Lisa Kudrow recalls 'brutal' treatment from 'Friends' writers

Edward Segarra, USA TODAYTue, April 28, 2026 at 3:20 PM UTC

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"Friends" was known for providing plenty of laughs, but behind the scenes, Lisa Kudrow says things were far from light and easy.

The Emmy-winning actress, who played Phoebe Buffay on the classic NBC sitcom, got candid on the show's writers' room in an interview with The Sunday Times published April 23.

Kudrow, 62, alleged the cast was subjected to frequent derogatory and sexual remarks from the series' writers amid production at the Warner Bros. lot in Burbank, California. "There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes," she told the British outlet.

"Don't forget, we were recording in front of a live audience of 400," Kudrow said. "And if you messed up one of these writers' lines, or it didn't get the perfect response, they could be like, 'Can't the b---- ... read? She's not even trying. She [messed] up my line.'"

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Additionally, Kudrow said the writing staffers, who were "mostly men," also made sexually charged comments about her female costars, Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox.

"We know that back in the room, the guys would be up late discussing their sexual fantasies about Jennifer and Courteney. It was intense," Kudrow said. "Oh, it could be brutal."

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Courteney Cox, from left, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow appear in a promotional photo for their show "Friends."

USA TODAY has reached out to Warner Bros. and NBC for comment.

Despite the allegedly toxic dynamic, Kudrow said she learned to tune out the noise: "These guys … were sitting up until 3 a.m. trying to write the show, so my attitude was, 'Say what you like about me behind my back because then it doesn't matter.'"

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Kudrow isn't the first "Friends" alum to speak out about show writers' behavior.

Amaani Lyle, who worked as a writers' assistant on the series, previously filed a lawsuit against three male writers, NBC and the show's studio, claiming that the writers' use of "sexually coarse and vulgar language and conduct, including the recounting of their own sexual experiences," constituted sexual harassment, according to law firm Kauff, McGuire and Margolis.

In April 2006, the California Supreme Court ruled in favor of Warner Bros., citing in part the "creative atmosphere" of "Friends," which was "focused on generating scripts for an adult-oriented comedy show featuring sexual themes," per the law firm.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Lisa Kudrow says 'Friends' writers were 'brutal' behind the scenes

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