Friends star Lisa Kudrow has surprised fans after revealing just how much she and her former castmates still earn from the hit sitcom more than two decades after its finale.
Kudrow, who played the unforgettable Phoebe Buffay during the show’s ten-season run from 1994 to 2004, appeared alongside Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and the late Matthew Perry. The cast famously negotiated contracts as a group, seeing their salaries rise from $22,500 an episode in season one to $1 million each during the final two seasons.
They later reunited for a 2021 special on HBO Max, reportedly earning around $2.5 million each. But Kudrow says those paychecks are small compared to the continuing income generated by the sitcom’s worldwide reruns and streaming success.
In a recent interview, the 62-year-old actress shared that the six main stars still receive an estimated $20 million annually in residuals from the series, highlighting the remarkable staying power of the beloved comedy.
Kudrow also reflected on revisiting the show after Perry’s death in 2023, admitting she saw it in a new light. She said that for years she focused only on moments she wished she had done differently, but rewatching it made her appreciate how special the series truly was. She praised her castmates, calling their performances brilliant and singling out Perry’s comedic talent as exceptional.
The actress also opened up about feeling overlooked during the height of the show’s fame, saying she was sometimes seen as “the sixth Friend” while others landed bigger opportunities. Still, she later built a respected career of her own, including acclaim for The Comeback and films such as Analyze This.
Today, the enormous residuals are yet another reminder of the cultural impact of Friends, a series that continues to attract new generations of viewers while rewarding the stars who helped make it iconic.
