They played six best pals on-screen – but the lives of the cast of Friends were very different once the cameras stopped rolling.
The group of friends living in New York and dealing with the ups and downs of life together had us laughing and crying from 1994 until the final episode in 2004.
The critically acclaimed series finale is the fifth-most watched in television history – with the cast becoming superstars over the decade they worked on the show.
Core cast members David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, and Matthew Perry have had varied success since starring together on Friends.
Most have gone on to be Hollywood stars, others have failed to emulate their success, while some have endured tough times in their personal lives.
There have also been rumours of clashes between the former co-stars over the years.
The cast of Friends have had varied lives and careers after the success of the hit show (Image: NBC via Getty Images)
There have been cheating scandals, divorces, run ins with the law and even a ‘sexually aggressive’ stripper.
One beloved member of the cast can’t even remember three seasons due to substance abuse.
Many of the most worrying secrets about the cast did not come out until after the show had wrapped up filming for the final time.
Here is a look back at the dark side of the Friends’ stars off-screen:
Matthew Perry addiction battles
Matthew Perry has been very open about his drink and drug struggles (Image: Getty Images)
Matthew played happy-go-lucky Chandler on the show, but his personal life was very different as he battled drink and drug addiction off-camera.
The now sober actor admitted he was a “sick guy” during a candid sit down chat with ABC News in 2013.
Admitting he even tried to hide his struggle from his Friends co-stars, Matthew admitted: “Mostly it was drinking, you know, and opiates.
“I think I was pretty good at hiding it but, you know, eventually people were aware.”
He also confessed that he does not remember three seasons on the show due to substance abuse.
Matthew played Chandler on the show (Image: Splash)
When asked about his least favourite episode, he told Chris Evans: “I don’t remember three years of it. So none of those.”
“I was a little out of it at the time,” he continued. “Somewhere between seasons three and six.”
Matthew opened a sober living home for addicts to come to terms with the transition from rehab back to real life – called Perry House – in Malibu, California.
In 2018 the actor spent three months recovering in hospital after having abdominal surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation.
There has been some recent concern for his wellbeing after he was spotted looking very different to his usual self in July this year while walking around Beverly Hills.
Matt Le Blanc’s worrying breakdown
Matt LeBlanc struggled after the show (Image: WireImage)
Despite being one of the world’s highest paid actors, Matt went into self-imposed exile, hiding from the public eye for five years after Friends.
A string of personal crises saw the actor, loved around the world as Joey Tribbiani and famously paid $1million – £690,000 – per Friends episode, retreat to his Californian cattle ranch.
He shunned the limelight to deal with the turmoil of his collapsed marriage and his daughter’s devastating brain condition.
He even resorted to cutting his hair into a mohawk to stop him from being tempted to go out.
“For years and years, I barely left the house. I was burnt out,” he told the Mirror in 2015.
Matt shunned the limelight for many years (Image: Live with Kelly and Ryan)
“I wanted to not have a schedule, not be somewhere. I was in a position to do that. My agent was bummed.
“Most actors call their agents and say, ‘What’s going on?’. I’d call mine and say, ‘Please lose my number for a few years’.
“It was a very dark time. I almost had a nervous breakdown.”
In 2006, Matt retreated to his Californian ranch to spend more time with his daughter Marina, who was diagnosed with “cortical dysplasia, a condition which affects the brain, bones and motor skills” at just 11 months old.
LeBlanc reportedly spent his years out of the limelight almost entirely with her and her condition got a lot better.
He said: “My daughter was diagnosed with a problem with her head. It was a very dark period. But I got through it. Don’t they say what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger?”
Jennifer Aniston angered ex-boyfriend’s widow
Jennifer Aniston caused some outrage (Image: Getty Images)
Jennifer Aniston managed to upset the widow of her ex-boyfriend during a 2015 interview.
The Rachel Green actress told New York Times that her ex, Daniel McDonald, would have been “the one”.
She then claimed that Daniel, who died of cancer decades after they split, must have sent then fiance Justin Theroux to “make up for it all”.
This angered Daniel’s widow, Mujah Maraini-Melehi, who was married and had two children with the late actor.
She accused Jennifer of “exploiting” his memory and “he would not have approved of all this uninvited attention due to his past relationship to Jennifer.”
Jennifer spoke about her ex-boyfriend (Image: WireImage)
While speaking with Inside Entertainment, Mujah added: “I am sorry that Jennifer did not realize the treasure that was Daniel when she had the chance, long before he and I met and long before he died.
“It pains me to read the headlines that allude to her losing him tragically when in fact she was not present during his long and difficult illness.
“That said perhaps Daniel’s gift was to teach her how to love and appreciate Justin Theroux.”
Jennifer did not respond to the allegations.
Courteney Cox’s changing face
Courtney Cox realised she had gone too far with the fillers (Image: PA)
Courteney Cox started having cosmetic surgery after she finished filming on Friends.
She was so desperate to keep looking youthful that she had many different treatments, most notably the fillers in her face, which transformed her look.
The actress realised she had gone too far and looked completely different to her Monica Geller days.
“I grew up thinking that appearance was the most important thing. Thats as long as I looked OK, I would be OK,” Cox admitted during a candid interview with New Beauty in 2017.
“That’s kind of sad because it got me in trouble. I was trying so hard to keep up, and I actually made things worse.”
Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston alongside their co-star Courteney Cox (Image: Internet Unknown)
Courteney admitted it became a vicious cycle as she would be told to visit different doctors to look more natural.
“The next thing you know, you’re layered and layered and layered. You have no idea because it’s gradual until you go, ‘Oh sh*t, this doesn’t look right,” she said.
“But I’d see pictures and think, ‘Oh, is that what I look like?’ And I’d ask a friend and they’d say, ‘Oh God, no.'”
Courteney eventually had all of her “fillers dissolved” and decided to have more “natural” procedures such as laser treatments and dietary supplements.
Matt Le Blanc stripper
Matt got into hot water (Image: NBCU Photo Bank via Getty Images)
Matt ironically became ‘friends’ with a lot of actress, models, sportswomen and strippers.
During an interview in 2005, the actor confessed he had an experience with a “sexually aggressive” stripper while on a motorcycle road trip with five of his friends in Canada.
“The stripper was all over me,” he told the National Enquirer.
“I was drinking, and she was crossing the line … When I realised the situation that was unfolding I felt I was being careless and irresponsible, and I had to get the hell out of there.”
Speaking about the incident in 2016, he told the Mirror: “The stripper was all over me, took off her top and wanted to perform a private dance.
“She was in my face, pushing her breasts into me and grabbing my hands to go all over her body.
“If I had been sober perhaps I would have acted quicker but I was drunk.”
He added: “I know I was wrong.”
Lisa Kudrow sued by ex-manager
Lisa Kudrow had to pay up (Image: WireImage)
The Phoebe Buffay actress Lisa lost a lawsuit taken out by a former talent manager in 2014.
A jury found Lisa was in breach of contract after a lengthy legal dispute with her former manager, Scott Howard, which was filed in 2008.
He claimed Lisa owed him money in residuals from when he was managing her – such as the income from Friends reruns.
During the trial it was revealed that her starting salary on Friends was $13,500 per episode, which rose to a staggering $1,040,000 by 2000 and a further $5m in ‘back-end compensation’ according to The Hollywood Reporter.
Lisa was reportedly ordered to pay back a whopping $1.6m to Scott.
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
