Meet the Friends cast's families: Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and more
The world is still reeling following the tragic death of Friends actor Matthew Perry. The star became a household name in 1994 when he was cast in the role of Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom. From that moment on, his life changed forever.
Matthew was one of the main six characters in Friends who, like him, rose to fame thanks to the global popularity of the show.
The remaining cast, consisting of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt Le Blanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow, released a statement in which they said they were "utterly devastated" by his loss, adding: "We were more than just cast mates. We are a family."
Having worked extremely closely for ten years, it's unsurprising that the group built such a bond and became a family unit in its own way. But they also have close family units outside work…
The late Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry, who played funnyman Chandler, tragically died aged 54, it was announced on 28 October. The actor never married nor had children, but he did have a number of high-profile relationships with fellow famous actors and had been engaged twice in his life.
His first engagement was with Mean Girls star Lizzy Caplan. The pair were together in total for six years but called time on their relationship – and engagement – in 2012. In more recent years, Matthew got engaged to his girlfriend Molly Hurwitz in November 2020, a year after they began dating. In 2021, however, the couple parted ways.
Molly reacted to her former fiancé's death, writing in part: "No one in my adult life has influenced me more deeply than Matthew Langford Perry. I'm profoundly grateful for everything our relationship taught me."
Elsewhere in Matthew's family, he had a close bond with his parents. His mother, Suzanne Marie Morrison, raised him mostly by herself in Canada. She previously worked as a journalist and was the former press secretary to Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau.
Matthew's dad is actor John Bennet Perry – who even had a cameo in Friends – but he and Suzanne split when Matthew was one year old. Suzanne would go on to marry Dateline host Keith Morrison. Keith and Matthew formed a close bond over the years.
Matthew has four half-siblings on his mother's side: Caitlin, Emily, Will and Madeline. On his dad's side, he has a half-sister named Maria.
Courteney Cox
Courteney played Monica in the sitcom, with her character known for her sweet-yet-bossy persona and a fanatical passion for cleaning.
The actress lives in a beachside house in Malibu and is mum to 19-year-old daughter Coco, who she shares with her ex-husband David Arquette. Courteney has been in a relationship with Snow Patrol band member Johnny McDaid since 2014.
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In March 2020, Courteney opened up about motherhood, telling Kevin Nealon that she isn't at all strict with the teenager. "As a mother, do you think you're strict?" Kevin asked the actress, to which she immediately responded: "No!"
"Do you think you're not strict enough?" he probed. "Yes, I'm not strict enough," Courteney replied. "I'm way too understanding of the fact I would probably have done the same thing, I don't keep my boundaries like I should and that's the problem."
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer, who played the funny and oh-so-slightly spoilt Rachel in Friends, lives in Beverley Hills and often spends evenings with her former co-stars Courteney and Lisa. Jennifer is thought to be single currently, however, she has been married twice and remains on friendly terms with both of her ex-husbands, Brad Pitt and Justin Theroux.
The star admitted to Elle in 2018 that she hadn't ruled out motherhood or finding love again. Jennifer said: "Who knows what the future holds in terms of a child and a partnership – how that child comes in… or doesn't? And now with science and miracles, we can do things at different times than we used to be able to."
The actress is kept company by her dogs, Schnauzer mix Clyde and Pitbull Sophie, who she shares with ex-husband Justin. The former couple also had another pooch, Dolly Parton, who sadly passed away in 2019. Jennifer has a dog named Lord Chesterfield.
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa was the loveable kooky character Phoebe in Friends and like her former co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox, also lives in Los Angeles – Lisa's home is in Beverley Hills.
The star has been married to French advertising executive Michael Stern since 1995 and the couple have a son, 25-year-old Julian.
MORE: Lisa Kudrow's rarely-seen husband of 30 years Michael Stern is secretly her biggest fan
Fun fact: Lisa's pregnancy was actually written into season four of Friends when Phoebe was pregnant with her brother's triplets as a surrogate.
The actress previously told Page Six of her son: "[Julian] made it clear from the moment he could speak that he didn't want a brother or sister. To this day, he'll say, 'Thank you.'"
Matt LeBlanc
Matt played the handsome character Joey in Friends, known for his now-famous chat up line "How you doin'?". Away from the cameras, the actor was previously in a relationship with TV producer Aurora Mulligan, who he met on the set of Top Gear. Aurora is believed to be 17 years younger than Matt and was born in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. In 2022, it was reported that they had split after almost six years of dating.
Matt was previously married to American model Melissa McKnight from 2003 until 2006, and they share a 19-year-old daughter together, Marina. Matt is also a stepfather to Melissa's children, Tyler and Jacquelyn, from her previous marriage.
Matt once revealed how his daughter received a goodnight kiss from Prince Harry! Matt told Ellen: "I was filming in London for Top Gear and James Burrows was in town – the director who directed the first episode of Friends. He had tickets to see [Bruce] Springsteen at Wembley Stadium – who he's friends with, so he invited me to go.
"Since my daughter and stepdaughter were in town, we all went to the gig. We all went backstage then into the hospitality suite to meet Bruce - and Prince Harry was there. So at the end of the night, Prince Harry gives my daughter and stepdaughter a kiss goodnight on the cheek - and they were both just so floored."
David Schwimmer
He was the soft-centred palaeontologist on Friends who had an on-off relationship with Jennifer's character, Rachel, but in real life, David Schwimmer is thought to be single. David divorced his wife-of-seven-years Zoe Buckman in 2017 and there's been no news of a new partner in his life. The couple share a daughter Cleo, age 12 who looks very much like her famous father.
At the time of their separation, David and Zoe released the following statement: "It is with great love, respect and friendship that we have decided to take some time apart while we determine the future of our relationship.
"Our priority is, of course, our daughter's happiness and wellbeing during this challenging time, and so we ask for your support and respect for our privacy as we continue to raise her together and navigate this new chapter for our family."
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