Lisa Kudrow Wouldn't Rewatch 'Friends' for Years – Now She Is to Remember the Beloved Matthew Perry

Lisa Kudrow, known for her role on Friends as the eccentric Phoebe Buffay, has recently admitted to The Hollywood Reporter that she has taken to rewatching  the hit sitcom — and the reason is truly touching.

“Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK,” she told the outlet in a recent interview. “And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].”

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How Lisa Kudrow paid tribute to Matthew Perry after his death

Her co-star from the famed sitcom passed away in October of 2023 due to acute effects of ketamine. His passing was unexpected and shocked the world, but especially hit his Friends co-stars – who he starred alongside for 10 seasons – from 1994 to 2004.

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Kudrow paid tribute to Perry soon after his passing with a touching post shared to her Instagram account.

“Shot the pilot, Friends Like Us, got picked up then immediately, we were at the NBC Upfronts. Then…You suggested we play poker AND made it so much fun while we initially bonded. Thank you for that. Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY.”

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The post continued, “Thank you for your open heart in a six way relationship that required compromise. And a lot of ‘talking.’ Thank you for showing up at work when you weren’t well and then, being completely brilliant. Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for all I learned about GRACE and LOVE through knowing you. Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew.”

Lisa Kudrow now enjoys looking back on ‘Friends’

“I’m laughing out loud, and everyone is hilarious,” she told The Hollywood Reporter of her rewatch. “I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen [Jennifer Aniston]. Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him. Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done,” she said with a chuckle.

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Kudrow has often looked back fondly on her time filming Friends, especially the experiences she got to enjoy with Perry long before his passing. With the series finale’s recent 20-year anniversary, watching the show back is her “own little way of celebrating.”

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“You’re just laughing all day long, basically, in between the scenes, because these are funny people. And especially someone like Matthew, whose goal was: How many laughs can I get in real life every day? So we were always laughing so hard, tears were flying out of our faces,” she recalled.

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