If you think the Friends gang only had drama like “We were on a break!” on screen, think again. Behind that Central Perk couch and unlimited coffees, the actors went through hurt feelings, accidents, strange monkey business, and some genuinely heavy stuff. And yes, despite all that, they still love each other, but getting there was not all hugs and clap-clap-clap-clap fountain dancing.
Matthew Perry’s struggle in plain sight
While Chandler Bing was cracking jokes, Matthew Perry was fighting addiction. He struggled with alcohol and prescription painkillers for years and later admitted he doesn’t remember filming not just scenes, but entire freaking seasons! The rest of the cast could only watch as he cycled through rehab, relapse, serious illness, and dangerous levels of substance use. In 2001, Perry finally reached a breaking point, checked into rehab again, and got sober. One of Friends’ darkest off-camera stories, it serves as a reminder that even the funniest person in the room may be grappling with a challenging battle and in need of support.
Paul Rudd vs. Jennifer Aniston’s toe
Paul Rudd’s stint as Mike Hannigan was adorable after he almost ran over one of the main cast members. On his first day, Jennifer Aniston already had a broken toe and was scooting around the filming set on a Segway. Everyone wanted to give that ride a try. Rudd climbed on, spun around, and drove straight over her injured foot. Yikes! He saw the color drain from the producers’ faces and heard Jennifer’s scream. Luckily, she forgave him, and they let him keep the job, so Mike and Phoebe still got their happily ever after.
David Schwimmer vs. Marcel the Monkey
Ross adored his pet monkey, Marcel. David Schwimmer absolutely did not. The animal, who was actually a female monkey named Katie, was cute on screen and a not-so-cute diva off it. Schwimmer had to deal with retakes, bathroom breaks, chaos, and quickly grew sick of sharing scenes with a tiny, furry co-star. At one point, Katie bolted up into the rafters of the sound stage and refused to come down for half an hour. The crew finally lured her back with some nasty treats, but that’s probably why the writers wrote her off.
Phoebe’s secret guitar problem
Could you ever believe that Lisa Kudrow hated playing the guitar? Wild, I know. She even got a teacher, but struggled for a while, got sick of the aching fingers, and asked the producers to let Phoebe play bongos instead. Eventually, everyone realized that Phoebe being kind of terrible at guitar was actually the funniest option. Kudrow learned a few basic chords, quit lessons, and leaned into the cringe, blessing the fans with “Smelly Cat,” several bad coffeehouse performances, and, years later, a duet with Taylor Swift.
The cast vs. Rachel and Joey
It wasn’t just fans who hated the Rachel-and-Joey romance in Season 8 because the rest of the cast did, too. Matt LeBlanc later revealed that all six actors basically ambushed creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman to complain that it felt wildly inappropriate, like everyone was cheating on Ross. The writers stuck with it anyway, because chaos is good for ratings. In the end, the whole fling existed for one reason: to postpone Ross and Rachel’s happy ending for a couple more seasons, but it will always remain as one of the most awkward arcs in the show.
Lisa Kudrow thought she’d be fired
Today, it’s impossible to imagine anyone but Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe, but she was convinced she’d get fired before even spending one week on the set. She’d already been let go from Frasier during rehearsals, and when she realized the same director was on Friends, she started panicking. The director kept asking why they (the characters) were friends with her Phoebe, which is a good point, but on the other hand, it’s a sitcom, so who cares? Kudrow was sure they’d decide Phoebe didn’t work and cut her. Thankfully, they didn’t, giving us some of the funniest scenes and reaction GIFs.
Jennifer Aniston had to flirt with her ex on camera
Out of all the guest stars who wandered through Central Perk, Tate Donovan probably drew the worst card. He played Joshua, Rachel’s crush from Bloomingdale’s. The irony lies in the fact that he and Jennifer were experiencing a real-life breakup concurrently, thereby intensifying the awkwardness of their pairing. Donovan later said he felt like he was “dying inside” the whole time, and they eventually asked not to extend the storyline. So if those episodes feel a little emotionally weird, that’s because you’re watching two people fake a fresh romance while their actual relationship just sits there in the corner, slowly decaying.
