Former Friends star Lisa Kudrow surprised fans of the popular sitcom by revealing how often the cast saw each other after the show ended.
While appearing on the Tuesday, December 10 episode of Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, Kudrow, 61, revealed that she and her co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry — did not hang out often following the Friends finale in 2004.
“We’d only had dinner, the six of us, once before since the show ended,” Kudrow said. Still, the cast maintained a natural closeness at the meal, given the series ran for 10 seasons.
“[It was] just us at someone’s house and [we] had dinner, and like, didn’t miss a beat,” The Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion star recalled.
The cast of Friends would eventually reunite in 2021 for a special on HBO Max, marking their second time together in 17 years. Following the tragic death of Perry in October 2023, Kudrow rewatched the series and reflected a lot about her time with the group.
Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the show, died from [an accidental] drug overdose at the age of 54. As of August 2024, five people were charged in connection to Perry’s death. When the initial news broke last year, the cast members all posted heartfelt social media tributes about him.
Kudrow’s Instagram post featured a throwback photo of herself with Perry. “You suggested we play poker AND made it so much fun while we initially bonded. Thank you for that,” she captioned. “Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY. Thank you for your open heart in a six way relationship that required compromise.”
Kudrow also appeared on the Armchair Expert podcast earlier this week for the Monday, December 9 episode. She gave more insight into the Friends off-screen dynamic, noting that the cast’s “six-way relationship took some work” and they “worked hard at being friends.” However, the group also practiced “respectful communication” that Kudrow still admires.
“If someone said something or did something, it didn’t get too big because it was, ‘Can I talk to you?’” she added. “I saw it modeled really well by Courteney and Jennifer and Matt.”