Whether you have watched Friends or not, you must have heard someone from your group go “How You Doin’?” or maybe, someone humming a song with the words ‘Smelly’ and ‘Cat’ being repeated in a not-so-rythemic pattern. It’s been more than 20 years since the last episode of Friends aired. If you’re wondering where the cast of Friends is right now, we have detailed information about their current working status. We have also compared then and now photos of Friends cast members.
1. Courtney Cox as Monica Geller
Courteney Cox appears in the cast of Friends as Monica Geller, the most organized of the group and the one we would refer to as the Mom among all of them. Monica eventually gets married to Chandler, giving us one of the most iconic proposal scenes we have ever witnessed on television.
After the conclusion of Friends, Courtney Cox’s career only moved upwards. She then starred in ABC’s Cougar Town from 2009 to 2015. She also directed a few episodes in the show and made her first feature film in 2014 titled Before I Go in 2014. She also returned to television with Shining Vale in 2022. Courtney also appeared in Scream 5 in 2022, where she worked alongside David Arquette, whom she had divorced some time back. She then reappeared in Scream 6 in 2023.
2. David Schwimmer as Ross Geller
Played by David Schwimmer, Ross Geller is a paleontologist and later turns into a professor. He also dated Rachel for a while and had a baby with her, even though they were not together until the final season. Ross is the one character who has a love-hate relationship with the audience since sometimes, they would love Ross for his generous gestures towards his friends, but sometimes Ross would get a lot of hate for the decisions he made.
After Friends, David appeared in The People v. O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story in 2016 as Robert Kardashian and won over people all over again. He also appeared in a seven-episode arc of Will & Grace Season 2 as Noah in 2018, and then he appeared on Intelligence, a British cybercrime comedy TV show, from 2020 to 2023. David has also been the voice of Melman in the Madagascar franchise. Most recently, David Schwimmer appeared in Goosebumps: The Vanishing on Disney+.
3. Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green
Appearing in Friends was Jennifer Aniston’s breakout role that turned her into a superstar. Aniston appears in the show as Rachel Green, who initially is a spoilt, runaway bride and throughout the show displays an incredible character arc by turning from a coffee waitress to working in the upper management of Ralph Lauren.
After the conclusion of Friends, Jennifer Aniston appeared in Horrible Bosses (2011), We’re The Millers (2013), and Horrible Bosses 2 (2014). Later on, she took up lead roles in the Murder Mystery Movies released in 2019 and 2023. While she has had a skyrocketing career following Friends, her second greatest success comes from appearing in The Morning Show on Apple TV+, where she appears alongside Reese Witherspoon, who is also Jennifer’s on-screen sister in Friends.
4. Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing
Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, is one of the most loved cast members from Friends and the most loved character in the history of television. Chandler was essentially the light of the show going off with his sarcastic approach and quirky jokes, and most of all, his romance with Monica gave a lot of substance to Friends. Some people even claim that the only reason they watch Friends over and over is for the sake of Matthew Perry as Chandler.
Matthew Perry had his fingers in a lot of pies while working on Friends and even after the show concluded. He appeared in shows like The Odd Couple, The Good Wife, and Go On. However, he fell victim to substance abuse and, after emerging victorious from his addictions, went on to help others who have been suffering from addictions. However, in 2018, he was diagnosed with gastrointestinal perforation that rendered him bedridden for a good three months. After his recovery, he wrote about his experiences in Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Matthew Perry sadly passed away on October 28, 2023. It was revealed that the cause of Matthew Perry’s death was due to the effects of Ketamine, which resulted in his drowning. On August 15, 2024, two doctors and live-in assistants were arrested and ruled guilty of an accidental overdose.
5. Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
Matt LeBlanc appears in Friends as Joey Tribbiani, a struggling actor with a room-temperature IQ, an appetite that would put competitive eaters to shame, and an undying love for sandwiches. Even though he might not be the brightest bulb in the room, Joey displays the most adorable forms of affection toward his friends and is always willing to help anyone in need. Most of all, he is a ladies’ man, which often renders Chandler pretty jealous of him in the funniest of ways.
After the conclusion of Friends, LeBlanc once again took up the role of this beloved character in a spinoff show called Joey and then took a break from acting for quite some time. Even though fans thought of him as retired, Matt reappeared on screen in shows like Man With a Plan from 2016 to 2020, earning the People’s Choice Award. He also bagged a Golden Globe award for Showtime’s comedy show Episodes (2011-2017) in 2012. Since Matt is an avid fan of race cars, he also hosted the American version of Top Gear till 2019 and, since then, has not appeared on screen.
6. Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay
Lisa Kudrow took up the role of Phoebe Buffay in the cast of Friends, who acts mostly as a comic relief in tense situations. She is also into conspiracy theories and often challenges the scientifically driven Ross, leading to the most hilarious of conversations one can imagine. Kudrow’s character of Phoebe also gave us one of the most iconic tracks of the 90’s, “Smelly Cat,” which to date is cherished by the fans of Friends.
After the conclusion of Friends, Lisa Kudrow kept herself busy with multiple appearances in shows like The Comeback, earning her two Emmy Nominations. She also created a show called The Web Therapy and co-produced a reality series titled Who Do You Think You Are? along with Dan Bucatinsky. She appeared on the Netflix show by Steve Carell called Time Bandits and has also worked in multiple films like The Girl on the Train (2016), Long Shot (2019), Like a Boss (2020), and Better Nate Than Ever (2022). Most recently, Lisa starred in a movie titled The Parenting, which is available to stream on Max.
Source: Beebom
