5 things we loved about the ‘Friends’ reunion

After 17 years and an unfathomable legacy, the cast of Friends reunited for the first time ever for HBO Max’s Friends: The Reunion.

Friends ran on NBC from 1994 to 2004, and while there has been no official cast reunion since then (just that iconic selfie), the show never left the forefront of pop culture. New audiences discovered the world of Rachel, Ross, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, and Chandler through Netflix, DVD box sets, and TV reruns. As James Corden notes in the reunion, it has been watched over 100 billion times across all platforms.

So it was about damn time.

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer reunited on their iconic soundstage to look back, play games, and enjoy each other’s company like it’s 1999. Ben Winston directed the special, which features dozens of celebrity cameos, Friends guest stars, and delighted fans in the audience as they watch their favorite friends unite. 

Together, the actors tour the soundstage, recreate Ross’s trivia from “The One With the Embryos,” watch old clips and behind-the-scenes footage, and act out famous scenes in a table read. Everything is intercut with Corden’s cast conversation, interviews with the creators, and Friends fans from around the world sharing their love for the show. 

Here are some of our favorite moments from Friends: The Reunion.

1. They were crushing

Toward the end of the special, Corden asks what so many have wondered and posed before: Did any Friends actors have off-screen romances?

The answer is still no, but Aniston and Schwimmer do illuminate one thing for the first time: they were constantly crushing on each other.

“The first season, I had a major crush on Jen,” Schwimmer says. “At some point we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary.”

Aniston says they channeled their affection for each other into their portrayals of Ross and Rachel, sharing their first kiss on national television and — as the old footage reveals — spooning on the couch between takes!

“How did not everyone know we were crushing on each other?” Schwimmer says, thinking back on that season in particular.

“We knew,” says Perry.

2. A “Smelly Cat” performance for the ages

When Kudrow picks up a guitar in Central Perk, it can only mean one thing: A live rendition of “Smelly Cat.” She sings it as a mix of herself and Phoebe, and then she’s joined by a special guest: Lady Gaga, in full Phoebe cosplay. The international pop singer offers her own rendition with all that Star is Born charisma, and thanks Kudrow for what Phoebe meant to her and to others who were “the different one, or the one that was really herself.”

“Thank you,” says Kudrow. “And thanks for carrying it along.”

3. Matt LeBlanc’s injury

Things got a little out of hand — er, arm? — while filming “The One Where No One’s Ready.” We’re not talking about Joey wearing all of Chandler’s clothes, either. The cast revealed that LeBlanc dislocated his shoulder while jumping into Chandler’s chair, an injury that delayed completing the episode and got Joey’s sling written into the show. 

The actors watch old outtakes where LeBlanc jumps into the chair, injures his shoulder, then walks nonchalantly into Monica’s bedroom, where we hear a sickening pop. It also happened to be the one time, LeBlanc reveals, when the cast skipped their traditional pre-tape huddle — something they were sure to never miss again.

4. The cameos

Friends brought in dozens of guest stars over its 10 seasons, many of whom were A-list celebrities. Bringing all of them back for the special would’ve been impossible, so instead we get a few mainstays that hold a special place in fans’ hearts. Monica and Ross’s parents (Christina Pickles and Elliot Gould) crash the Corden interview, as does Chandler’s recurring ex-girlfriend Janice (Maggie Wheeler) — even Gunther (James Michael Tyler) Zoomed in, because what’s a Friends reunion without him? During trivia, Schwimmer reveals Mr Heckles (Larry Hankin) in full costume, and Thomas Lennon as Joey’s hand twin from Las Vegas — whom LeBlanc recognizes from his hands alone. Where’s their spinoff?

5. The emotion

What ties every part of the special together, no matter how disparate, is how much audiences really, truly love Friends. From David Beckham to Kit Harington to Malala Yousafzai, everyone has a favorite episode they know by heart and love to discuss. Almost halfway through the special, there’s a montage of Friends fans from around the world talking about what the show means to them — helping them through personal hardships, isolation, and milestones because they felt like they had this group of friends there for support. 

Of course, no one is more emotional than the titular Friends. Footage from behind-the-scenes of the finale shows them enjoying a private moment with creators Marta Kauffman, David Crane, and Kevin Bright, away from the cameras and audiences. As the special draws to a close, tears start flowing, with Cox saying they’ll never be together for something like this again.

And when asked about a revival, the answer was the same as ever, with Kudrow sticking up for the show runners’ vision and ending. 

“That’s all up to Marta and David,” she says. “I once heard them say, and I completely agree, that they ended the show very nicely — everyone’s lives are very nice, and they would have to unravel all those good things in order for there to be stories. Yeah, I don’t want anyone’s happy ending unraveled.”

Neither do we, but endings are always hard — which is probably why Friends is still so popular.

Friends: The Reunion is now streaming on HBO Max.