The hit show Friends may linger in the minds of many TV viewers. But for the actors who brought it to life, it’s still bringing a serious payday.
According to Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay in the series, the cast members earn a whopping $20 million annually in residual payments.
That comes more than two decades after the show finished its 10-year run from 1994 to 2004.
While the sitcom was on air, the cast, which included Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc, cleared up to $1 million per episode, according to Page Six. When the show began, the actors were earning just $22,500 a pop.
But starring in Friends wasn’t always as glamorous as the money would suggest, with demanding show runners and writers dictating much of the environment on-set.
“Don’t forget we were recording in front of a live audience of 400, and if you messed up one of these writers’ lines or it didn’t get the perfect response, they could be like, ‘Can’t the b---h f---ing read? She’s not even trying. She f---ed up my line,” Kudrow, 62, explained.
An assistant on the show, Amaani Lyle, later filed a lawsuit over alleged sexually-charged remarks made by writers. Lyle ended up losing the case.
That would not be the last of the tough times plaguing those in the show. Matthew Perry, who played the lovable Chandler Bing, died in 2023 after a drug overdose.
The tragedy inspired Kudrow to rewatch the series, deepening her appreciation of Perry and the show.
“Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better. But for the first time, I truly appreciated just how great it was,” she said. “And whatever any of us do in the future, we will never experience something like that again.”
Even with the financial cushion from the show, each member of the Friends cast has gone on to have a storied career in the years since.
Jennifer Aniston has appeared in countless hit films and currently stars alongside Reese Witherspoon in Apple TV+’s The Morning Show. David Schwimmer landed major roles in Band of Brothers and the animated film series Madagascar.
Courteney Cox stayed in television, starring in another series, Cougar Town. Matt LeBlanc hosted Top Gear for several years and, before that, reprised his Friends role in the spin-off Joey, as well as playing himself on the Showtime series Episodes.
As for Kudrow, she is currently starring in the long-awaited third season of her HBO series The Comeback.
Obsessed with pop culture and entertainment? Follow us on Substack and YouTube for even more coverage.
