Lisa Kudrow has lifted the lid on what she described as a far less ‘innocent’ atmosphere behind the scenes of Friends.
The 62-year-old starred as Phoebe Buffay for all 10 seasons of the blockbuster sitcom, that was the world’s number one show from 1994 to 2004.
Alongside Jennifer Aniston, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry, Kudrow became one of the most successful television actors in history.
In a new interview with The Sunday Times she said that while the show projected warmth and camaraderie on screen, things could be markedly different off camera, particularly among the predominantly male writing team.
‘There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes,’ Kudrow said, recalling how writers would react harshly if jokes didn’t land during tapings in front of a live audience of around 400 people.
‘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 added that much of the behaviour happened out of earshot of the cast, but what she did hear left an impression.
‘We know that back in the room the guys would be up late discussing their sexual fantasies about Jennifer and Courteney. It was intense.’
Kudrow said she largely chose to ignore the comments, reasoning that the writers were under pressure to deliver for one of the biggest shows on television at the time.
‘These guys — and it was mostly men in there — were sitting up until 3am trying to write the show, so my attitude was, “Say what you like about me behind my back because then it doesn’t matter.”’
The claims echo long-standing reports about the culture inside the Friends writers’ room, which was thrust into the spotlight in the early 2000s when writers’ assistant Amaani Lyle filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Television.
Lyle alleged that she was required to document conversations that included explicit sexual remarks and inappropriate behaviour, including discussions about cast members.
The case ultimately reached the US Supreme Court, which ruled against her, concluding that the environment was part of the creative process.
Despite this, Friends remains one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time, with its cast — including Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox — famously forming a close bond behind the scenes and negotiating equal pay deals that saw them become some of the highest-paid actors in television history.
Kudrow acknowledged that the show captured a kind of cultural moment that still resonates today, even if she knows it existed in a complicated reality.
The actress has been forthcoming about the behind-the-scenes details of the hit show in recent months, telling The Independent that while other cast members were suddenly heavily sought after, the phone didn’t start ringing for Kudrow like it did for her co-stars.
‘Nobody cared about me,’ she told the publication. ‘There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as “the sixth Friend”.’
She continued: ‘There was no vision for me, and no expectations about the kind of career I could have. There was just, like, “Boy is she lucky she got on that show.”’
Kudrow eventually became the first Friends cast member to win an Emmy in 1998, clinching the trophy for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series.
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