Lisa Kudrow cherishes the memory of her dear friend, Matthew Perry, whose untimely passing in 2023 has left a profound impact on her. Indeed, the beloved Friends actress, who shared the screen with the late actor for the show's iconic 10-season run, has revealed that nearly three years after his death, she watches reruns of the series to honor his life.
"After Matthew passed away, there were marathons [on TV] and that was really comforting to watch the show," Lisa said during a March 27 appearance on Capital FM. "It also makes me laugh, and there he was."
While paying tribute to her castmates Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc, Lisa, 62, noted how she finds Matthew's portrayal of Chandler Bing in the beloved sitcom especially hilarious. "He was so funny, I mean, the funniest," she said. "Sorry, everybody else, but just truly."
However, she was quick to give props to her fellow actors, adding, "Everyone is making me laugh my ass off." Watching the show has become a new pastime for the Feel Good actress, who revealed that she almost never stopped to watch an episode while filming the show.
"I didn't watch every episode when we were shooting. I had a kid and none of us were," she recalled. "It was like, 'Oh, it's Thursday night at eight o'clock?' We were on too early."
Reflecting on the show's impact, Lisa also touched on the show's importance in a chaotic world. Noting that as an actor she didn't want to take showbiz "too seriously," she explained that "you realize how important that kind of escape [on TV] with a laugh that makes you feel good" is. "It's just important," she added, "kind of healing."
Following Matthew's death, Lisa revealed another sweet way she's been able to keep him close to her heart. Indeed, she shared that The Whole Ten Yards actor left her a note that she didn't find until after he passed.
"Matthew gave that to me at the end of our last episode," Lisa said in a January 2025 episode of The Drew Barrymore Show, referring to a notable cookie jar prop that Matthew had taken from the set. "I had recently found the note that he had in it for me. I hadn't opened it up or looked inside of it. But yeah, he did. He had a note in there and I forgot about it."
And though she didn't disclose the contents of the note, Lisa sentimentally added, "Timing is everything."
