When Friends debuted on NBC on September 22, 1994, it was watched by almost 22 million American viewers on that very first night. Few shows in television history accumulated such durable cultural gravity – despite being the most-watched TV show of the 1990s, it didn’t get off to a great start upon its debut in 1989 – wait, that’s Seinfeld. Friends, for its part, filmed 236 episodes from September 22, 1994, to May 6, 2004, with six core cast members who became some of the most recognizable faces on the planet.
More than two decades after the finale, the show refuses to fade. It continues to have extreme popularity across generations – even Taylor Swift, who was only four years old when the show debuted, told Vogue that Friends is her favorite TV show of all time. The six actors at its center have each taken dramatically different paths since the last episode aired. Some are busier than ever. One is gone. Here’s where they all stand in 2026.
Jennifer Aniston: Still One of Hollywood’s Most Bankable Stars
She rose to international fame for her role as Rachel Green on Friends from 1994 to 2004, for which she received the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series. That award was only the beginning of what became one of the most resilient careers in modern Hollywood. Her net worth is estimated at US$300 million, and her box office gross is over $1.6 billion worldwide.
In 2026, Aniston is fully occupied with prestige television. She is currently hard at work on the Apple TV+ series, with season five expected to return sometime in 2027. Beyond that, she will star in the Apple TV+ dramedy series I’m Glad My Mom Died, showrun by Ari Katcher and Jennette McCurdy, a heartbreaking and hilarious recounting of McCurdy’s struggles as a former child actor while dealing with her overbearing, domineering mother, played by Aniston.
Jennifer Aniston and The Morning Show: A Second Peak
In 2019, she returned to television, producing and starring in the Apple TV+ drama series The Morning Show, for which she received a Screen Actors Guild Award. The show has since become one of the streamer’s flagship productions. The series was renewed for a fourth season, which premiered on September 17, 2025, and was subsequently renewed for a fifth season on September 16, 2025, ahead of the fourth season’s premiere.
The series has received numerous accolades, including 27 Primetime Emmy Award nominations, ten Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, and ten Golden Globe Award nominations. Jennifer Aniston, Reese Witherspoon, and Billy Crudup have received particular acclaim for their performances. The show costs $15 million per episode, with Aniston and Witherspoon each earning $2 million per episode, not including producing fees and ownership points.
Courteney Cox: The Scream Queen and Serial Entrepreneur
Since Friends, she has starred in Cougar Town and Shining Vale, and has played Gale Weathers in every installment of the Scream franchise since 1996, including another upcoming film in the series due out in 2026. That makes her the only cast member of any franchise to appear in every single installment of a long-running horror series. The actress turned 60 in 2024 and maintains a strong connection with her entire Friends cast, particularly Jennifer Aniston, as the two frequently celebrate special occasions together.
Cox has also launched her own lifestyle brand, Homecourt, which features a range of products including fragrances, detergents, room sprays, and candles. Her production company, Coquette Productions, which she runs with her ex-husband, is still active and has several projects in development. She’s one of the busier former cast members when it comes to mixing creative work with business ventures.
David Schwimmer: Back on Screen and Behind the Camera
In 2025, he starred as botany professor Anthony Brewer in the second season of the supernatural horror anthology series Goosebumps: The Vanishing, earning a Children’s and Family Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Performer nomination. That’s a notable tonal shift from the neurotic paleontologist Ross Geller who made him famous. He earned the Emmy nomination competing in the category with former Friends co-star Lisa Kudrow.
In 2016, Schwimmer starred as lawyer Robert Kardashian in The People v. O.J. Simpson, for which he received his second Primetime Emmy Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Limited Series or Movie. That performance reminded many viewers that Schwimmer’s range extended well beyond sitcom comedy. As he told Modern Luxury in 2025, Chicago and Lookingglass Theatre have “always been my artistic home.”
