Lisa Kudrow says the cast of Friends only met up once after hit show ended – as she speaks about Matthew Perry’s death
The cast of US sitcom Friends only met up once between the show’s final episode and the reunion special, Lisa Kudrow has said.
The actress, who played Phoebe Buffay in the hit show, said her and her co-stars Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston and Matthew Perry, rarely got together as a six after the show finished in 2004.
She said there was only one occasion a decade after the final episode had aired where the group had dinner.
After that, it wasn’t until Friends: The Reunion, which aired in 2021, that they were all in the same room together again.
“We only had dinner, the six of us, once before, since the show had ended,” Kudrow told Modern Family star Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his podcast Dinner’s On Me.
(L-R) David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc. Pic: Reuters
Despite reuniting 10 years after the show ended, the actress said she felt the group “didn’t miss a beat”.
“It was so great that it was like ‘we should do this more’,” the 61-year-old said.
Speaking about the reunion special, where the cast appeared as themselves and reflected on some of the show’s most iconic moments and famous sets, Kudrow said: “To have all of us together on the set, you never know when it will be impossible.”
‘It shook us up’
Last year Perry, who played Chandler Bing in the show, died at the age of 54 from the “acute effects of ketamine”. He was found dead at his home in the Pacific Palisades area of Los Angeles.
Kudrow said the death of her former co-star was “a big jolt”.
“It shook us up, I have to say,” she said, adding: “He [Perry] said it won’t be a surprise, but it will be a shock, and that was exactly right. So smart, that is true – it wasn’t a surprise, but it was a shock.
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2021: Friends cast reunite on set
“It was a big jolt.
“Personally, I think he died happy. I think in the days around his passing, I think he was happy and excited about what’s happening next.”
Kudrow said she began to rewatch old episodes of Friends to aid the grieving process.
“Schwimmer was hilarious, Matt LeBlanc was making me laugh out loud, Jennifer, come on, she’s so good, look what she just did,” she said.
Perry died in October 2023. Pic: AP
“And Courteney, oh my God, you’re hilarious… And Matthew, of course, at the time he was blowing me away.”
Out of the 236 episodes of the show, Kudrow said there are still some she has not seen, as there is a “certain amount of anxiety around watching”.
“I’m afraid of what my takeaway is going to be,” she said.
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“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, she was so honestly happy.
“It was really touching to me, she deserves to be this happy.”
Friends focused on a group of six twentysomethings living in New York and first aired in the US on 22 September 1994.
By the time it left screens a decade later, it was a pop culture phenomenon and remains one of the most popular shows on television.
Entertainment
Snoop Dogg becomes co-owner and investor of Swansea football club saying it’s ‘an underdog just like me’
Police are taking no further action over Kneecap’s performance at Glastonbury.
Officers said they had investigated “comments about a forthcoming court case made during Kneecap’s performance” at the festival on 28 June.
However, after Crown Prosecution Service advice, they decided there is not enough evidence “to provide a realistic prospect of conviction for any offence”.
The Avon & Somerset force started investigating the Irish group’s show last month, as well as comments by punk-rap duo Bob Vylan.
It said they were looking at a possible public order incident.
Police said on Friday that the investigation into Bob Vylan’s performance was ongoing.
The London duo were widely criticised – and caused a BBC crisis – after leading on-stage chants of “death to the IDF” (Israel Defence Forces).
Kneecap’s Liam Og O Hannaidh appeared at Westminster Magistrates’ Court in June. Pic: PA
Kneecap posted a photograph on Instagram, which the group said was an email from police announcing the case was being dropped.
They said their packed Glastonbury gig was a “celebration of love and solidarity” and reporting used “wildly misleading headlines”.
Fears over what Kneecap might do or say during the performance had prompted the BBC not to show it live.
The group said: “Every single person who saw our set knew no law was broken, not even close… yet the police saw fit to publicly announce they were opening an investigation.”
“There is no public apology, they don’t send this to media or post it on police accounts,” they added.
The police statement on Friday said they had informed Kneecap of their decision to drop the case.
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One of the group’s members appeared in court in June charged with a terror offence.
Liam Og O hAnnaidh is accused of displaying a flag in support of Hezbollah, a proscribed organisation in the UK, at a gig last year.
He was released on unconditional bail ahead of a second court appearance in August.
Entertainment
Tomorrowland: ‘Devastating’ blaze destroys main stage at major festival – two days before it was due to begin
A huge fire has destroyed the main stage of a major festival in Belgium – two days before it was due to begin.
Tomorrowland is a dance music event as big as Glastonbury – and David Guetta was due to perform.
Footage showed flames and thick plumes of black smoke engulfing the stage and spreading to nearby woodland on Wednesday.
The fire gutted the main stage
Fire crews attempt to bring the blaze under control
The annual festival in the town of Boom, north of Brussels, is one of the biggest in Europe and attracts about 400,000 people over two consecutive weekends.
It is famous for its immersive and elaborate designs and attracts big names within dance music – including Guetta, best known for tracks When Love Takes Over and Titanium.
Dutch DJs Martin Garrix and Charlotte de Witte were also due to perform, along with the likes of Swedish House Mafia, Eric Prydz and Alok.
Black smoke could be seen rising into the sky
The festival’s website described the creative elements which went into the elaborate main stage.
The theme, described as Orbyz, was “set in a magical universe made entirely out of ice” and “full of mythical creatures”.
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Organisers said no one was injured in the blaze but confirmed “our beloved main stage has been severely damaged”, adding they were “devastated”.
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen added: “We received some truly terrible news today. A fire broke out on the Tomorrowland site … and our main stage was essentially destroyed there, which is truly awful.
“That’s a stage that took years to build, with so much love and passion. So I think a lot of people are devastated.”
Spokesperson Debby Wilmsen told reporters ‘a lot of people are devastated’
Despite the fire, Tomorrowland organisers said they were still expecting 38,000 festivalgoers at DreamVille, the event’s campsite.
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