An update on the Central Perk gang.
Almost two decades since it went off the air, Friends remains the ultimate sitcom to many fans around the world.
While numerous earlier sitcoms had explored families and workplaces, this was one of the first to focus primarily on the social and romantic lives of a group of young people.
Viewers quickly became emotionally invested in the will-they-won’t-they dynamic between Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston), although another couple on the show proved to be a more suitable pairing.
Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) and Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) had fewer fallings out, but were dealt the upsetting revelation that they would not be able to conceive a child together.
Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) and Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) were the wild cards of the group, who delivered some of the show’s most memorable moments and iconic lines.
But what have the Friends cast gone on to do since the show ended? Here’s your complete guide to where they are now.
Jennifer Aniston plays Rachel Green
What has Jennifer Aniston done since Friends? Aniston has enjoyed arguably the most successful film career of all her Friends colleagues, becoming particularly well-known for starring in romantic comedies and dramas.
Her projects have grossed more than $1.6 billion at the global box office, with the most successful titles being Bruce Almighty ($484m), We’re the Millers ($267m), Marley & Me ($247m), Just Go With It ($214m) and Horrible Bosses ($212m).
She has teamed up with comic actor Adam Sandler on multiple occasions, starting with 2011’s Just Go With It and continuing with Netflix’s Murder Mystery and its 2023 sequel.
Recently, Aniston has flexed more dramatic muscles, earning a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in hard-hitting indie drama Cake, and an Emmy nod for her Apple TV+ series The Morning Show.
David Schwimmer plays Ross Geller
What had David Schwimmer done since Friends? After Friends wrapped up, Schwimmer temporarily shifted focus behind-the-camera, taking directing jobs on spin-off show Joey and Little Britain USA.
He also directed the 2007 comedy film Run, Fatboy, Run, which starred Simon Pegg as an unlikely marathon contender and recurring Friends star Hank Azaria (aka unlucky scientist David) as his bitter rival.
More recently, Schwimmer has returned to the screen, earning acclaim for his portrayal of Robert Kardashian in American Crime Story: The People v OJ Simpson. He also co-stars opposite Ted Lasso’s Nick Mohammed in Sky comedy Intelligence.
However, his most successful post-Friends role has been as neurotic giraffe Melman in the Madagascar films from Dreamworks Animation, which have collectively grossed almost $2 billion at the global box office.
Courteney Cox plays Monica Geller/Bing
What has Courteney Cox done since Friends? Cox’s first major gig after Friends ended was the FX comedy-drama Dirt, where she played the editor-in-chief of a gossipy tabloid magazine.
The show featured a guest appearance from Jennifer Aniston, but was ultimately cancelled after its second season, which itself was cut short by the 2007 writers strike.
Cox had more luck returning to the sitcom business with Cougar Town, inhabiting the role of 40-something divorcee Jules Cobb for six seasons – and earning a Golden Globe nomination in the process.
More recently, she has teamed with Greg Kinnear for the horror-comedy Shining Vale, with the duo portraying a dysfunctional married couple who move into an old house with a dark past. It has been renewed for a second season.
Further boosting her genre credentials, Cox continues to appear in the slasher franchise Scream as hard-nosed journalist Gale Weathers. In 2023, she won the MTV Movie Award for Best Fight following her latest clash with Ghostface.
Matthew Perry plays Chandler Bing
What has Matthew Perry done since Friends? Perry kicked off his post-Friends career on a high note with Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, a showbiz comedy-drama from Academy Award-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin.
Although it received positive reviews, viewership was not deemed strong enough for it to continue past season 1.
The actor went on to star in a couple more one-hit wonders – Mr Sunshine and Go On – before finding greater success with a reboot of The Odd Couple, which ran for three seasons on US broadcaster CBS.
His most recent screen role was in 2017, when he portrayed politician Ted Kennedy in a two-part miniseries titled The Kennedys: After Camelot.
During a break from acting, Perry wrote a candid autobiography titled ‘Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir’, for which former co-star Lisa Kudrow wrote the foreword. It was praised for detailing his battle with addiction.
Lisa Kudrow plays Phoebe Buffay
What has Lisa Kudrow done since Friends? Immediately after Friends ended, Kudrow jumped ship to premium broadcaster HBO, where she co-created and starred in The Comeback.
The series lampooned the rise of the reality TV genre, following former sitcom actor Valerie Cherish as she desperately attempts to recapture her fleeting fame. It was cancelled in 2o05 after its first season, but came back in 2014 with a celebrated revival.
Kudrow also co-created Web Therapy, which began life as an online-only series before being picked up by US network Showtime, where she played self-obsessed therapist Fiona Wallice.
Besides her own projects, Kudrow has popped up in guest or recurring roles in Scandal, Bojack Horseman, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, The Good Place, Space Force and Feel Good.
Meanwhile, her film credits include Easy A, Bad Neighbours and its sequel, The Boss Baby and Booksmart.
Matt LeBlanc plays Joey Tribbiani
What has Matt LeBlanc done since Friends? LeBlanc’s Friends journey didn’t end with the TV show, as he was handed his very own spin-off following the further misadventures of actor Joey Tribbiani.
Unfortunately, Joey did not share the quality writing of its predecessor and viewership quickly dropped as a result, causing NBC to cancel the show after its second season.
LeBlanc took a break from acting at that point, but returned to the screen in showbiz comedy Episodes, where he played a heightened version of himself which initially leaned into his Joey persona.
He went on to guest star in Kudrow’s Web Therapy, before shifting into presenting with a four-season stint on the BBC’s long-running motoring show Top Gear.
LeBlanc also found further sitcom success in CBS’s Man with a Plan, where he plays an old-fashioned father who juggles parenting duties with his busy job as a self-employed contractor.
Friends is available to stream on Netflix. Sign up for Netflix from £4.99 a month. Netflix is also available on Sky Glass and Virgin Media Stream.
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