You would be forgiven for thinking the cast of Friends isn’t that close anymore. After all, the show ended over twenty years ago and lots of co-stars don’t remain in touch.
Lisa Kudrow seemed to indicate things were that way when she said in 2024 that the cast rarely saw each other. “We only had dinner, the six of us, once before, since the show had ended,” she told Jesse Tyler Ferguson on his Dinner’s On Me podcast. “It was so great that it was like ‘we should do this more,'” But the next time they met was on the show Friends: The Reunion.
That might have been sad for Friends fans who loved the camaraderie of the cast, but unfortunately, a sadder time was coming. Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing on the show, passed away from the effects of ketamine in 2023. He had struggled with addiction all his life, and the death sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry.
But now, Kudrow has shared that she has a very important keepsake from Perry. After filming the tenth and final season of Friends, he gave her an item that featured in a scene they had together: a cookie jar with a fake clock on it that read “Cookie Time.” It could be spotted in the background of a Zoom interview Kudrow did with Jimmy Kimmel during lockdown in May 2020. Kudrow spoke about then, too, telling Kimmel, “Do you see that ‘Cookie Time?’ That was in Monica and Rachel’s apartment [on Friends]. “That was the wrap gift [Perry] gave me. We were laughing hysterically, and crying, because it was the end.” He chose that prop to give to her, she explained, because she once tried to use it as an actual clock.
But that wasn’t the keepsake Kudrow was talking about when she appeared on the Drew Barrymore Show yesterday. As it transpired, there was something inside the cookie jar. “I recently found the note that he had in it for me,” Kudrow said. “I hadn’t opened it up or looked inside of it, but yeah, he did. He had a note in there and I forgot about it. Timing is everything.”
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Kudrow didn’t reveal the contents of the note, but it must have been hard-hitting for her, considering how recently Perry passed away. It was a touching moment that served to remind audiences that the Friends cast clearly love each other even if they don’t actually see each other all that often.
And another reminder of that happened to drop on the same Tuesday Kudrow gave her interview. This time, it came courtesy of Ross Geller actor David Schwimmer sharing a tidbit about his friendship with Matt LeBlanc, who played fan favorite Joey. “LeBlanc and I are pretty close, even though I live in New York and he’s in L.A.,” he told Good Morning America.
He went on, “What’s fun is we’ve got the kind of friendship where we may not talk for months, but out of nowhere, he’ll send me a message with a clip from the show – which, it’s always funny to relive something we shot, what, 25 years ago or more?” He’d most recently received a clip, he said, where “he just rips my shirt off.” Friends is full of moments like that, and the cast always made them hysterically funny.
So, have no fear about the Friends cast no longer interacting as much. They’re separated by physical distance, but they’re still there for each other.
Published: Jan 8, 2025 01:32 pm