More than two decades after Friends ended its legendary run, Lisa Kudrow is shedding light on what she describes as "brutal" behavior from the show's writers. In a recent interview with The Times, the actress alleged that writers—mostly men—engaged in inappropriate conversations behind the scenes.
"There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes," Kudrow told the publication. She recalled that if a cast member flubbed a line during live tapings, writers could be harsh. "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---h f--king read?’"
But more troubling, according to Kudrow, was what happened when the cameras weren't rolling. "We knew that back in the room the guys would be up late discussing their sexual fantasies about Jennifer and Courteney," she alleged, referring to costars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox. "It was intense."
Despite the troubling atmosphere, Kudrow tried to maintain perspective. "My attitude was, ‘Say what you like about me behind my back because then it doesn’t matter,’" she said. She also acknowledged the writers' immense pressure, noting that they often "were sitting up until 3 a.m. trying to write the show."
E! News reached out to representatives for Aniston, Cox, NBC, Bright Kauffman Crane Productions, and Warner Bros. Discovery but had not received a response at the time of publication.
Kudrow emphasized that her criticism does not extend to the series itself. "It’s still incredible work," she said. "There are plenty of shows with big-name comedians from that time and they are not funny, but Friends is."
Following the death of Matthew Perry in October 2024, Kudrow revisited the series and was struck by the cast's performances. "I felt I did OK, but Jennifer and Courteney? Amazing," she said. "David and Matt? They had me laughing so hard. And then Matthew—he was just beyond us all."