He befriended a fellow student named Will Colbert, who was frequently bullied and teased by Rachel for being fat. When growing up, he attended the same high school as Rachel (as did Monica) where he eventually developed a crush on her and kept it to himself, though Rachel later admitted she knew about his crush, but didn't return those feelings.

When Ross was younger, he dressed up as a woman (with his mother's clothes) and sang, 'I am Bea / I drink tea / Won't you dance around with me?'. He was born to Jack and Judy Geller and raised by them on Long Island, New York.