Ross Geller’s son on the television show Friends is named Ben. Ben is Ross’s first child, born to Ross and his former wife, Carol Willick, during the show’s first season.
Carol leaves Ross after coming out as a lesbian and begins a relationship with Susan Bunch. Although Ross and Carol are no longer together, Ross remains involved in Ben’s life and shares parenting responsibilities with Carol and Susan. Ben’s birth helps establish Ross’s role as a father while also creating several of the show’s early family and custody storylines.
Ben appears throughout the series, though the character is played by different actors at different ages. Cole Sprouse portrayed the older version of Ben in later seasons. Ross later has a second child, Emma, with Rachel Green. That makes Ben and Emma half-siblings, a relationship that is occasionally referenced but not central to the show. Ben is sometimes confused with Emma because both are Ross’s children, but Ben is his son and Emma is his daughter.