Lisa Kudrow Started Watching ‘Friends’ After Matthew Perry’s Death

Lisa Kudrow shared that she's only been able to watch Friends after the death of co-star Matthew Perry.Kudrow touched on this during an appearance on Conan O'Brien Needs A Friend. Coincidently, Kudrow's appearance on the podcast is apt since she is a longtime friend of O'Brien's for decades, dating before she became a household name from Friends."I used to not be able to watch it at all," said Kudrow. "I mean, I'd see it on and be mildly interested, and then I'd see me and say, 'That's enough of that.' I can't bear it. After Matthew died, I could start watching the show again, because it wasn't about me. It had to do with him for some reason." She continued, "So, I have started watching 'Friends,' not started like [from] season one, but there are marathons on, and I have spent at times, since he died, all day long watching the show...Everyone is phenomenally hilarious to me."O'Brien then talked about how Kudrow would call and tell him during the early days of Friends just how funny Perry was. In the back of his mind, O'Brien admitted to being a little bit jealous that this new guy was making his close friend laugh so much, when that was what he did. Kudrow reassured him that he's still the funniest person she's met, but when she first started working with Perry, she was in awe of the way he played Chandler Bing, particularly he's comedic timing. https://youtu.be/-s2f5TEMWow?si=B5BxycphkPymMT_p [inlink id="matthew-perry-dies-at-54" text="Perry died on October 28, 2023 at age 54"]. Following his death, the surviving cast members of Friends [inlink id="friends-cast-issues-statement-on-death-of-matthew-perry" text="shared a joint statement on his passing"]. Afterward, they each shared individual statements in tribute to Perry.Kudrow was the [inlink id="lisa-kudrow-honors-matthew-perry-with-heartfelt-tribute" text="last cast member to share an individual tribute"], which she did via Instagram. She shared a vintage photo of her with Perry before Friends even premiered. Kudrow wrote as the caption, "Shot the pilot, 'Friends Like Us,' got picked up, then immediately, we were at the NBC Upfronts." She continued, "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." Kudrow added, "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." She sweetly concluded, "Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew."