Jennifer Aniston shuts down hopes for another Friends reunion but says cast are ‘family forever’
Jennifer Aniston dashed hopes of another Friends reunion on Friday, but admitted the cast will be “forever family.”
The actress, 54, who played Rachel Green on the TV sitcom, said the 2021 TV special was her ‘swan song’.
Speaking about Friends on The Jonathan Ross Show, she revealed that the cast keep in touch and she still watches the show “once in a while.”
Friends is arguably one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, running 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, with fans clamoring for a reunion for many years.
The long-awaited Friends reunion made its debut in 2021 with the cast returning to the iconic set to reminisce about the show’s history, 17 years since its conclusion.
Definitely over: Jennifer Aniston, 54, shut down hopes of another Friends reunion on Friday but admitted the cast will be ‘forever family’ (pictured in New York this week)
Throwback: The actress, who played Rachel Green on the TV sitcom, said the 2021 TV special was her ‘swan song’ (pictured during the first season in 1994)
Joining her Murder Mystery 2 co-star Adam Sandler on the chat show to discuss the upcoming movie, Jennifer also reminisced about her time on Friends.
When asked by host Jonathan if there will be another Friends reunion, she revealed: “I don’t think so.” I think that was it, I think that was the swan song. But you never know.
Everyone keeps in touch. We will never shake. Forever family!’ Jennifer explained.
Asked if she watches Friends if it’s on, the actress added: ‘I do, every once in a while. I’ll just stand there and go, ‘Uh, I don’t remember that.
The six stars, Jennifer, Courteney Cox (Monica Gellar), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) and David Schwimmer (Ross Gellar), gathered at the Warner Bros. in 2021.
Reunion where the original show was filmed, for a night filled with laughter, tears and everything in between.
The special, which garnered a flurry of reactions from die-hard fans when it launched on HBO Max in the US and Sky Go and Now TV in the UK, also saw a host of guests make surprise appearances, including David Beckham, Lady Gaga, Justin Bieber and Cindy Crawford.
The special was filmed over a three-day period on the Warner Bros. lot, with the show’s iconic fountain used as the backdrop for the main cast interview which was conducted by The Late Late Show’s James Corden.
Talk: Joining her Murder Mystery 2 co-star Adam Sandler on the talk show to discuss the upcoming movie, Jennifer also reminisced about her time on Friends.
The British presenter, whose choice was quite controversial among fans, delved into the making of the show in a spirited discussion and reflected on the moment each actor landed their iconic role.
The special began with all six actors returning to the legendary set of the sitcom, and Jennifer fought back tears as she hugged Courteney, clearly overwhelmed to return to the series nearly two decades after its conclusion.
The cast visited the original soundstage, Stage 24, where Friends was filmed, where it took more than three weeks to rebuild the iconic set 17 years after the final scenes were filmed.
Where is the box of tissues? Jennifer asked as she visited the game room, while Matt wondered if Courteney’s lines were still written on the kitchen table.
Corden also brought in Ben Winston, who serves as an executive producer on The Late Late Show, to serve as director and producer of the reunion special.
Thoughts: When asked by host Jonathan if there will be another Friends reunion, she revealed: ‘I don’t think so. I think that was it, I think that was the swan song. But you never know’
While the Q&A drew some criticism for not delving too deeply into topics most Friends fans were unfamiliar with, it was familiar territory for some fans, as James asked about auditions for each cast member and other tales of principles in the development of the show.
Aniston revealed that while auditioning for the role of Rachel, a producer of a show she was on incorrectly told her, “That show won’t make you a star.”
She also shared the explosive revelation that she and David had sneaky crushes off-screen on the series, while viewers were swept up in Ross and Rachel’s romance.
Finally! The six iconic stars – Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and David Schwimmer – gathered on the Warner Bros. studio in 2021 for a night filled with laughter, tears and everything in between.
James asked, “It’s impossible not to notice and see that you’re all young, attractive, good-looking successful actors, that it’s inconceivable to me that there might not be off-screen romances.”
A coughing Jennifer replied, ‘Well… I mean, David?’ before adding, “The first season, he had a huge crush on Jen.”
On his feelings for Jennifer, David added: “At one point, we were both in love with each other, but it was like two ships went by because one of us was always in a relationship.” So, and we never cross that line, you know we respect that.
Here is the! After the cast took their seats on the famous brown sofa that took center stage at the show’s intro, James Corden took the stage to interview the stars about the show’s best moments.
Emotional: During the special, the cast also reflected on the iconic romance between Ross and Rachel, with actor David confessing that he and Jennifer harbored secret crushes before filming their first kiss in season two
But Matt didn’t seem so convinced, declaring, ‘B*****t!’
The actress also recalled the iconic moment Ross and Rachel shared their first kiss in Central Perk during season two, after she finally knew her hidden feelings were reciprocated.
She told James: “I remember saying to David once, ‘It’s going to suck if the first time you and I kiss is going to be on national TV.’
‘Indeed, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So we channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.
The Johnathan Ross Show airs Saturday at 9:40 p.m. on ITV1 and ITVX.