Lisa Kudrow: Producer, Writer, and Still Very Much Working
Kudrow has been acting steadily in television and film since Friends ended. Her credits include Cougar Town, Scandal, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, and The Comeback – the brilliant show she co-created with Michael Patrick King. She also co-created the delightful Web Therapy with Dan Bucatinsky and Don Roos. Her career has been shaped far more by creative ownership than by chasing starring roles.
Her most recent projects were the 2024 TV series Time Bandits and No Good Deeds, and the 2025 film The Parenting. In early 2026, Kudrow attended the Los Angeles red carpet premiere of the HBO Original Comedy Series The Comeback at the Wallis Annenberg Center for the Performing Arts on March 19, 2026 in Beverly Hills, California. That long-running passion project continues to be a significant part of her legacy in the industry.
Matt LeBlanc: A Quiet Exit from the Spotlight
Of all the surviving cast members, LeBlanc has taken the most deliberate step back from public life. He has not appeared in TV or film since the Friends HBO reunion special in 2021, with his last role being in Man with a Plan from 2016 to 2020. Reports following the death of Matthew Perry described a man genuinely reconsidering his priorities. Sources close to him said that Perry’s death “made him rethink his life,” and as a result, he silently retired from acting and chose to focus on other things.
LeBlanc is reportedly running a Los Angeles high-end used car dealership, with DailyMail.com revealing that he has invested in exotic car specialists RPM Motorcars. The actor started living a more reclusive life after the death of his dear friend Matthew Perry, who played the role of Chandler Bing in the fan-favourite sitcom. Fans who grew up watching Joey Tribbiani seem, largely, to understand his choice – there’s something almost endearing about a man who starred in one of the biggest shows in television history and genuinely prefers a quiet life with cars.
Matthew Perry: A Legacy Defined by Talent and Tragedy
Matthew Perry sadly passed away on October 28, 2023. It was revealed that the cause of his death was due to the effects of ketamine, which resulted in his drowning. He was 54 years old. The loss hit the entertainment world hard, and his cast members in particular. On August 15, 2024, two doctors and live-in assistants were arrested and ruled guilty of an accidental overdose.
Perry was candid throughout his later years about his struggles with addiction, and his 2022 memoir became a bestseller that was both painful and honest to read. After his death, Lisa Kudrow reflected publicly that she watched the show again and said, “Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better. But for the first time I truly appreciated just how great it was.” His portrayal of Chandler Bing remains one of the most beloved comedic performances in the history of American television.
The Money That Never Stopped Coming
When Friends premiered on NBC, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer were each earning $22,500 per episode. That number grew steadily across a decade. By negotiating as a group, they managed to get $1 million per episode during the last two seasons, making Lisa Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, and Courteney Cox the highest-paid women in a television show ever at that time.
In an April 2026 interview with The Times, Lisa Kudrow confirmed that she and the other primary cast members make $20 million each year from Friends. That’s residual income flowing in more than two decades after the finale – a remarkable arrangement made possible because all six cast members achieved something no TV show ensemble had managed to do before: they negotiated backend points, a percentage of the show’s profits from syndication – before then, the industry norm was for this deal to only be offered to creators and producers.
The Show’s Enduring Legacy in 2026
The series is commonly referred to as one of the greatest of all sitcoms. That reputation has only deepened with time, not faded. The cast reunited for the Friends: The Reunion special on HBO Max on May 27, 2021, recreating the fountain scene, and later attended Perry’s private 2023 memorial together. The reunion drew enormous viewership and reminded a new generation of just how tightly this ensemble had once worked together.
Friends redefined the sitcom genre with its relatable characters and hilarious situations, becoming an international phenomenon in the process. Thirty-two years after it first aired, the show still generates steady streaming numbers, still inspires hairstyle Google searches, and still sparks genuine debate about whether Ross and Rachel were ever truly on a break. The six people who made it possible have each found their own version of what comes after – and most of them are doing just fine.
