Friends fans are furiously debating Jennifer Aniston’s ‘vocal tic’ that’s gone viral

As people have had plenty of time to watch television in the past year, it makes sense that they are picking up on new things as they re-watch Friends for the fourth time on Netflix.

In the past few days, a TikTok video has been a cause of contention after it showed a montage of Rachel Green, played by Jennifer Aniston, clearing her throat before many of her lines.

“Jennifer Aniston has this sort of vocal tic that she does at the beginning of every single sentence that she starts,” the TikToker said. “It’s very specific and very hard to unsee once you notice it.”

He warns viewers not to watch the rest of the clip they’re big Friends fans because, “it’s gonna ruin your life.”

This is not the first time time the quirk has been pointed out – see this YouTube video from 2019 entitled “Rachel Clears Her Throat 200 Times” – but the viral TikTok has really got people up in arms.

The clip has sparked a debate about whether the “tic” is an irritating habit or actually a conscious acting choice.

“The #JenniferAniston vocal tic in Friends is hard to NOT hear now,” one person wrote on Twitter.

“Yes!! She does this so much. A lottt of people have crutches when acting when they don’t know what they to do,” another person commented on the TikTok video. “You told me to leave. I should have left,” another said, adding a crying emoji.

Many other fans, however, are convinced that this was not a “crutch” and that Aniston was merely acting... and doing it well.

“That "verbal tic" that Jennifer Aniston has in Friends? Yeah, no, that's called acting. She clears her throat when her character is uncomfortable with what she is saying (because it's a lie, or awkward, etc),” one person tweeted.

“I'm not even a Friends fan and I can tell that it's not a Jennifer Aniston Vocal Tic it's a Rachel tic,” another person added.

Either way, it’s very hard to unhear now – why not watch a few episodes and decide for yourself.