It’s no joke: we all miss Friends so much. The show has left such a hole in our collective hearts since star Matthew Perry’s untimely death just two years ago — but according to costar Jennifer Aniston, there’s just no way there will ever be a reboot, remake, or even a sequel of the series.
“It would be literally, physically impossible,” she told Harper’s Bazaar U.K. in a new interview. Perry died from “acute effects from ketamine,” and also suffered from coronary artery disease at the time of death. The effects of buprenorphine — a prescription drug that treats opioid use disorder — and drowning were also factors in his passing.
Aniston added: “It’s heartbreaking that he had so many demons. But boy, for someone who had that much inner turmoil, he sure got to laugh a lot, and that was everything to him.”
It’s well known that the cast — Perry, Aniston, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc — became something of a family over the show’s incredible 10 seasons and decade-long run from 1994 to 2004. Being together through thick and thin, and even professional struggles such as high-profile salary negotiations, has certainly made them appreciate the wonderful experience they had back then.
“It completely formed who I was. It was pure joy,” Aniston gushed to the magazine about her time on the series. “I looked forward to it every day. I couldn’t wait to get to work. I couldn’t wait to see those people. I couldn’t wait to read the scripts — we’d shoot the show every Friday night, and right after we wrapped, we’d find the new script for Monday morning in our dressing room. I was just as excited to find out what was going to happen as I’m sure the audience was.”
The full cast, including Perry, famously had an official reunion special, Friends: The Reunion, back in 2021. Last year, Aniston revealed that event was the final time she and her costars were all together.
“We did everything we could when we could,” she told Vanity Fair in August 2024. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight. As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”
Aniston, then, has officially left Rachel Green behind for good — but at least we still have the reruns. “People will say that they go back and watch episodes to help their mental health,” Aniston continued, “that if they’re stressed about the news or the world, they’ll just sit down and watch a Friends episode. And that’s the ultimate compliment.”
If you’re looking to drown your sorrows, the beloved Central Perk coffeehouse from the iconic 90s sitcom is becoming a reality, with a permanent location coming to Manhattan this fall.
Photo by NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
