The One Where Rachel Smokes

"**The One Where Rachel Smokes**"
"The One Where Rachel Smokes"
Friends episode
	Rachel attempting to smoke in front of her colleagues
Episode no.	Season 5; Episode 18
Directed by	Todd Holland
Written by	Michael Curtis
Production code	467668
Original air date	April 8, 1999
Guest appearances
	Joanna Gleason as Kim Clozzi; Jane Sibbett as Carol; Megan Ward as Nancy; Judy Kain as The Casting Director; Jim Wise as Kyle; Jack Allen & Charlie Allen as Ben; Matt Weinberg as Raymond;
Episode chronology
← Previous; "The One with Rachel's Inadvertent Kiss"	Next →; "The One Where Ross Can't Flirt"
	Friends season 5
	List of episodes

"The One Where Rachel Smokes" is the eighteenth episode of the fifth season of Friends and 115th overall. It first aired on NBC in the United States on April 8, 1999. In the episode, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) starts her new job at Ralph Lauren and soon feels left out because all the decision-making takes place on smoking breaks and she does not smoke. She tries to solve the problem by taking up the habit, which proves difficult. Meanwhile, Ben auditions for a soup commercial and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) decides to come along to try for a part as well. When each is paired with a different actor, the auditions become competitive. Elsewhere, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) plan a surprise party for Rachel.

The episode was directed by Todd Holland and written by Michael Curtis. Although Aniston's character Rachel was not a smoker, Aniston herself was at the time, and often said she planned to quit. In its original broadcast, "The One Where Rachel Smokes" acquired a Nielsen rating of 14.8, finishing the week ranked third.