Lisa Kudrow has announced that she can finally watch Friends after Matthew Perry’s death, saying she watches it to enjoy his performance instead of focusing on herself. Kudrow appeared on the Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend podcast, titled “Lisa Kudrow Returns,” to discuss her time on the hit show and her new Apple TV+ series Time Bandits. On Friends, Kudrow played the quirky Phoebe Buffay and Perry played the sardonic Chandler Bing, and the beloved sitcom launched the careers of both actors. In October 2023, Perry was found dead at his home at 54 years old. In December, it was determined that his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic used as a treatment for depression and pain management.
During the podcast episode, O’Brien asked Kudrow, his longtime friend, if she was now able to enjoy the show since so many years had passed since she was on it. Kudrow explained that she used to not be able to watch Friends at all, but then she would see him and say ‘That’s enough of that, I can’t bear it,’ and then—well, listen, after Matthew died I could start watching the show again because it wasn’t about me, it had to do with him for some reason.”
Kudrow added that everyone is phenomenally hilarious to her. O’Brien said he remembers a time when Kudrow called him “raving” about Perry, telling him the actor was “so funny,” admitting that there was a part of him that was jealous. O’Brien and Kudrow dated from 1988 to 1993, and Friends started filming in 1994. However, once he saw Perry on the show, he couldn’t help but agree with Kudrow.
O’Brien and Kudrow agreed that Perry had “impeccable timing.” Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home on October 28 and laid to rest at a service for family and friends on November 3. Kudrow, Aniston, Schwimmer, Cox, and LeBlanc released a joint statement two days after Perry was found unresponsive, expressing their collective grief. They are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. They are more than just cast mates. We are a family,” their statement read.
Each of the Friends stars later shared their individual thoughts on the huge loss. Kudrow wrote on Instagram, thanking Perry for making her laugh so hard at something he said, for his open heart in a six-way relationship that required compromise, and for showing up at work when he wasn’t well and then being completely brilliant. Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have, thank you for trusting me, and thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew.