It’s been 23 years since the American TV series Friends first aired on NBC on September 22, 1994, going on to run for more than 10 years besides becoming a cultural phenomenon of sorts.
The characters on the show - Rachel, Ross, Joey, Monica, Chandler and Phoebe were a part of our lives and I wouldn’t be surprised if many avid watchers of Friends went into some kind of emotional upheaval in their own lives when the series finally went off air.
And as any TV series with the kind of legacy that Friends had would do - the actors on the show found it hard to shake off the endearing characters they played on the show and move on.
A little over two decades later, here’s how our ‘friends’ have aged and what exactly they are up to.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa as the eccentric, guitar-playing free spirit Phoebe Buffay is now 54. After Friends, the actress went on to immediately produce, write and act in a TV series called The Comeback. You must have also seen her in films like Easy A and Neighbors.
Did You Know: Lisa Kudrow’s real life pregnancy was written into Friends (seasons 4 and 5), in which Phoebe is shown having triplets as a surrogate mother for her brother.
Matthew Perry
As Chandler Bing, he was the guy who knew how to lay on the sarcasm. Matthew directed an episode of Scrubs and acted in the TV film The Ron Clark Story. He was also part of Aaron Sorkin’s Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip. You would remember him playing Zac Efron’s older version in 17 Again and his appearance in a few episodes of The Good Wife. At 46, Matthew wrote, produced and acted in The Odd Couple. The actor is now 48.
Did You Know: Mathew Perry was battling alcohol and prescription drug addiction while shooting for Friends. The actor was in and out of rehab several times, which also explains his sudden weight gain and loss in the series.
Courteney Cox
The cleanliness freak, obsessive-compulsive competitive ‘Mother Hen’ of the group, Monica Geller is now 53. Courteney Cox made news for her role in the comedy series Cougar Town and appeared in Lisa Kudrow’s online web series Web Therapy.
Did You Know: After Friends, Courteney Cox was the first choice play the role of Susan Meyer in Desperate Housewives. The actress couldn’t accept the role due to pregnancy, the part was then played by Teri Hatcher.
David Schwimmer
The goofy paleontologist Ross Geller is 50. Post Friends, David Schwimmer has been a part of Broadway, besides having directed two feature films. But Indians would most recall Schwimmer for being the voice of Melman, the giraffe in the Madagascar movies.
Did You Know: David Schwimmer was the first of the six characters to be cast for the series and he also directed 10 episodes of Friends.
Jennifer Aniston
The selfish and spoilt Rachel Green who starts life afresh with a waitress’ job at Central Perk is 48. Jennifer Aniston is the most successful actor from the group having been a part of several big Hollywood movies including Marley & Me, The Bounty Hunter, Just Go With It, We’re the Millers and Horrible Bosses 1 and 2.
Did You Know: Jennifer Aniston was paid $ 1 million per episode for the last two seasons of Friends.
Matt LeBlanc
The dim-witted but extremely loyal and protective Joey Tribbiani who loves his food and his women (in that order) is 50. Matt’s character Joey got his own TV show post Friends, titled Joey, a spin off on his Italian American character in the series. But the show was cancelled after its second season due to poor ratings.
Did You Know: Joey’s character was not supposed to be dim-witted, it was made so on Matt LeBlanc’s suggestion.
(This article is from The Quint’s archives and was originally published on 22 September 2016. It is being re-published to mark the show’s 23rd anniversary.)
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