A debate that has plagued the fans of the ‘90s sitcom “Friends,” is whether Ross and Rachel were on a break. 

Ross and Rachel had an on again, off again relationship through the 10 season show. The first mention of the opulent taking a break is in season three, episode 15, “The One Where Ross and Rachel Take a Break.” 

Picture it. Rachel is focused on her career and building a name for herself away from the wealth of her father. Ross, who is already well established in his career, is frustrated that Rachel keeps placing much of her time and attention on work. 

It is their anniversary, so Ross attempts to surprise Rachel with a lunch basket at work. Rachel gets upset because she doesn’t feel she has the time during usual work hours to set aside and give him the attention he is asking for. 

After Rachel gets home from work, they get into an argument in the situation where Ross makes the mistake of asking about her male coworker, Mark. Rachel then explains that perhaps the two of them should take a break. 

That same night, Ross decides to sleep with Chloe, a girl he meets at a bar. 

However, the next morning Ross finds himself in a difficult situation. Ross wakes up with Chloe next to him and a voicemail from Rachel explaining she wants to get back together and she is on her way over. 

Ross tries to get Chloe out of his apartment as quickly as possible because he knows how angry Rachel would feel if she knew what happened, so he wants to hide it. 

Unfortunately for Ross, Chloe is still there when Rachel arrives and hides behind the door as it swings open. Ross rushes Rachel out of the apartment suggesting they go out. 

Later, Gunther, Rachel’s former boss and admirer, tells Rachel about the girl Ross was with last night. 

Rachel storms upstairs to the apartment with Ross following behind her, and she is furious. 

She asks Ross if sleeping with that woman was worth jeopardizing their relationship, but Ross explains that he didn’t know if there was a relationship to jeopardize. 

“We were on a break,” Rachel replied. 

Ross tells Rachel that to him a break is a “Break-up.”  

The cast of the show attended a reunion in 2021 with late night host, James Cordon. During the reunion, the cast agreed that Ross and Rachel were indeed on a break. 

While the cast might have agreed that the couple was on a break, some could argue that there is no excuse for Ross to sleep with another woman if he had any hopes of saving his relationship.