Friends reunion – as it happened: How to watch, reactions, best moments and all the latest on HBO Max special
Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry reunited for the first time in front of TV cameras
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Your support makes all the difference.The Friends reunion has finally been released. Could we be anymore excited?
The long-awaited programme debuted on 27 May on HBO Max in the US, with UK viewers able to stream it on NOW. The special, titled Friends: The Reunion, also aired on Sky One.
Originally announced in 2020, the special was extensively delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic. Taping took place in April on the original Friends soundstage at the Warner Bros Studio lot in Burbank, California.
The show, which was hosted by James Corden, marked the first time all six original stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry – reunited in front of television cameras.
A number of revelations were made during the episode including that David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston were “crushing” on each other during filming.
Mysteries were solved, such as the one surrounding the overhead beam in Monica’s apartment that suddenly disappears without explanation at some point in the series.
A host of guest stars joined in too, including a special duet performance of “Smelly Cat” by Lady Gaga and Kudrow. Reese Witherspoon, David Beckham, Justin Bieber, and BTS also made appearances, alongside Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, and Malala Yousafzai.
Follow the release of the reunion special as it happened with our live blog:
Five minutes to go – what better time to catch up with one of the show’s unsung heroes?
What has Marcel the Monkey been doing since Friends?
What ever happened to Marcel, the capuchin monkey belonging to Ross on Friends?
And we’re off! The Friends: Reunion is officially underway. Could we be any more excited?
You can tune in on NowTV – or simply follow along with our live blog right here, where we’ll be sharing clips, talking points and reactions to the year’s most anticipated release.
It turns out not everyone loved the Chandler and Joey episodes. Matt LeBlanc has now revealed which episode Matthew Perry found “stupid”...
Matt LeBlanc says Matthew Perry thought classic episode was ‘stupid’
Chandler actor took some convincing
Of all the guest stars set to appear over the next two hours, Twitter seems to be most excited for K-Pop band BTS.
Courtney Cox has revealed her favourite ever episode of Friends. “The One with the Embryos” sees Chandler and Joey go up against Monica and Rachel in a nail-biting quiz to win the girls’ apartment.
It’s also home to the iconic “What’s Chandler’s job?” moment.
Fans are loving the reunion’s recreation of the quiz – and a surprise cameo appearance from angry neighbour Mr Heckle...
Academy Award winner Reese Witherspoon described the moment she was called in to play Rachel’s spoilt sister on Friends as “winning the lottery”.
The creators of Friends have revealed that the casting process was arduous, to say the least.
Matt LeBlanc, however, had an unexpected trick up his sleeve. The Joey actor has explained how one drunken incident the night before his audition helped bag him the role.
Matt LeBlanc explains how drunken incident night before Friends audition won him Joey role
‘I told the truth and got the job,’ actor told shocked co-stars
For those unable to tune into the special, The Independent’s Jacob Stolworthy (who has already seen the episode in full) is on hand to answer all your Friends-related questions.
Friends reunion ‘Ask me Anything’: the Independent will answer your questions about the special episode live
As the most-anticipated TV episode of the year arrives, Jacob Stolworthy will be taking your Friends questions live
Whether you want to know how you can watch it, find out details about what happens or simply want to know his take on any of the moments, get your questions in now.
Jennifer Aniston revealed that when she first signed on to Friends, she was already starring on another new series. Going to the producer of her original show, she begged them to release her from her contract – he told her that Friends wouldn’t make her a star. Little did they know!
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