Lisa Kudrow Didn’t Like To Rewatch ‘Friends’—But Then Costar Matthew Perry Passed Away

Phoebe Buffay is one of the most iconic characters in TV show history—but for the longest time, actress Lisa Kudrow couldn’t stand to watch herself in Friends.

“When I would see parts of it or something and see myself, depending on my mood, I’d be like ‘Ugh, come on, just stop it. Why’d you do that?'” she told Capital FM.

But things have changed for Kudrow over the years, and the two biggest events that got her to rewatch old Friends episodes? Covid and costar Matthew Perry’s death.

“During Covid, I found I needed to watch multi-camera comedies with jokes that make you laugh, and that’s what I needed to calm down,” Kudrow explained. “Then that was my ritual before going to bed. I just wanted to laugh a couple of times before going to bed. I sort of cycled through all the shows that made me laugh and then went, ‘Okay, I think now you can watch Friends.’”

Years later, when Matthew Perry, who played Chandler, passed away, Kudrow said that being able to watch the two of them on screen ultimately helped her deal with the grief.

“After Matthew [Perry] passed away, there were marathons [of ‘Friends’], and that was really comforting, watching the show,” Kudrow said. “Also just because it makes me laugh. And there he was, and he was so funny. Like, the funniest. Sorry, everybody else.”

Ultimately, these events helped Kudrow understand why people found the show so soothing, even if it wasn’t something she’d experienced at first.

 “You realize how important that kind of escape, with a laugh, that just makes you feel good that there are people connecting that love each other and give each other a hard time but are there for each other,” she said. “There’s something important, kind of healing, about it. I had heard there were studies people with depression—you know, moderate to mild depression—watching ‘Friends’ and then it improved their emotional state.”