It’s hard to imagine Friends without Phoebe Buffay. She’s quirky, unpredictable, and arguably one of the most beloved characters on the show. But according to Lisa Kudrow herself, her experience behind the scenes didn’t always match the fan love.
In a recent interview, Kudrow opened up about something that might surprise even longtime fans: she didn’t always feel like she was on equal footing with her co-stars. While the cast Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer became household names almost instantly, Kudrow says she often felt like the odd one out, per Yahoo.
And she didn’t sugarcoat it either. “Nobody cared about me,” she admitted, recalling how she was sometimes labeled within the industry. “There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as ‘the sixth friend.’”
That’s a little shocking, considering Phoebe is the character who gave us “Smelly Cat,” iconic one-liners, and a completely unique energy that no one else on the show could replicate. But Kudrow’s perspective highlights something people don’t always think about when it comes to massive ensemble hits: not every cast member experiences fame the same way.
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Even though Kudrow actually made history as the first of the group to win an Emmy, taking home Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series back in 1998, she says the industry didn’t exactly roll out the red carpet for her afterward.
“There was no vision for me, and no expectations about the kind of career I could have,” she explained. “There was just, like, ‘boy is she lucky she got on that show.’” And honestly, that mindset feels very “Hollywood.” It’s that strange mix of praise and dismissal, where success is acknowledged but not necessarily taken seriously.
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Still, Kudrow didn’t exactly fade into the background. She built a solid film career with projects like Romy and Michele’s High School Reunion, Analyze This, and Easy A, proving she had range beyond the eccentric charm of Phoebe. And now, she’s continuing to earn critical praise for her work on The Comeback, which has become something of a cult favorite in its own right.
Interestingly, Kudrow also shared that when opportunities started coming her way, they didn’t always feel like the right fit. After landing a role alongside Robert De Niro in Analyze This, she noticed a shift in how the industry saw her—but not necessarily in a way that aligned with who she felt she was.
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“And that’s when the agents and business people started circling, wanting to put me in romantic comedies and things,” she said, before adding with her signature self-awareness, “I knew that wasn’t gonna work. I’m just not adorable!”
Kudrow has also been candid in the past about feeling out of place next to her female co-stars, particularly when it came to appearance. Watching herself on screen alongside Aniston and Cox shifted her perception in ways she didn’t expect.
“It wasn’t until Friends that I realized, ‘Oh, I don’t look like I thought I looked,’” she shared in a previous interview, pointing out how seeing herself on camera and next to her co-stars changed how she viewed herself.
That kind of honesty hits a little deeper, especially considering how influential Friends was in shaping beauty standards and pop culture at the time.
But maybe that’s what makes Kudrow’s story stand out even more. While she may have felt like “the sixth friend” behind the scenes, her character became anything but that to audiences. Phoebe wasn’t just part of the group she defined a certain kind of humor and heart that helped make the show what it was. And in the end, that’s what lasts.
Cameron Hayes 
Morgan Callahan