When the rain starts to fall, the cast of “Friends” will be there to brighten things up. For 10 seasons, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc played the most famous group of friends on the planet, starring on the hit NBC comedy “Friends.” Now, 17 years after the show’s series finale, the cast has reunited for the first time as part of “Friends: The Reunion,” a special event debuting on HBO Max. The special combines interviews with the cast and creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman with surprise appearances from Lady Gaga, Kit Harington, Justin Bieber, and many others.
Here are five burning questions to know about “Friends.”
Did any of the “Friends” cast date?
While there have long been rumors about the cast of “Friends,” none of its six stars were ever officially in a relationship together. But during “Friends: The Reunion” on HBO Max, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston — who played will-they-won’t-they couple Ross and Rachel on the NBC comedy — did confirm they had a mutual crush on each other. As Aniston recalled, she even expressed some slight dismay that their first kiss would happen on the air. It turned out, that’s exactly what happened and Schwimmer and Aniston never consummated their shared affection off-screen.
What fruit is Ross from “Friends” allergic to?
During the Season 2 episode “The One With the Baby on the Bus,” it’s revealed Ross is allergic to kiwi fruit after eating a pie made by his sister, Monica. Ross’ allergies were not brought up during the “Friends” reunion special, although Schwimmer did recall how much he hated sharing screen time with Marcel the monkey.
What are the “Friends” cast ages?
When “Friends” first began airing in 1994, its characters were all in their mid-to-late 20s. Likewise, most of the actors were in that age range too — in fact, only Lisa Kudrow was over 30 when the show first started. Here are the “Friends” cast ages in 2021:
Jennifer Aniston: 52 years old (Aniston turned 52 on February 11)
Courteney Cox: 56 years old (Cox turns 57 on June 15)
Lisa Kudrow: 57 years old (Kudrow turns 58 on July 30)
David Schwimmer: 54 years old (Schwimmer turns 55 on November 2)
Matthew Perry: 51 years old (Perry turns 52 on August 19)
Matt LeBlanc: 53 years old (LeBlanc turns 54 on July 25)
How much did the “Friends” cast make?
When “Friends” first started, each member of the cast reportedly made roughly $22,500 per episode. But as the show became a global phenomenon and as their shared profiles began to rise, the salary figures increased as well. By the time the show was winding down, all six stars were making $1 million per episode.
For the one-time reunion special, that number reportedly quadrupled. According to Deadline, the six cast members were apparently paid anywhere between $3 and $4 million to return for the event, and each star received an executive producer credit for their trouble.
When is the “Friends” reunion airing?
“Friends: The Reunion,” the HBO Max special event that reunites the cast of “Friends” on television for the first time since the series finale in 2004, debuted Thursday, May 27 on HBO Max. “Friends: The Reunion” is now available to HBO Max.
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