Kudrow has long avoided watching reruns of "Friends," the NBC sitcom that skyrocketed her to fame in the mid-90s as Phoebe Buffay. Her reluctance stemmed from a fear of disliking her performance. However, in a recent interview with The Hollywood Reporter promoting her upcoming Apple TV+ series "Time Bandits," Kudrow shared that she has started rewatching old episodes, primarily to honor the memory of her late co-star, Matthew Perry.
Matthew Perry passed away on October 28, 2023, at the age of 54 due to the acute effects of the anesthetic ketamine, leaving fans and friends devastated. A criminal investigation into his death is still ongoing.
“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,” Kudrow revealed to THR. "“And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].”
"Friends" debuted on September 22, 1994, captivating 21.5 million viewers and instantly turning its cast — Kudrow, Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer — into global icons. The show spanned 10 seasons and 236 episodes, with the 20th anniversary of its finale recently passing.
As Lisa Kudrow revisits the series, she finds herself laughing at the cast's humor, especially admiring Perry's unmatched comedic timing. She fondly recalls the laughter on set, often driven by Perry's relentless quest for humor. "His goal was always to see how many laughs he could get in a day," Kudrow reminisced.
Re-watching "Friends" has become Kudrow's personal tribute to Perry, especially poignant during the recent milestone of the show's final episode. Once embarrassed to watch herself on screen, she now embraces it as a celebration of Perry's legacy.
Perry's memory endures among his friends and co-stars. Courteney Cox has expressed feeling his presence and talking to him often. Jennifer Aniston remembers him as a joyful and resilient individual dedicated to his recovery.
During the "Friends" reunion special on HBO Max in 2021, Kudrow had mentioned to her former co-stars that watching the show with her husband, Michel Stern, reminded her of its comedic brilliance — a sentiment she continues to hold.
Reflecting on the show now, Kudrow shares, “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,” Kudrow says with a self-deprecating laugh. “So yeah, I mean, that’s my own little way of celebrating [the anniversaries], just watching it. 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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