Lisa Kudrow exposes the dark side of 'Friends' set with troubling writer room claims

This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. ©2026 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved. Quotes displayed in real-time or delayed by at least 15 minutes. Market data provided by Factset. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Legal Statement. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by LSEG. Lisa Kudrow and Jennifer Aniston joked they were intimidated by Courteney Cox in the early days of "Friends" because she was the only one on the cast who was already "famous." Lisa Kudrow is revisiting her time on "Friends" with new claims about a harsh writers’ room, calling parts of the experience "brutal." Kudrow, best known for playing Phoebe Buffay on the hit sitcom, said the atmosphere behind the scenes was often tense and, at times, inappropriate, pointing to what she describes as a writers’ room culture fueled by cutting remarks. "There was definitely mean stuff going on behind the scenes," Kudrow, 62, told the Sunday Times. ‘FRIENDS’ ALUM LISA KUDROW REVEALS WHY SHE DOESN'T WATCH THE BELOVED SHOW Lisa Kudrow claimed the predominantly male writers' room on "Friends" was "brutal." (ROBYN BECK/AFP via Getty Images) Kudrow claimed the pressure t