Washington, December 11
While the iconic 'Friends' cast may appear inseparable on screen, Lisa Kudrow has revealed that in reality, the six core cast members of the beloved sitcom rarely reunited after the show's finale.
As per People magazine, in a recent interview, Kudrow reflected on the 'Friends' 25th anniversary reunion and shared that it marked the first time she and her co-stars had gathered together in a decade.
"It was so good," Kudrow said, reminiscing about the reunion episode filmed in 2019, adding, "We'd only had dinner the six of us once before since the show ended."
When asked by Ferguson how soon after the show's conclusion that reunion occurred, Kudrow responded, "Ten years!" She continued, "It was fantastic. It was like we didn't miss a beat."
Kudrow described the reunion as a small, intimate gathering with the core group: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and herself.
"Just us at someone's house and had dinner and didn't miss a beat," she recalled fondly, as per People magazine.
Tragically, just four years after that reunion, Matthew Perry passed away in October 2023 from an accidental drug overdose. Kudrow spoke candidly about the profound grief the cast felt following his passing.
"It shook us up, I have to say," Kudrow explained, adding, "I mean, he said, 'It won't be a surprise, but it will be a shock.' And that was exactly right. He's so smart, like, how did he know? So smart. That is true, it wasn't a surprise, but it was a shock. It was a big jolt," as per People magazine.
Despite the shock of his death, Kudrow expressed that she believed Perry was happy in the days leading up to his passing.
"I think, personally, I think he died happy. I think in the days around his passing, he was happy and excited about what's happening next," she said according to People magazine.
In the wake of Perry's death, Kudrow turned to the Friends episodes to help her process the grief.
"God forbid anybody walk into my house and saw me watching my show, I'd be mortified," she joked, adding, "But after Matthew passed away, there were marathons and I wanted to watch. It felt like part of the remembering, grieving, remembering, all that, and just enjoying, and celebrating. And, boy, I appreciated everybody on it."
She went on to praise her co-stars for their remarkable performances, adding, "Like, Ben! Schwimmer's hilarious. Matt LeBlanc is making me laugh out loud. Jennifer, come on! She's so good. Look what she just did, she's so good. And Courteney, it's like, oh my god, you're hilarious. How did you never get nominated for an Emmy? And Matthew, of course. Genius. At the time, he was blowing me away."
Kudrow also admitted that despite her involvement in every episode of 'Friends', there are still moments of the show she hasn't seen. "I was at the table read," she said, noting that due to personal and professional commitments, there were episodes she never had the chance to watch.
"I had a kid, I was married I was the first one. And then I was doing movies, so sometimes I was doing them and come back to do pickups for the scenes I was in. There were episodes I just never saw and still haven't," she revealed.
Friends, the show that became a cultural phenomenon, continues to be available for streaming in full on Max, offering both old and new fans a chance to relive the unforgettable moments of the series and the enduring chemistry of its cast.