This article is from the Friends FAQ, by Andy J. Williams AndyJW@dartmouth.edu with numerous contributions by others.
We have not yet seen Rachel's father but her mother, played by Marlo Thomas,
appeared in "TOW the Lesbian Wedding" [211] and told Rachel that she is
leaving her husband.
JG: "Well, not [in the first] season, but probably sometime in the future.
There was originally a subplot involving Rachel and her dad in 'The One
Where Underdog Gets Away' [109], but we re-thunk it.
"Note that Rachel's dad has been an offscreen presence in the pilot (she's
on the phone with him, trying to justify her decision to leave Barry), 'The
One with the East German Laundry Detergent' [105] (he offered her a
Mercedes, saying she'd never make it on her own), and sort of in 'The One
Where Underdog Gets Away' [109] (she's going on a ski vacation with her
family)."
 
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