For more than three decades, Friends has provided viewers with the ultimate comfort watch.
Consisting of 236 episodes across 10 seasons, cast members Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry became some of the most successful actors in history.
But, despite it earning its place as the world’s number one show from 1994 to 2004, one debate has dogged fans for 29 long years… were Rachel and Ross really ‘on a break’?
Thankfully, for fans of the American sitcom, Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay, has shared her thoughts on the matter.
Appearing on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, the 62-year-old discussed when Ross (Schwimmer) slept with the ‘girl from the copy place’ in season three’s ‘The One With The Morning After’.
Asked by Fallon whether they were indeed on a break, Kudrow said: ‘Well, no,’ as the live audience gasped.
‘But it’s beyond that’, she continued. ‘It’s beyond “break or not”. He was a bad boyfriend.’
As the actress, who has most recently starred in this year’s third series of The Comeback, went on she was greeted with cheers from the audience.
After Fallon responded: ‘Someone finally said it. Yeah, he was a bad boyfriend,’ Kudrow added: ‘She shouldn’t have gotten back together with him, because he was horrible.
‘To me, it’s like, I don’t care if he slept with three other women or no other women. You had a crisis at work, so you weren’t available for a few nights, and he flipped out? Wow.’
The 5 greatest Friends episodes of all time
Metro entertainment reporter Rob Oliver reveals his top picks – do you agree?
5. The One with the Proposal (S6E24/25) Pairing up Chandler and Monica is one of the best decisions the Friends writers ever made. Bringing Richard back to jeopardise their love, just as Chandler gets ready to propose, makes for an all-timer hour of TV drama. Chandler and Richard’s honest confrontation here is one of the greatest scenes in Friends’ 10-year history, and then that’s somehow topped immediately afterwards by Monica’s tearful proposal to her true love.
4. The One with the Embryos (S4E12) While Phoebe’s away being implanted with Frank and Alice’s triplets, the other five members of the gang knuckle down in Apartment 20 for the ultimate quiz about each other’s lives. The stakes get bigger and bigger as the tension rises and rises, with Ross stepping into the role he was born to play: nerdy quizmaster extraordinaire. In a hilarious turn of events that will live long in the memory for any Friends fan, Chandler and Joey somehow outwit Rachel and Monica to win Apartment 20 from the girls (if only for a few weeks).
3. The One Where No One’s Ready (S3E2) One of the most famous bottle episodes in all of 1990s TV, this 25-minute delight locks the cast of Friends in a single room and lets the chemistry between the six of them create glorious, chaotic fireworks. What a treat it must have been to sit in the live audience and see this one taped. Ross’ important function party at the museum takes a backseat in everyone’s minds as each member of the cast gets a chance to really, really shine in this spectacular farce. It ends with Ross preparing to drink a cup of pure chicken fat – if you know, you know.
2. The One Where Everybody Founds Out (S5E14) Definitely the funniest episode in Friends history, and almost the very best of them. Phoebe, upon discovering that Chandler and Monica are hooking up, decides to play a little game that escalates into some of the most awkward scenes in all of Friends’ 10 seasons. Chandler, aware that Phoebe is in the know about him and Monica, fights back and plays a little game of his own. It’s a battle of who’ll crack first as Phoebe and Chandler get closer than they’ve ever been – brilliantly and uncomfortably so. Say it with me: ‘They don’t knoooow we-know-they-know-we-know.’
1. The One with the Morning After (S3E16) Not the funniest Friends episode but definitely the saddest, and, in my view, the best of the lot. Ross and Rachel’s relationship comes crashing down as the pair argue through the night, and through tears, following Ross’ infidelity. Chandler, Monica, Joey, and Phoebe are trapped in Monica’s bedroom, listening through the door but unable to intervene. Ending Ross and Rachel’s relationship like this is one of the bravest moves the show ever pulled and they handle it expertly, dragging you through hell with the two of them. The world was watching Friends, so the world wanted Ross and Rachel to fall in love – we finally got what we wanted, only to have it ripped away after barely a full season. Ross and Rachel didn’t just break up with each other, they broke up with us all.
Asking whether she has spoken to Schwimmer about this, Kudrow smiled before Fallon told his audience: ‘He knows now.’
This comes after Kudrow previously revealed how Friends writers stayed ‘up late discussing sexual fantasies’ about cast.
In an interview with The Sunday Times she said that while the show projected warmth on screen, things were at times completely different off camera.
‘There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes,’ Kudrow said as she recalled how writers would react harshly if jokes didn’t land during tapings in front of a live audience.
‘If you messed up one of these writers’ lines or it didn’t get the perfect response they could be like, “Can’t the b**** f***ing read? She’s not even trying. She f***ed up my line.”’
She also added that much of the behaviour did not take place in front of the cast, but they were still aware.
She continued: ‘We know that back in the room the guys would be up late discussing their sexual fantasies about Jennifer and Courteney. It was intense.’
Friends is available to watch on HBO Max.
Got a story?
If you’ve got a celebrity story, video or pictures get in touch with the Metro.co.uk entertainment team by emailing us celebtips@metro.co.uk, calling 020 3615 2145 or by visiting our Submit Stuff page – we’d love to hear from you.