We may never know the answers to some of life's greatest questions: When did time begin? What does the future look like? And of course, were Ross and Rachel on a break in Friends?
Ross Gellar's infamous decision to see another woman when he thought he and Rachel Green were on a break remains highly contentious. Gellar thought they were separated, but Green didn't necessarily agree, and it's still cause for debate among fans of the show two decades after it ended.
One person who loves having this debate is 26-year-old Aidan Rohrer Tate, who even posed the question to her surgical team to see if they pass "the vibe check." Ahead of going into theater for an ACL reconstruction surgery in October, Tate, of Greenville, South Carolina, wrote: "Were Ross and Rachel on a break?" on her non-surgical leg, followed by a box to tick for yes, and a box for no.
Tate told Newsweek that she felt "a little nervous" about writing the question at first because she didn't know if her surgeons would get the reference. She feared that none of them would get it and her test to see if they would pass "the vibe check" would be in vain. Thankfully, they were all Friends fans, and the debate proved to be a great topic throughout the surgery.
"I saw a video of someone writing on their body before surgery, and I thought it was hysterical," Tate said. "I wanted to do something similar and make it interactive. Since I'm a diehard Friends fan, it was the first thing that came to mind.
"Fortunately, all of them had seen it and they understood the assignment. I talked with my CRNA [certified registered nurse anesthetist] and surgeon afterwards, and they said everyone thought it was hysterical and that it was the topic of conversation for most of my surgery."
When Tate woke up after, one of the first things she did was check her leg to see if they answered the question. Sadly, they hadn't ticked either box and her husband even resorted to ticking "Yes" to try and cheer her up.
"I was really bummed when I woke up and saw that they hadn't checked a box. My first thought was that maybe they didn't see it or that they didn't get it," she continued.
However, after posting the video of the moment she wrote the question on her leg on TikTok (@aidanrohrertate), the clip went viral with over 21.7 million views and 850,200 likes. It even caught the attention of her CRNA. She responded to Tate privately to share what their answer was, and the discussion even came up during a follow-up appointment several days later.
Tate told Newsweek: "We started messaging and the CRNA gave the answer that everyone was waiting for: the overall consensus was that yes, Ross and Rachel were on a break. She even went on to say that they referenced the Friends reunion during their decision-making process, which I love.
"At my follow up appointment, my surgeon and another member of my surgical team confirmed that the only reason they didn't check a box was because although the majority thought they were on a break, not everyone did. So, since it wasn't unanimous, they left it blank," she continued.
This aligns with Tate's feelings, as she firmly believes that they were indeed on a break, but that doesn't justify Gellar's actions. "Overall, yes, they were on a break, but Ross was still so wrong for doing what he did, and Rachel's feelings are valid," Tate said.
The Social Media Reaction
Initially, Tate wrote the question to keep herself busy before the surgery. She never imagined it would go viral with millions of views and thousands of comments. She didn't want to disappoint all the TikTokers who were eager to find out the answer, so she shared several videos which also went viral.
Tate said: "Never in a million years did I expect that video to go viral. After gaining such a big following, I've turned my page into an ACL recovery account where I document my progress and share tips that I've discovered along the way. This has been a cool experience over the last month, and I'm so grateful to be in a position where I can help others going through the same thing."
With over 4,000 comments on the initial TikTok video, many internet users hailed the hilarious idea, while others shared their own responses to the all-important question.
One comment reads: "This is too funny! But yes, they were on a break."
Another TikToker wrote: "I wish I had thought of something like this when I had surgery on my ankle a few years back."
While another person added: "Ok as an ortho surgical tech I'm dying to know if they passed! Because I would be FLOORED if my PT came back with something like this."
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