Friends Cast Where are they now? What are they doing?
by Hemalatha R | Updated Mar 27, 2023
Friends
Friends, a popular American television sitcom, was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman and aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, lasting for ten seasons. The show featured an ensemble cast including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer and centered around six friends in their 20s and 30s who lived in Manhattan, New York City. The series was produced by Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television, with the original executive producers being Kevin S. Bright, Kauffman, and Crane.
Kauffman and Crane initially developed Friends under the working title Insomnia Cafe between November and December 1993. After presenting the idea to Bright, they pitched a seven-page treatment of the show to NBC. The series underwent several script rewrites and changes, including title changes to Six of One and Friends Like Us, before finally being named Friends. Filming of the show took place at Warner Bros. Studios in Burbank, California. Friends ranked within the top ten of the final television season ratings and reached the number-one spot in its eighth season. The series finale, which aired on May 6, 2004, was watched by around 52.5 million American viewers, making it the fifth-most-watched series finale in television history and the most-watched television episode of the 2000s.
Throughout its run, Friends received critical acclaim, becoming one of the most popular television shows of all time. The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002 for its eighth season. It ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and no. 5 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time. In 1997, the episode "The One with the Prom Video" was ranked no. 100 on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time. Friends also ranked no. 24 on the Writers Guild of America's 101 Best Written TV Series of All Time in 2013, and no. 28 on TV Guide's 60 Best TV Series of All Time. The sitcom's cast members reunited for a special that aired on HBO Max on May 27, 2021.
Friends Cast Where Are They Now?
Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green
The actress known as Jennifer Aniston portrayed the character Rachel Green on the television show Friends. Although Rachel initially appeared as a materialistic and runaway bride in the first season, she evolved into a successful employee at Ralph Lauren and ultimately ended up with Ross by the series finale, which pleased the show's audience. Since her time on Friends, Aniston has starred in various comedy films such as Horrible Bosses (2011), We're the Millers (2013), and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014), garnering laughs from viewers. Additionally, she has taken on more serious roles in independent films like Cake (2014) and The Yellow Birds (2017). Recently, in 2019, Aniston made a return to television alongside Reese Witherspoon, who played her on-screen sister in Friends. Together, they starred in The Morning Show, earning Aniston an Emmy nomination and a Screen Actors Guild Award win. In her personal life, Aniston has been married to two high-profile actors, Brad Pitt, and Justin Theroux.
David Scwhimmer as Ross Geller
Despite some questionable decisions made by his character Ross Geller on Friends, audiences still cheered on actor David Schwimmer's portrayal of the paleontologist-turned-professor over the course of the show's 10 seasons. However, Schwimmer's role as defense attorney Robert Kardashian in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016 quickly captivated viewers and overshadowed his previous character. Schwimmer also appeared in the second season of the Will & Grace reboot in 2018-2019 as Noah, who started as Grace's adversary but eventually became her boyfriend in a seven-episode storyline. In 2020, he joined the cast of the British cyber crimes comedy Intelligence, which he co-created with Nick Mohammed and also stars in as Jerry Bernstein. Off-screen, Schwimmer has a daughter with his ex-partner, British artist Zoë Buckman.
Courteney Cox as Monica Geller
Undoubtedly, the most organized character among the Friends gang, Monica Geller played by Cox, won our hearts with her quirky behavior and her romantic proposal to Chandler, which left us in tears for quite some time. After the show ended, Cox continued to thrive in her career, which probably comes as no surprise. In addition to starring in Cougar Town, a TV series that ran from 2009 to 2015, she also directed some of its episodes and directed her first feature film, Just Before I Go, in 2014. Most recently, Cox returned to television in 2022 with the comedy-horror series Shining Vale, which airs on Starz. Cox was once married to David Arquette, but they have since divorced. Despite this, the former couple remains amicable and co-parent their daughter, Coco. In 2022, Cox and Arquette reunited on-screen for the fifth installment of the Scream franchise, where she reprised her role as Gale Weathers. She is also set to appear in the upcoming Scream VI, scheduled for release in 2023.
Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay
As Phoebe Buffay, Kudrow brought much-needed comic relief to the show, and her iconic song "Smelly Cat" remains a fan favorite from the '90s. In the series, Phoebe also tied the knot with Mike, played by Paul Rudd, who quickly became a fan favorite. Since her time on Friends, Kudrow has kept herself busy with roles on various TV shows, including The Comeback, Web Therapy, and Space Force, as well as appearances in movies like The Girl on the Train (2016), Long Shot (2019), Like a Boss (2020), and Better Nate Than Ever (2022). In real life, Kudrow is married to Michel Stern, an advertising executive, and they have a son named Julian, who graduated from USC in 2021.
Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
Joey Tribbiani's womanizing ways didn't stop us from falling in love with him, thanks to his charisma and famous catchphrase, "How you doin'?" Following the end of Friends, LeBlanc continued to achieve success, winning a Golden Globe Award in 2012 for his work in Showtime's comedy series Episodes, which aired from 2011 to 2017. He also starred in the CBS series Man with a Plan, which won a People's Choice Award and ran for four seasons from 2016 to 2020. LeBlanc is divorced from his former wife Melissa McKnight and is a father to one child.
Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
Perry's portrayal of Chandler Bing on Friends kept us in stitches with his sarcastic quips and one-liners, while also melting our hearts with his romantic relationship with Monica. Since the show ended, Perry has continued to stay active in both movies, acting alongside industry legends such as Salma Hayek and Bruce Willis, and television, appearing on shows like The Good Wife, Go On, and The Odd Couple. Perry has been open about his struggles with addiction and has since used his platform to help others going through similar battles. He suffered a health scare in 2018 when he had a gastrointestinal perforation that left him hospitalized for three months. In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry shares his personal experiences with substance abuse and the challenges of fame.
Friends Series Finale
The creators of Friends completed the first draft of the hour-long series finale in January 2004, several months before its scheduled airing. They watched the finales of other sitcoms to prepare the outline, taking note of what worked and what did not. They wanted the finale to stay true to the show and avoid anything too high-concept. The main cast members were happy with the ending and believed that fans would feel the same way. NBC heavily promoted the finale, organizing viewing parties across the country and airing a one-hour retrospective of clips from previous episodes beforehand. The finale was watched by 52.5 million viewers in the US, making it the most-watched entertainment telecast since the Seinfeld finale in 1998. It was the fifth most-watched series finale in television history, with only MAS*H, Cheers, The Fugitive, and Seinfeld having more viewers. Some media critics speculated about the future of the sitcom genre following the finales of Friends and Frasier.
Friends Cast Where are they now - FAQs
Friends aired on NBC from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, and lasted for ten seasons.
The main cast members of Friends were Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer.
Friends revolves around six friends in their 20s and 30s who live in Manhattan, New York City, and explores their personal and professional lives, relationships, and struggles.
The finale was well-received by the main cast and fans, and NBC heavily promoted it with media hype and viewing parties.
The series was nominated for 62 Primetime Emmy Awards, winning the Outstanding Comedy Series award in 2002. It ranked no. 21 on TV Guide's 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time and no. 5 on Empire magazine's The 50 Greatest TV Shows of All Time.