Lisa Kudrow, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the iconic sitcom “Friends,” recently shared that she and the rest of the cast only met up once between the series finale and the 2021 “Friends: The Reunion” special. “We’d only had dinner, the six of us, once before since the show ended,” Kudrow revealed during an episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s “Dinner’s on Me” podcast. Despite the long gap, the reunion felt as though no time had passed. “Just us at someone’s house and [we] had dinner, and like, didn’t miss a beat,” she added.
“Friends,” which aired on NBC from 1994 to 2004, chronicled the lives of six friends in their mid-20s navigating various life lessons, relationships, and friendships. The show starred Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), and David Schwimmer (Ross Geller). In August 2022, Kudrow admitted to comparing herself to Cox and Aniston during the show’s run. “Seeing myself on the show and seeing myself in clothes and seeing Courtney and Jennifer, I thought, ‘Oh, they know tailoring so they can discuss it with the costume designer about where exactly to take it in,’” she explained on the “Podcrushed” podcast.
Kudrow also paid tribute to Teri Garr, who played her mother, Phoebe Abbott, on “Friends.” Garr passed away in 2022 at the age of 79 after a long battle with multiple sclerosis. “Teri Garr was a comedic acting genius who was and is a huge influence on me, and I know I’m not alone in that,” Kudrow told People. “I feel so lucky and grateful I got to work with Teri Garr.”
In October 2023, the cast faced another loss with the passing of Matthew Perry from a ketamine overdose. Five individuals were arrested in connection with his death, accused of exploiting his addiction. “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the “Friends” stars wrote in a joint statement. Kudrow has since rewatched episodes of the show in honor of Perry, focusing on celebrating his comedic talent. “Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself,” she told The Hollywood Reporter. “But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK. And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was— and that is what I want to remember [about him].”
Twenty years after the show’s conclusion, Kudrow finds herself laughing at the series. “Everyone is hilarious. I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen [Aniston]. Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him. Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done,” she said. “So yeah, I mean, that’s my own little way of celebrating [the anniversaries], just watching it,” she continued. “But it’s embarrassing. At home, if anyone walks in the room and I’m watching ‘Friends,’ that’s a horrible look, I think, don’t you?”
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