O’Brien recalls feeling jealous when ex Lisa Kudrow praised Perry’s comedic talent.
![Conan O'Brien, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry. [PHOTO: VIA PEOPLE, GETTY (3)]](https://www.topthreeus.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/Conan-OBrien-Lisa-Kudrow-and-Matthew-Perry.webp)
Conan O’Brien recently shared a moment of jealousy he experienced when his ex-girlfriend Lisa Kudrow praised her Friends co-star Matthew Perry.
During the latest episode of his podcast, Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend, Kudrow spoke about her relationship with Perry and the impact of his death.
Kudrow, 60, revealed that she has only recently begun watching Friends again following Perry’s death in October 2023 at the age of 54. “I used to not be able to watch it at all,” she said.
“I mean, I’d see it on and be mildly interested, and then I’d see me and say, that’s enough of that. I can’t bear it. And then well, listen. After Matthew died, I could start watching the show again because it wasn’t about me. It had to do with him for some reason.”
Kudrow explained that since Perry’s passing, she has spent entire days watching Friends marathons. She praised the cast, including Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer, calling them “phenomenally hilarious.”
O’Brien recounted how Kudrow, whom he dated from 1988 to 1993, had been highly impressed by Perry’s comedic talents during the early days of filming Friends. “You called me up, and you were raving about … ” O’Brien began, with Kudrow interjecting, “Matthew.”
“Yes. And you were saying, he’s so funny … There was part of me that was jealous,” O’Brien shared. “Like, I was okay. I make you laugh pretty hard, and you were like, ‘No, you don’t understand. This guy’s really [funny].'”
Though O’Brien later agreed with Kudrow’s assessment after watching Perry on Friends, Kudrow assured him that he remained “one of the funniest people I know.”
Any jealousy O’Brien felt was long gone by the time he attended Kudrow’s wedding to Michel Stern in 1995. O’Brien himself married Liza Powel O’Brien in 2002.
Kudrow continued to praise Perry, who played Chandler Bing on Friends, reminiscing about her first impressions of his performance.
“He was such a huge [talent]. I thought that Chandler character, when I read it, I went, ‘Oh, they have a gay character, that’s good,’” she recalled. “And so at the table read, I just did a double take at him. Oh my god.
That I never even in a million years could have envisioned anyone playing the character like that and with his own rhythm and everything. It’s his own.”
O’Brien added, “Impeccable timing.”
Kudrow told The Hollywood Reporter last month that rewatching Friends in the wake of Perry’s death is a way of “celebrating how hilarious he was.” She explained, “Honestly, I wasn’t able to watch it because it’s too embarrassing to watch yourself. But if I make it about Matthew, then that’s okay.”
As she revisits the show, Kudrow said she finds herself “laughing out loud” at the humor of the cast. “I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by Jen [Aniston].
Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him,” she said. “Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done.”
Kudrow emphasized that Perry’s distinctive humor is what she wants to remember. Reflecting on the dynamic on set, she shared, “You’re just laughing all day long, basically, in between the scenes, because these are funny people.
And especially someone like Matthew, whose goal was: How many laughs can I get in real life every day? So we were always laughing so hard, tears were flying out of our faces.”
In addition to reminiscing about Friends, Kudrow is gearing up for her next project. Her new series, Time Bandits, is set to debut on Apple TV+ on July 24.
