Remembering Matthew Perry: See the 'Friends' Cast Then and Now

Friends cast

Friends is one of those shows that's seared into the consciousness of almost everyone who was alive and watching network TV from 1994 to 2004 because it was, well, everywhere. The sitcom inspired everything from hairstyles to fashion to phrases that still reverberate through pop culture ("Pivot! Pivot!").

By the time the series ended, the core cast was making millions of dollars and likely never had to work again—but to the delight of fans, they continued to act in TV and movies (though some more than others), and never really left public life.

That's what makes the news of Matthew Perry's death even more shocking. Perry, who famously played Chandler Bing in the series, died Saturday, Oct. 28 at age 54.

Perry had been silent on social media for the last year but was recently photographed out and about with his father earlier this month.

While we recover from the devastating news and wait for more details about his untimely passing, here's a look at what the Friends ensemble has been doing since their iconic show wrapped, and where they are now, personally and professionally.

Friends Cast Then and Now

Jennifer Aniston (Feb. 11, 1969-)

Jennifer Aniston starred on Friends as Rachel Green, BFF of Monica Gellar and perpetual love interest of Ross Gellar, who was the eventual father of her daughter, Emma. Of course, Ross and Rachel wound up together by the finale, which was the ending that just about everyone wanted. (He's her lobster!)

Aniston's career continued to soar after Friends went off the air in May 2004. Her credits include Marley & Me, Horrible Bosses, Murder Mystery and The Morning Show. On the personal front, she was married to Brad Pitt from 2000 to 2005 and to Justin Theroux from 2015 to 2018. Happily, she remains on friendly terms with both of her exes (even though one of them was infamously "missing a sensitivity chip").

Related: Find Out Jennifer Aniston's Net Worth in 2023

Lisa Kudrow (July 30, 1963-)

Another actress might have leaned too far into Phoebe's humor and missed out on her emotional depth entirely, but not Lisa Kudrow—her take on Phoebe Buffay was both funny and poignant. After going through a number of doomed relationships throughout the series, Phoebe ended the show married to Mike Hannigan (Paul Rudd).

Kudrow has been acting steadily 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.)

She's been married to advertising exec Michel Stern since 1995 and the two have one son, Julian.

Related: Lisa Kudrow Sings Son Happy 25th Birthday in Sweet, Reflective Video

David Schwimmer (Nov. 2, 1966-)

David Schwimmer played Ross Gellar with heart, which is why his love for Rachel Green—who he married, divorced and married again (after marrying Emily in between)—was so believable. But he also played the character with humor, which is why the simple act of pivoting will never be the same again.

Schwimmer's post-Friends roles include Madagascar, American Crime Story and the series Extrapolations. He was married to Zoe Buckman from 2010 to 2017, and they welcomed a daughter, Cleo, in 2011.

Courteney Cox (June 15, 1964-)

Courteney Cox's take on Monica Gellar, a type-A chef obsessed with cleaning, was spot-on. Early on in the show Monica was in a serious relationship with Dr. Richard Burke (Tom Selleck), a friend of her parents, but she eventually ended up with Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry). By the end of the series, Monica and Chandler welcomed twins and decided to move from New York City to the suburbs.

Off screen, Cox married David Arquette in July 1999 and the two had one daughter, Coco, before they divorced in May 2013. Since Friends, she's starred in Cougar Town and Shining Vale. She's also played Gale Weathers in every installment of the Scream franchise since 1996.

Matthew Perry (Aug. 19, 1969-Oct. 28, 2023)

Matthew Perry's Chandler Bing was famously afraid to commit to one person until he and Monica Gellar fell in love in Season 4. The pair, who met when Chandler and Ross went to college together (and had Flock of Seagulls haircuts), were cautious at first before diving all the way in.

After Friends, Perry starred in the gone-too-soon Aaron Sorkin show Studio 60 On the Sunset Strip as well as The Odd Couple, among other projects. He most recently published the bestselling memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, in which he goes into detail about his life-threatening struggle with addiction.

In the romance department, he was in a longterm relationship with actress Lizzy Caplan from 2006-2012 and was engaged to literary manager Molly Hurwitz from November 2020 to June 2021.

Perry died in an apparent accidental drowning on Oct. 28, 2023 at his Pacific Palisades home in LA. He was 54.

Matt LeBlanc (July 25, 1967-)

As soap actor and womanizer Joey Tribbiani, Matt LeBlanc could have created a character that was, well, gross. But he played his role with kindness, charm and depth, and managed to pull off a "How you doin'?" that worked.

LeBlanc went on to star in the Friends spinoff Joey, which followed his character's acting career to Los Angeles, but it was canceled after two seasons. He also starred in Episodes, which ran from 2011 to 2017. 

In real life, LeBlanc was married to Melissa McKnight from 2003 to 2006; the two share one daughter, Marina.

James Michael Tyler (May 28, 1962-Oct. 24, 2021)

James Michael Tyler played Gunther, manager of Central Perk, the coffee shop where the crew hung out (and where Rachel Green worked—or hardly worked—before making it in fashion). Like quite a few characters on the series, Gunther had a huge crush on Rachel.

Tyler attended a number of fan events related to the series over the years (and made a remote appearance at the 2021 reunion on HBO Max). Sadly, he died from cancer in 2021, at the age of 58.

"Friends would not have been the same without you," Aniston wrote on Instagram. "Thank you for the laughter you brought to the show and to all of our lives. You will be so missed."

Next, See the Cast of Frasier Then and Now