Lisa Kudrow says she felt overlooked on ‘Friends’ even at its peak

Lisa Kudrow has opened up about feeling overlooked during her time on Friends, despite the show’s massive global success.

The actress, who played Phoebe Buffay on the hit sitcom, said she often felt like she was not taken as seriously as her co-stars, even as the series dominated television throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

In a recent interview, Kudrow said there were moments where she felt “nobody cared” about her, adding that some even referred to her as “the sixth Friend”.

The admission stands in contrast to her success on the show, where she won an Emmy in 1998 for best supporting actress in a comedy series.

Despite that recognition, Kudrow suggested there was little expectation around her long-term career at the time.

“There was no vision for me,” she said, adding that the general perception was that she had simply been “lucky” to land the role.

Friends, which ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, became one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, turning its core cast, including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry, into global stars.

Kudrow also reflected on how different she is from Phoebe in real life, saying the role initially felt far removed from her own personality and required careful work to fully understand.

“At first, Phoebe was very, very far from me,” she said, explaining that she had to find ways to justify the character’s behaviour.

She also pushed back on the idea that Phoebe was simply a “ditz”, arguing that the character was often misunderstood at the time.

Over the course of the show’s decade-long run, Kudrow said she gradually grew into the role, with parts of Phoebe’s personality influencing her own outlook.

The actress has recently been promoting the final season of her series The Comeback, while also speaking candidly about ageing in Hollywood and her evolving approach to roles.

Her comments have now sparked renewed conversation among fans, with many revisiting how each of the Friends cast members was perceived during the show’s peak years.