If you’re a Friends junkie, then words and phrases like “pivot,” “we were on a break,” and “smelly cat” probably hold deep significance for you. In addition to recurring characters like Gunther and Ursula, Ugly Naked Guy was another who provided endless laughs for fans.You know, the ugly and naked guy (or so the gang said) who lived in an apartment right across the street from Monica’s? Throughout the sitcom, he appeared in episodes like season three’s “The One With the Giant Poking Device” and season five’s “The One Where Everybody Finds Out.” Even when he didn’t appear on screen, he was still mentioned throughout the series’ ten season run. Although we’ve seen snippets of Ugly Naked Guy in what appears to be only his birthday suit, we never actually saw his face—until now.
So, who is the mystery guy? It took some digging, but one persistent soul at The Huffington Post went on a year-long search until he finally uncovered the true identity of said Ugly Naked Guy. Although online sources credit Michael Haggerty (who played Mr. Treeger) as the actor behind the infamous UNG, this is not the case. After further snooping, Jon Haugen was finally determined to be the actor who played Ugly Naked Guy in the sitcom.
“There’s only one Ugly Naked Guy, man, and that was me,” he says. For those wondering why he took so long to come forward with his identity, Jon offered an explanation. “The reason I never came forward was because I was just keeping it mellow because Warner Brothers was keeping it mellow. They wanted everybody to have a guess who I was.”
Well, that makes sense, but we lowkey wish we knew this sooner. And in case you were curious as to whether or not he was actually naked in the scenes that he appeared in, we have answers. Thanks to some good old Hollywood tricks, filmmakers made it seem like UNG was sitting in the nude next to Ross, even though the actors were clothed with boxer shorts.
We’re just relieved that this great mystery has finally been solved for all the diehard Friends fanatics out there.