Friends remains one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. Not only was it incredibly popular when it aired, but reruns and streaming have given the show another life for younger generations. So many people have watched the entire series over and again, but Lisa Kudrow apparently was previously not one of them. Despite playing Phoebe for ten years on the NBC comedy show, Kudrow avoided watching the series herself. However, this changed after Matthew Perry’s tragic passing last year.
Matthew Perry was one of the highlights of Friends. His character, Chandler, was easily one of the funniest on the show, always piping in with sarcastic comments and quippy jokes. After Perry passed away in 2023, many fans revisited his hilarious performance on the series and the goofy spirit that he brought to the show. This was the same for Kudrow, who told the titular host of Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend that while she steered away from the show for many years, Perry’s death made her revisit Friends herself. She said:
I used to not be able to watch it at all. I mean, I’d see it on and be mildly interested, and then I’d see me and say, ‘That’s enough of that. I can’t bear it.’ And then well, listen. After Matthew died, I could start watching the show again because it wasn’t about me. It had to do with him, for some reason. So I have started watching Friends. Not started, like, from Season 1 you know, but there are marathons on. And I have spent time since he died, all day long, watching the show.
Many actors don’t like watching their own performances, so it’s not abnormal for Kudrow to want to avoid watching herself play Phoebe. Actors tend to be critical of their own work, and watching it may ignite feelings of self-consciousness. But after Perry passed, Kudrow seems to have a different perspective, as she was primarily watching for her late friend, instead of herself. She has opened up previously about rewatching Friends, and the emotions that come with it. The show, in a lot of ways, acts like a time capsule for the period, and revisiting the show keeps Perry’s spirit alive, and the humor he brought into the world.
While Conan O’Brien wasn’t a member of the Friends cast himself, he is a good friend of Lisa Kudrow’s and was during the time that the show was airing. He remembered a phone conversation he had with the actress when she first started working on the show, and how Kudrow immediately thought Perry was incredibly funny. O’Brien said:
You started doing that show and you called me up[...]and you were raving about Matthew... And you were saying, ‘He’s so funny.’ And there was a part of me that was jealous.
O’Brien is a comedic legend himself, so there was no need for any jealousy, but this just goes to show that Perry’s sense of humor shined from the moment people met him. It’s a big reason that people watch the show over and over, and the actor is so well remembered. The Friends cast was incredibly close, and it’s wonderful that rewatching Friends gives them the ability to celebrate Perry’s life, and the memories they shared during the 10 year period. Perry’s death gives revisiting the show a whole new meaning, showcasing the incredible talent the actor shared with the world.
You can revisit Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and the rest of the cast of Friends by binging the series now, as it is currently available for Max subscribers. For more information on other work from Perry, make sure to check out our feature on the best movies and TV shows starring the Chandler actor.
