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 .