Friends has had a lasting impact on fans.
Premiering 30 years ago on Sept. 22, 1994, the series revolving around six friends living in New York City quickly received critical acclaim and became one of the most popular television shows of all time.
Not only did it skyrocket the careers of its ensemble cast, including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, but the cast has maintained a close friendship in real life since the show went off the air in May 2004.
In addition to various reunions over the years, the cast notably got back together for HBO’s Friends: The Reunion special in 2021 — not knowing it would be their last gathering as the core six before Perry’s death in 2023.
To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Friends, see what the cast has been up to since the show ended.
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Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green
Jennifer Aniston played Rachel Green, who became so much more than the shopping-obsessed runaway bride we met in season 1. Not only did her character land a coveted job at Ralph Lauren, but she also — much to everyone’s delight — finally ended up with Ross in the show’s series finale.
Since Friends, the Golden Globe winner earned laughs in memorable films such as Horrible Bosses (2011), We’re the Millers (2013), Horrible Bosses 2 (2014) and both Murder Mystery films (2019, 2023). She has also taken dramatic turns in indies like Cake (2014) and The Yellow Birds (2017).
In 2019, she returned to television with her Friends on-screen sister — played by Reese Witherspoon — on Apple TV+’s The Morning Show, earning two Emmy nominations and one Screen Actors Guild Award.
Outside of work, she had high-profile marriages to Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux.
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David Scwhimmer as Ross Geller
Oh, Ross Geller. We rooted for David Schwimmer’s paleontologist-turned-professor despite not always agreeing with his decisions throughout the show’s 10-year run.
Cut to 2016, and within a few seconds of viewing The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, audiences completely forgot about his Friends character and became enraptured by his portrayal of the late defense attorney Robert Kardashian.
Schwimmer had a seven-episode arc on the Will & Grace reboot’s second season as Grace’s foe-turned-boyfriend, Noah (2018–2019). From 2020 to 2023, he starred as Jerry Bernstein on the British cyber crimes comedy Intelligence — created by his costar, Nick Mohammed.
Off-screen, he’s dad to a daughter with his ex-wife, British artist Zoë Buckman.
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Courteney Cox as Monica Geller
Hands down, the most organized friend — Courteney Cox’s Monica Geller won us over with her neurotic antics and, of course, her super-romantic proposal to Chandler, which left us crying for longer than we care to admit.
Since the series wrapped, are you even surprised the Friends star went on to find more success in her career? Not only did Cox star on ABC’s Cougar Town, which ran from 2009 to 2015, but she also directed a handful of its episodes, as well as her first feature film, Just Before I Go, in 2014. Cox returned to the small screen in 2022 for the Starz comedy-horror series Shining Vale.
She’s divorced from David Arquette, though the friendly exes co-parent daughter Coco and reunited on-screen in 2022 for Scream, the fifth movie in the iconic slasher film franchise. (Cox’s Gale Weathers also returned for Scream VI in 2023.) Since 2013, the actress has been in a relationship with Snow Patrol musician Johnny McDaid.
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Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay
Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay provided comic relief during theatrical moments on the show, and in that same vein, introduced us to our favorite song of the ’90s, “Smelly Cat.” Phoebe also married Mike. (And, let’s be real, who wouldn’t want to end up with Paul Rudd?)
Following her time on the show, Kudrow has stayed busy with roles on TV shows such as The Comeback, Web Therapy, Space Force and Time Bandits and in films including The Girl on the Train (2016), Long Shot (2019), Like a Boss (2020) and Better Nate Than Ever (2022).
IRL she is married to advertising exec Michel Stern, with whom she has a son named Julian.
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Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
Sure, Joey Tribbiani might have been a bit of a ladies’ man — okay, a big ladies’ man — but his charm and timeless opening line (“How you doin’?”) made the soap opera actor all the more lovable.
Since coming off of Friends, Matt LeBlanc has found much success, earning a 2012 Golden Globe Award for his role in Showtime’s comedy Episodes, which aired from 2011 to 2017. He also led the People’s Choice Award-winning CBS series Man with a Plan for four seasons from 2016 to 2020.
Divorced from wife Melissa McKnight, he’s also a father to daughter Marina.
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Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
Leave it to Matthew Perry’s Chandler Bing to deliver a sarcastic remark or punch line, which would never fail to make us cackle uncontrollably. Not only did the character keep us laughing throughout the show’s run, but it simultaneously made us “aww” whenever he and Monica shared a sweet moment.
The actor stayed busy during and after Friends, starring on the big screen opposite Hollywood giants like Salma Hayek and Bruce Willis, and eventually transitioning back to TV on The Good Wife, Go On and The Odd Couple.
After struggling with sobriety, he went on to help others living with drug and alcohol addictions. In 2018, he suffered a gastrointestinal perforation that left him bedridden for three months. Perry wrote about his experience with fame and substance abuse in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
On Oct. 28, 2023, Perry was found dead at a Los Angeles-area home, TMZ reported, citing law enforcement sources.
An autopsy report obtained by PEOPLE in December 2023 revealed the actor died from acute effects of ketamine, with contributing factors including drowning, coronary artery disease and the effects of buprenorphine (a medication used to treat opioid use disorder).
On Aug. 15, 2024, five individuals — including two doctors and Perry’s personal live-in assistant — were arrested in connection with his accidental overdose. Three have pleaded guilty, while the other two, Jasveen Sangha and Dr. Salvador Plasencia, have pleaded not guilty.
Source: People
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