Lisa Kudrow says she’s rewatching Friends to remember Matthew Perry

Kudrow has previously admitted she couldn’t watch reruns of the hit sitcom because she was ‘mortified’ by her performance

Lisa Kudrow has said she’s finally gained the courage to rewatch Friends as a celebration of Matthew Perry’s comedic genius.

The 60-year-old actor, best known for her portrayal of free-spirited massage therapist Phoebe Buffay, has previously admitted that she could never bring herself to watch the classic sitcom in full because she was “mortified” by her performance.

However, her mindset has changed following the tragic passing of Perry last year.

“Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK,” Kudrow recently told The Hollywood Reporter. “And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was – and that is what I want to remember [about him].”

In October 2023, the Friends star, who played the wise-cracking Chandler Bing, was found dead in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. He was 54.

A toxicology report later confirmed that he had died from “acute effects of ketamine,” which caused the actor to drown in the heated waters. Sources close to the actor said he was undergoing ketamine infusion therapy to treat depression and anxiety.

The coroner noted at the time that the ketamine in Perry’s system “could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours, or less.”

‘It’s just celebrating how hilarious he was – and that is what I want to remember [about him],’ Lisa Kudrow said of her late ‘Friends’ co-star Matthew Perry (Getty Images)

It’s now being reported that “multiple people” could be charged in connection with Perry’s death.

According to People, a law enforcement source claimed the investigation into the actor’s death is “nearing its conclusion” and that officials believe “multiple people” should be charged.

They said that the US Attorney’s Office will make the final decision on whether or not to press charges.

A spokesperson for the US Attorney’s Office told The Independent they have “no comment” on the matter.

Earlier this month, Perry’s Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston shared a sweet anecdote of the time she and Perry pulled a prank on Kudrow.

“I remember the day that it was going to premiere on television, on NBC: Matthew Perry and I were having lunch somewhere, and we knew Lisa was getting her hair colored,” Aniston recalled on an episode of Variety’s “Actors on Actors.”

“So we ran into the hair salon, and I snuck up – she was in the sink – and I took the nozzle from the guy that was supposed to be doing it and just started washing her hair,” she remembered.

“It definitely flew out of control, and that was unfortunate,” she added. “But the excitement we had, it feels like yesterday.”

Aniston went on to note that the sustained popularity of Friends, nearly 20 years after its end in 2004, still feels like a privilege.

“The fact that it’s had this long, wonderful life and it still means a lot to people is one of the greatest gifts I think all five of us – all six of us – we never could imagine,” the Morning Show star said.