Lisa Kudrow disagrees with Jennifer Aniston’s ‘Friends’ live audience claim
The one where she clears the air.
Lisa Kudrow is clarifying her feelings about having a live studio audience after former co-star Jennifer Aniston commented about her own experience while on “Friends.”
Aniston, 55, stated that Kudrow, 60, “hated” how a live audience would laugh during jokes while filming the beloved show.
“No, that’s not exactly . . . no, no,” Kudrow said while speaking to “Entertainment Tonight.” “It irritated me if they would laugh for too long.”
During her sit-down with “Abbott Elementary” star Quinta Brunson for Variety’s “Actors on Actors,” Aniston claimed that Kudrow would be like, “I’m not done! It’s not that funny!” after the audience erupted into laughter.
“God bless them. They were so excited to be there that sometimes the laughter would just be longer than if they would have laughed at anything else,” Kudrow told “ET.” “I was like, ‘All right, well, take it easy. It’s not that funny. And there’s more to say!’ “
The NBC sitcom aired from 1994 to 2004 and ran for 10 seasons. Kudrow landed the role of Phoebe Buffay after impressing the “Friends” crew with her guest role on NBC’s “Mad About You.”
The “Booksmart” actress hadn’t watched the series since it ended. But after the death of former co-star Matthew Perry in October 2023, she said re-watching “Friends” was a way of honoring him.
“But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK,” she told the Hollywood Reporter in June. “And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].”
“Everyone is hilarious. I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen. Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him,” she continued. “Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done.”
Kudrow is set to star in the new Apple TV+ series “Time Bandits,” an adaptation of the 1981 Terry Gilliam fantasy movie. The show is co-created by Taika Waititi, Jemaine Clement and Iain Morris.
“Taika had gotten in touch with me and said, ‘Jemaine and I wrote this thing. We’re shooting in New Zealand. Would you ever consider doing that?’ And, ‘Yes! Like, why am I going to say no to you two?’ ” said Kudrow.
The show follows a group of thieves and their newest recruit, traveling through time and space to find riches.
While sporting pirate-inspired costumes, Kudrow plays Penelope, the leader of a group of time-traveling adventurers. Alongside Kudrow, Kal-El Tuck, Sarah Darkin and Tadhg Murphy round out the cast.
“I loved it!” she said in awe. “That was, I think one of the most comfortable costumes I’ve ever worn in my life. I’m not kidding.”
For Kudrow, starring in “Time Bandits” is a perfect blend of all the story elements she enjoys herself.
“Time travel? I love it! And I love history. I’m kind of a history buff,” she shared. “And it’s just fun.”
The 10-episode series will premiere July 24 with two episodes and will release two episodes every Wednesday.
