Lisa Kudrow gained widespread recognition after the success of the popular sitcom Friends. She was recently on a promotional run for the third season of the critically acclaimed show The Comeback, which premiered on March 22, 2026. In a candid interview, the actress revealed that she wasn’t the most popular among the ensemble cast of Friends.
Kudrow was referred to as the “sixth friend”
In an interview with The Independent, Lisa Kudrow revealed that although Friends was hugely successful, she wasn’t the most popular among the cast members. She played Phoebe Buffay in the hit sitcom and starred alongside Courteney Cox (Monica), David Schwimmer (Ross), Matt LeBlanc (Joey), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel), and the late Matthew Perry (Chandler).
“Nobody cared about me,” she said, adding, “There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as ‘the sixth Friend.’”
Furthermore, she revealed that even an Emmy win in 1998 for her role in the comedy series could not guarantee her a smooth or successful career path in Hollywood.
“There was no vision for me, and no expectations about the kind of career I could have,” she said, adding that many believed she got “lucky” on the show.
Nevertheless, she has always been grateful to her fellow co-actors on the show, noting that they brought out the best in her. In a conversation with CBS News correspondent Tracy Smith, Kudrow said that working on the hit ’90s sitcom felt like “puppies playing on a set.”
She also shared in the same interview that she used to be very focused on details like program notes and ensuring everyone stayed attentive, but her experience on the show eventually made her realize that striving to be overly perfect—like an “A student”—can actually be counterproductive in the arts.
Friends ran successfully for ten seasons, and the show won a total of six Primetime Emmy Awards out of 62 nominations, cementing its legacy as one of television’s greatest sitcoms.
Was the lovable and goofy Phoebe your favorite character in Friends? If not, who was your favorite? Let us know in the comments section below.
