He Slept With Extras On Days Of Our Lives
After Days of Our Lives, she ends up getting too into character and slaps Joey, saying that he slept with her but never called her afterward. While Phoebe's statement was meant for her character, several other extras chime in, saying that Joey slept with them as well.
The extra's statements end up being disregarded, and Phoebe ends up getting fired. Still, Joey's unprofessional behavior towards the female workers definitely should have been taken more seriously than it was.
When He Shows His Hernia To A Child
After losing his health insurance due to a lack of work, Joey becomes increasingly desperate to find an acting job. Unfortunately, he gets a hernia after lifting weights, which only further impacts his ability to get work. After Joey finally manages to secure a role as a "dying man," he and Chandler become frustrated when the child actor cast alongside him holds up production when he won't cry as directed.
Chandler has Joey show the boy his hernia, causing the child to start crying. Joey definitely would have been fired if anyone else on the set realized that he'd exposed a young boy to something that was obviously disturbing and inappropriate.