Are the Friends cast friends in real life?

Yes, the cast of Friends are close friends in their personal lives.

Friends is known worldwide as one of the most popular American television sitcoms. The series started on September 22, 1994, having its 10-year journey with 10 seasons ending on May 6, 2004. Originally airing on NBC and created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, the series revolved around the lives, relationships, and comedic misadventures of six friends, Ross, Monica, Rachel, Phoebe, Chandler, and Joey, living in Manhattan, New York City.

The show explores themes of friendship, love, and career aspirations, often through humorous and relatable scenarios. Friends became a highly popular series for their ensemble cast, witty dialogue, and memorable catchphrases. The series also went on to have a spinoff series revolving around the life of one of the main characters Joey. Over its ten-season run, Friends became a cultural phenomenon, earning numerous awards and maintaining a lasting legacy in television history.

Are the cast of Friends also friends in real life?

While the cast of Friends were quite close and comfortable with each other during the production of the series, the group were also huge supporters of each other in their personal lives. During a conversation with Entertainment Weekly, Lisa Kudrow who played the role of Phoebe Buffet stated that it took some effort to maintain a long-lasting relationship with each other. She said, "We really did get along, we also worked hard at being friends. That six-way relationship took some work and we did it.” She also stated, "If someone said something or did something, it didn't get too big, because it was, 'Can I talk to you?' Usually not me because I had to learn to — 'Can I talk to you about something?' Because I never knew that was allowed. But I saw it modeled really well by Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston and Matt LeBlanc."

On explaining how the friends cast maintained a great bond even years after the series finals, Mathew Perry explained during their reunion episode, "The best way that I can describe it is after the show was over, at a party or any kind of social gathering, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it. That was the end of the night," He continued, “You just sat with the person all night long and that was it, you apologized to the people you were with, but they had to understand you had met somebody special to you and you were going to talk to that person for the rest of the night. And that’s the way it worked."

The Friends' reaction to Mathew Perry’s passing

The late actor Matthew Perry, who was loved and recognized for his part as Chandler Bing in Friends, was reported dead in October 2023 in his apartment in Los Angeles. While the cast was devastated by his passing, they came together and shared a joint statement to People Magazine, which stated, “We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss." The statement continued, "In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.”