So no one told you Jimmy Kimmel Live was going to be this way. (Clap clap clap clap.) The late night talk show has been known for humorously pulling celebrities together on a regular basis, and last night's episode saw one of the “friend”-liest trios of women appearing on the show for a very special segment. That’s right, there was a mini Friends reunion, with Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox and Lisa Kudrow reprising their sitcom roles for a bit of Kimmel’s fan fiction.
Friends’ 20th anniversary is almost upon us, and Kimmel celebrated in full fashion by having a replica of Monica’s apartment built specifically for this skit. He says it cost $80,000, but it seems like it would cost even more. I’m not going to say that money could have been spent more wisely elsewhere, because seeing Aniston, Cox and Kudrow in the same room again was pretty magical. Mostly because the jokes were better this time around. Hey-o, somebody hit the laugh track button while I put on my Ugly Naked Guy costume.
Aniston, who was actually a guest on the episode, was talked into reading from a fan fiction script that Kimmel wrote, wherein he plays the role of Ross. (Chandler and Joey are dead in this universe due to Marcel giving them monkey rabies.) Ross and Rachel are definitely not on a break here, as the entire thing revolves around Ross wanting to make love to her as often as possible. And surprise! In walks Monica, soon followed by Phoebe. The audience reaction was enormous, proving that this series is still in a lot of people’s heads and hearts, more than ten years after its finale.
While it was of course as staged as anything else late night TV has to offer, it was still amusing to watch Kimmel blandly insinuate that sex between him and Aniston should happen, all without even the most slightly flirtatious behavior. It’s like if someone was trying to tell wallpaper to change colors. Even when Monica makes the fictionally incestuous joke about wanting to have sex with Ross, it’s still miles away from the more discomforting behavior that Ross and Monica displayed over the years.
Can we look forward to seeing the three guys on JImmy Kimmel Live soon? In any case, those looking to find an untelevised way to celebrate Friends’ 20th anniversary would be wise to head up to Manhattan from September 17 to October 18, where a pop-up Central Perk will be serving free coffee. Tell pop-up Gunther we sent you.
