Ross Geller is the first of the six main Friends characters to become a parent.
Ross’s son Ben is born during the show’s first season after Ross’s former wife, Carol Willick, becomes pregnant. Ben’s birth makes Ross the earliest parent among the central six characters and establishes fatherhood as an important part of his storyline.
Ross later has a daughter, Emma, with Rachel Green. Rachel becomes a parent when Emma is born near the end of season eight, while Monica and Chandler adopt twins, Erica and Jack, in the series finale. Phoebe becomes a surrogate mother for her brother Frank Jr., giving birth to triplets, but the children are not her own.
Joey and Chandler do not become parents during the original series. Ross’s early fatherhood is therefore distinct from the later parenthood stories involving Rachel, Monica, and Chandler.