While promoting the episode, NBC made no mention of Brad Pitt and blurred his face in television spots, and teased a high-profile guest star. Trade publications had previously reported that Pitt would appear in the season, and most media outlets correctly predicted he was the mystery guest star.
Entertainment Weekly reported that Brad Pitt would appear on the series in flashback scenes wearing a fat suit, though the scenes were never filmed and the episode only refers to his past obesity.
This is the second time Joey states he was a large baby. He says that Monica's 19 pound turkey is like him when he was born and, in The One Where Ross Can't Flirt (1999), that he weighed "like 27 pounds".