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:
Don’t stress if you don’t have access to the Friends reunion, we’ve got you covered. We’ll be sharing clips of the most talked-about moments from the special right here.
First up, here’s the cast and crew talking the injury that led to the cast participating in a superstitious routine before every episode.
Friends is often credited with helping non-English speakers learn the language. It was also the case for K-Pop superstars BTS. Rapper and songwriter Kim Nam-joon, better known as RM, shared his appreciation and love for the series.
BTS star says Friends ‘had a big hand in teaching me English’
Rapper and songwriter said the sitcom ‘really thought me the things about life and true friendship’
Most Friends fans have lost track of the number of times they’ve seen every episode – but there’s one cast member who can’t stand watching herself on screen.
Here’s Lisa Kudrow explaining why she can’t watch her own performance as Phoebe.
If you don’t have time to watch the full special – or you’re just not that bothered – you can find all the biggest talking points from the Friends reunion right here.
Everything we learned in the Friends reunion
Among the big revelations in the much-anticipated reunion was that David Schwimmer had to be ‘begged’ to play Ross, and both Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston were nearly forced out of the cast
17 years later and we’re still getting emotional over that last scene...
Here it is... Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer confessing that they had “major crushes” on each other during filming but it was never the right time. Cue the sobbing.
While there was plenty to love about the Friends reunion, fans on Twitter were not so enthused about James Corden hosting...
There are 236 episodes of Friends – David Schwimmer reveals which one he can’t remember.
Recognisable faces were a fixture throughout the show’s 10 seasons. From Danny DeVito to Bruce Willis, Julia Roberts and Hugh Laurie, the hit Nineties sitcom attracted some of the biggest, brightest names in Hollywood.
Jennifer Aniston revealed that Brad Pitt – who she later married in 2000 before the couple announced their split in 2005 – was one of her favourite stars to ever grace the set.
Eagle-eyed fans noticed that a wooden beam in Monica’s apartment suddenly disappeared midway through the series without explanation. Now, the nearly two-decade old mystery has been cleared up.
The Friends reunion finally revealed what happened to a bizarre feature of Monica’s apartment
A prominent wooden beam seemed to come and go depending on the episode, before vanishing altogether
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