Friends star David Schwimmer reveals how he celebrated the 30th anniversary of the iconic sitcom following the death of Matthew Perry

David Schwimmer has revealed how he celebrated the 30th anniversary of iconic sitcom Friends.

The legendary series celebrated the auspicious milestone in September last year, almost 12 months after the tragic death of star Mathew Perry.

Schwimmer, 58, who played Ross Geller in the long-running sitcom, made his revelation while speaking to NOVA’s Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small on his Smallzy’s Surgery show this week

Featuring a Friends exhibition, featuring the instantly recognizable orange sofa from the show’s Central Perk coffee shop, which is currently touring Australia, the radio host asked Schwimmer about his memories of his time on the show.

‘I don’t want to make you feel old, but the Friend’s bank is in Australia. It’s celebrating 30 years,” Smallzy said.

‘Do you think about when you reach a milestone, for example 30 years? Are you thinking: how did that happen?’

David Schwimmer has revealed how he celebrated the 30th anniversary of iconic sitcom Friends

The legendary series celebrated the auspicious milestone in September last year, almost 12 months after the tragic death of star Mathew Perry

The legendary series celebrated the auspicious milestone in September last year, almost 12 months after the tragic death of star Mathew Perry

“Do you think, ‘Wow, what a great run. I don’t even know.’ Or do you say, “God, I feel really old. Don’t say that?”

Responding with, “All of the above,” Schwimmer then revealed the low-key way he celebrated the auspicious milestone.

“I happened to be back in Los Angeles about the day that marked the thirtieth year of our broadcasting, and I took [Matt] LeBlanc out to dinner, actually, and we reminisced and toasted 30 years,” he said.

“I mean, it’s great. I think it’s amazing that people still watch and find it funny and comforting, and I really just feel gratitude.”

The 30th anniversary of Friends, in September 2024, was overshadowed by the death of star Matthew Perry almost a year earlier.

Perry, who played the affable Chandler Bing on the sitcom, died at age 54 from a ketamine overdose and drowned at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023.

Following the star’s death, five people, including two doctors, a live-in assistant and the alleged ‘Ketamine Queen’ dealer, have been arrested in connection with the tragedy.

Doctors Salvador Plasencia, 42, and Mark Chavez, 54, alleged drug dealers Jasveen “Ketamine Queen” Sangha, 41, and Eric Fleming, 54, and Perry’s live-in assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, 59, have all been charged.

Speaking to NOVA's Kent 'Smallzy' Small this week, Schwimmer revealed how he celebrated the auspicious milestone

Speaking to NOVA’s Kent ‘Smallzy’ Small this week, Schwimmer revealed how he celebrated the auspicious milestone

1737512017 938 Friends star David Schwimmer reveals how he celebrated the 30th

“I happened to be back in Los Angeles about the day that marked the thirtieth year of our broadcasting, and I took [Matt] LeBlanc out to dinner, actually, and we reminisced and toasted 30 years,” he said. Schwimmer is pictured with Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc

Perry was found unconscious in the hot tub of his LA home by Iwamasa on October 28, with his cause of death later determined to be “the acute effects of ketamine.”

Live-in assistant Iwamasa has since admitted to being the one who administered the fatal doses to the actor, after being trained by Plasencia on how to administer them.

Creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and executive producer Kevin S Bright, appeared on today’s US show to mark the series’ anniversary and revealed they were aware of the pall the star’s death had cast over the festivities laid.

“It’s a huge loss and it makes the 30th a little fraught,” Kauffman said before Bright added, “He made us laugh every day.”

Bright also revealed that Perry, whose struggles with addiction had been highly publicized, was “doing better” in the run-up to his death.

‘He had been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really felt like, from the [2021 cast] reunion, that he had finally found peace.’ he said.

Friends is widely considered one of the best sitcoms of all time and ran for ten seasons on NBC.

The show made household names of its main cast: David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and Lisa Kudrow.

The 30th anniversary of Friends, in September 2024, was overshadowed by the death of star Matthew Perry (pictured right) almost a year earlier

The 30th anniversary of Friends, in September 2024, was overshadowed by the death of star Matthew Perry (pictured right) almost a year earlier

Perry, who played the affable Chandler Bing on the sitcom, died at age 54 from a ketamine overdose and drowned at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023

Perry, who played the affable Chandler Bing on the sitcom, died at age 54 from a ketamine overdose and drowned at his Pacific Palisades home on October 28, 2023

It also made them one of the richest actors working on television, with the series earning them as much as $1 million per episode for the last two seasons.

Like the show that preceded it, the series finale was a cultural phenomenon, attracting a whopping 52.5 million viewers in the US.

That made it the most-watched show on television since the Seinfeld finale six years earlier.

In fact, the finale was the fifth most-watched final episode in history, behind M*A*S*H, Cheers, The Fugitive and Seinfeld.