During her Actors on Actors conversation with Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston fondly recalled that the Friends cast used to gather and watch new episodes together in the beginning until busy schedules whisked them away. It is quite a revelation considering the ensemble spent so much time joking between takes and shaping the sitcom's rhythm at the same time.

Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow were reflecting on the strange reality that Kudrow had never properly watched the sitcom. That admission sent the discussion back to the sitcom's earliest years, when the cast's relationship extended beyond the soundstage. Aniston recalled a time when the ensemble would occasionally gather to experience new episodes together.

"Except for when we would gather in the very, very beginning, back in the 1900s." With that joking reference to the show's early days, Aniston painted a picture of a cast still discovering the phenomenon they were creating. Kudrow joined in on the reminiscing and called the time "fun" and recalled how they stopped when "they got busy."

"I just couldn’t sit there at home and have anybody walk by seeing me watching a show that I’m in," Kudrow added. For the actress behind Phoebe Buffay, there was something undeniably awkward about seeing her own performance unfold from the audience's perspective.

Aniston was quick to tease her longtime co-star, joking that perhaps Kudrow simply felt uncomfortable watching herself be brilliant and funny. Kudrow laughed off the compliment and instead poked fun at Phoebe's famously quirky delivery. The exchange ended on a nostalgic note, with Aniston remarking that those years still felt surprisingly close despite the decades that have passed.

Their mentioning Courtney Cox and wanting to even make a sitcom with her radiated warmth between the actresses, a fitting reminder that the women of Friends have spent decades championing one another.

How the women of Friends have constantly supported each other

The support system between Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow extended far beyond the walls of Central Perk. From advocating for equal pay during Friends, according to Matthew Perry’s Memoir, to showing up for one another through career milestones, family celebrations, and personal hardships, the trio consistently rejected Hollywood's tendency to pit women against each other in pursuit of individual success.

That enduring friendship remains remarkably visible decades later. Jennifer Aniston is the godmother of Courteney Cox's daughter, while the actresses still gather regularly and celebrate each other's achievements. Seen through that lens, their nostalgic discussion about watching Friends together feels less like a story about a television show and more like a glimpse into a friendship that never really left the set.

What do you think about the Friends' cast's early binge-watching days? Let us know in the comments!

Written by

Iffat Siddiqui

Edited by

Itti Mahajan