More than 20 years after it’s debut, Friends, still holds a special place in the hearts of its fans. And even more so for its stars.
Lisa Kudrow, the actress behind the quirky and sweet Phoebe Buffay, said she recently started watching the beloved sitcom for the first time — and her reflections have been as touching as they are hilarious. On Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, Kudrow shared the mix of joy and trepidation that has accompanied her rewatch.
“God forbid, if anyone walked into my house and saw me watching my show, I’d be mortified,” Kudrow joked. “There’s episodes I’ve never seen. I mean I was at the table read. I don’t know what the rewrites were for the other stories, you know?”
Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow. Photo by Getty
As Kudrow explained, her hesitation stems from an unexpected source: anxiety. “There are episodes I just never saw, and still haven’t because I’m still deciding how to work my way through it. It’s like there’s a certain amount of anxiety around watching it.”
Despite this, Kudrow revealed one episode that brought her to tears — Phoebe’s wedding to Mike, played by Paul Rudd, in season 10. “I actually — when Phoebe got married, and she’s walking down the aisle and has this huge smile on her face, I teared up because she was so happy,” Kudrow shared.
She was so just, like, honestly happy, and it was just — I don’t know. It was really touching to me. Like, she deserves to be this happy.”
Kudrow’s reflections on Phoebe’s journey have highlighted both the character’s challenges and her unique charm. Speaking of Phoebe’s complex backstory, Kudrow said, “To me, what was funny — what would be funny — about that is a person who just treats it all like, you know, it’s not just me. Can’t take it personally. It happens to everybody.”
From left, back row, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry; front row from left, Courtney Cox and Jennifer Aniston. Photo by NBC
Kudrow said the rewatch was also a way to honor her late co-star Matthew Perry, who passed away a year ago. “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].”
As she dives back into the series, Kudrow has been struck by just how funny her co-stars were. “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.
Looking back, Kudrow holds fond memories of the laughter-filled days on set. “You’re just laughing all day long, basically, in between the scenes, because these are funny people,” she said. “And especially someone like Matthew whose 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.”
While Kudrow’s rewatch of Friends has been a mix of heartwarming moments and bouts of laughter, she remains deeply grateful for the connections she built during the show’s decade-long run. “I think the world is remembering [Matthew] the way he wanted to be remembered. I think that’s happening [already],” Kudrow reflected.
Friends aired on NBC from 1994-2004.
