Lisa Kudrow had one tearfully sentimental moment while sharing a very personal moment-an intimate interview-involving her late co-star, Matthew Perry, during the taping of the extremely popular sitcom Friends. Kudrow said during the sit-down that she recently found a sweet note from Perry, hidden in a gift he had given her after they wrapped their last episode together. The gift, a cookie jar with the words “Cookie Time” emblazoned on it, was a keepsake from the set, where it had sat front and center in Monica and Chandler’s apartment.
Kudrow, who played the offbeat Phoebe Buffay to Perry’s snarky Chandler Bing, remembered how emotional it had been to discover the note: “I hadn’t opened it or looked inside of it. But yeah, he did. He had a note in there, and I forgot about it,” Kudrow said in the interview. Although she did not reveal what the note said, she did convey just how significant it was to have found it at that particular time. “Timing is everything,” she said, hinting at how close she had become to it after Perry’s sudden demise in 2023.
The note wasn’t the only part of their shared past that Kudrow brought up during the interview. She reflected on the lifelong friendship she had with Perry, one that went beyond their on-screen relationship. Kudrow reminisces about the time they both spent on Friends, and it’s a laugh riot and full of joy as the two often shared jokes both on and off camera. Kudrow said that back in 2020, she had mentioned the cookie jar while making an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live. At the time, she detailed how the jar had played a significant role in one of the funny moments on set, where she had mistakenly referred to it as a clock during a scene, leading to uncontrollable laughter from the cast.
Perry’s death at age 54 left a gaping hole in the hearts of those who knew him, especially his Friends co-stars. Like many people, Kudrow was among those who were struggling to come to terms with the loss of a friend whose humor and warmth had touched her life. Her sadness aside, the memories of Perry have remained a source of comfort for Kudrow. Tributes from Kudrow have poured in since his death, thanking him for the laughter and wisdom he had given her. In one post, she wrote that she was grateful for the way Perry made her laugh every day on set, calling it “the best 10 years a person gets to have.”
Perry struggled publicly with addiction for many years and was found dead in October 2023 after complications from using ketamine. His death was a shock to the entire world, but his memory as an adored comedian and actor remains, above all in the memories of everyone close to him. The discovery of Kudrow of Perry’s note in the “Cookie Time” jar touches the sensitive chords of their friendship as one standing for the continuance of relationships between cast members of Friends.
Kudrow went on to say that she and her co-stars do all they can to ensure Perry’s singular comic talent is celebrated. And while she’s admitted that the process of sitting down to watch old Friends episodes becomes increasingly difficult-at times, painful-she followed up here, “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 OK.”.
These will remain with her in the days to come, like the note from Perry, as a source of comfort and reflection. The bond of the Friends cast, but most especially Kudrow and Perry, represents one of those deep bonds born on set while working on one of the most iconic television shows. The cookie jar has become a treasured memento that will forever remind them of their time together, the love, and the laughter they shared on and off screen.
Kudrow’s revelation serves as a heartfelt reminder of how special the relationships between the cast of Friends truly were and how the impact of their time together continues to resonate, even after the show has ended.
