For years after Friends, Lisa Kudrow admitted she couldn’t bring herself to watch reruns of the beloved NBC sitcom. She explained her hesitance was rooted in a fear of not liking her work. But in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter to promote her upcoming Apple TV+ series Time Bandits, Kudrow shared that she has started to revisit old Friends episodes. This decision is largely inspired by her desire to keep the memory of her late co-star Matthew Perry alive.
Perry passed away on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54, due to the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine. His tragic death shocked fans worldwide, and a criminal investigation into his demise is ongoing.
Kudrow candidly revealed, Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK
. She added that revisiting those episodes now feels like a celebration of Perry’s comedic genius and the joy he brought to all their lives.
Friends premiered on September 22, 1994, drawing an audience of 21.5 million viewers. The show quickly turned its cast—Kudrow, Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer—into household names and ran for ten seasons and 236 episodes. Last month marked the 20-year anniversary of its series finale.
In the Friends reunion special aired on HBO Max in 2021, Kudrow told her former co-stars that she had started catching up on the show with her husband, Michel Stern. She was struck by how funny it still was—a sentiment that remains true today.
Kudrow shared her current thoughts while re-watching: I’m laughing out loud, and everyone is hilarious. I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen. 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.
The cast of Friends shared a unique bond. They worked nearly every single day together for a decade but never let time and distance chip away at their affection for each other. Yet despite this closeness, not all life events were shared; when Jennifer Aniston married Justin Theroux in 2015, only Lisa Kudrow and Courtney Cox received invites.
Kudrow also reminisced about specific moments from the show’s funniest episodes like “The One Where Everybody Finds Out” in which Phoebe flirts with Chandler to mess with him upon discovering he’s secretly dating Monica. Even though she didn’t remember everything from filming, she fondly recalled how these scenes brought endless amusement.
You’re just laughing all day long … because these are funny people … Matthew’s goal was: How many laughs can I get in real life every day? So we were always laughing so hard, tears were flying out of our faces
, Kudrow said with a warm smile.
Reflecting on Perry’s legacy, Kudrow mentioned she hopes the world remembers him as he wanted. She concluded simply but profoundly: I think the world is remembering him the way he wanted to be remembered.
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