It’s been more than two decades since the cast of Friends, one of the biggest shows of the ’90s, took their final bow. Years later, the show is still popular in reruns and on streaming. Many of the show’s famous catchphrases—”We were on a break!”—remain active in the culture. Yet in a new interview, Phoebe actress Lisa Kudrow spoke harshly about the male writers on Friends.
Lisa Kudrow – Friends, YouTube
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The behind-the-scenes information may not come as a surprise to longtime fans. That said, many critics online are unsympathetic.
Why Friends Still Endures
In a lengthy interview with The Times of London, Kudrow spoke fondly of her time on Friends and her castmates. When asked why she thinks the sitcom remains popular enough to earn her $20 million a year in residuals, Kudrow quipped, “Because Phoebe Buffay was so great?”
She went on to praise the rest of the cast: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc. But she reserved special praise for Matthew Perry, who died in 2023. “He was just beyond us all,” she said.
Matthew Perry and Lisa Kudrow on Friends – Warner Bros. TV, YouTube
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Speculating on why the show continues to be rediscovered by new generations, Kudrow said, “Friends captured a kind of innocence that maybe a younger generation has never got to experience.” However, Lisa Kudrow added that the male writers on Friends challenged that sense of innocence during production. “There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes,” she said.
Harsh Comments from the Writers’ Room
The NBC sitcom was shot on the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. Lisa Kudrow explained that the Friends writers’ room was composed of 12-15 staff members, mostly men. “Don’t forget we were recording in front of a live audience of 400, and if you messed up one of these writers’ lines or it didn’t get the perfect response they could be like, ‘Can’t the bi–h f—ing read? She’s not even trying. She f—ed up my line,'” Kudrow recalled.
Critics have pointed out that some of those lines—not simply their delivery—were what made Lisa Kudrow and the others stars.
“Wow they were a bit obnoxious while making you 50 million dollars and a superstar,” wrote one user on X. “I’m so sorry Lisa.”
Wow they were a bit obnoxious while making you 50 million dollars and a superstar I’m so sorry Lisa
— Aaron (@Lisa202312) April 28, 2026
However, Lisa Kudrow suggested that male writers on Friends said other things behind closed doors that she found even more offensive.
Kudrow Says Off-Camera Comments Were Worse
“We know that back in the room the guys would be up late discussing their sexual fantasies about Jennifer and Courteney. It was intense,” Kudrow explained. “Oh, it could be brutal, but these guys—and it was mostly men in there—were sitting up until 3 a.m. trying to write the show so my attitude was, ‘Say what you like about me behind my back because then it doesn’t matter.'”
Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston – Friends, YouTube
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Variety notes that the crass behavior of the male writers on Friends is a matter of public record. During the show’s sixth season, writers’ assistant Amaani Lyle filed a lawsuit against Warner Bros. Television over conduct in the writers’ room. It eventually made its way to the Supreme Court, where it was dismissed. The Court determined that that coarse environment was a necessary part of the work.
A More Complicated Legacy for a Beloved Sitcom
Lisa Kudrow’s comments about the male writers on Friends are a reminder that popular entertainment can emerge from imperfect environments. Nostalgia often centers on what appeared onscreen, while time gradually reveals what was happening off it. This latest account of comments made behind closed doors is unlikely to dent the sitcom’s enduring popularity. Still, it adds a layer of complexity to the seemingly effortless formula that made the show resonate.
Do these comments change how you feel about Friends? Sound off in the comments and let us know!
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1. Made millions off Men.
2. Used Shows popularity for future Roles.
3. Stopped Acting once she hit The Wall.
4. Blame the people responsible for her success.
5. Play Victim after backlash.
It’s like Clockwork with these whöres……….
And yet she cashed all those paychecks; and still gets a cut from reruns– cry a f*ckin’ river, Kudrow…
Shut up, ugly old whore.
“Awaiting for approval: Spam”
Pls don’t get censoring us, now, TPP.
My “waiting for approval” comment (censored) points out all women do exactly the same thing, being bitchy about men behind men’s backs. Extremely b**tchy. (Not even the balls to do it to our faces).
And, unlike men, women are extremely b**chy about one another, even more than about men! And, feminists are the worst. Hypocrites!
When in company, women compliment each other, but they don’t mean it.
Another thing I’d like to point out is that, in Sitcoms, it’s the men who are funny. Women are there to be laughed at, or to be hot. (Or both).
When women are written as “Strong women”, they are about as funny as cancer. Unless the writers put them there to mock them as being a Mary Sue, girlboss PITA.
An example is “Big Bang Theory”. The ditzy blonde was there to be laughed at, and be hot. This was a successful formula. But, when they introduced the girlfriends in general, the show became annoying.
From the UK, the Only Fools and Horses sitcom was at its best before the women were cast (as girlfriends). They were supposed to make us laugh, but they just ruined the show. (They dragged the show on far too long).
That’s evolutionary psychology.
P.S. the upshot is that, in Friends, the men carried the show. If you had removed the actresses then the show could have worked just fine, but never vice versa. Remove the men and, no comedy.
Shut up, you old fool. Their writing hid your lack of acting skills and made you popular and brought to your account millions of undeserved money.