Lisa Kudrow made her ex Conan O’Brien ‘jealous’ when she praised Matthew Perry: "Hard to hear..."
On July 22, 2024, Conan O'Brien invited his ex-flame Lisa Kudrow on the show, where he made the biggest confession. On his podcast 'Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend,' where the duo recounted several hilarious incidents from the past, one name stood out: Matthew Perry. According to Entertainment TV, O'Brien recalled an incident; he told Kudrow, "You called me up, and you were raving about..." to which Kudrow interjected, "Matthew." O'Brien continued, "Yes. And you were saying, he's so funny... There was part of me that was jealous," admitting, "Like, I was OK. I make you laugh pretty hard, and you were like, 'No, you don't understand. This guy's really [funny].'
After Conan's confession, Kudrow reassured him that he was also “one of the funniest people I know” too, although he quickly downplayed her compliment. "Well, now it's hard to hear, you see," she teased. "But it is true. That's just a fact. But [Perry] was such a huge [star]." Conan O'Brien and Lisa Kudrow dated each other for 5 years (1988 to 1993), eventually parting ways before the debut of 'Friends.' However, they remained close friends. O'Brien later married Liza Powel O'Brien in 2002, clearly moving on in life, per Vanity Fair.
According to People, during the podcast, Kudrow fondly recalled her first impressions of Perry's portrayal of Chandler Bing. She joked, "I thought that Chandler character, when I read it, I thought, 'Oh, they have a gay character, that's good... At the table read, I just did a double take at him [like], 'Oh my god.' I never, even in a million years, could have envisioned anyone playing the character like that. And with his rhythm and everything. It's his own. Impeccable timing, but also just [hilarious]."
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Kudrow also shared a memorable incident from the set. "Honest to god, shooting those titles in the fountain was a nightmare. I don't like discomfort... any kind. I don't like it," she explained. "And that fountain was cold. It was very late at night, and we had done, I think, 500 takes of dancing — unmotivated dancing [which is] hard too. It's hard." She continued, "It was so cold, but we had to keep doing it. And they said, 'One more take,' and Matthew said, 'One more? Okay. Can't remember a time I wasn't in a fountain,'" showcasing Perry's trademark deadpan humor.
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Reflecting on Perry's passing, Kudrow shared with O'Brien, "I used to not be able to watch it at all. I'd be mildly interested, and then I'd see me and say, 'That's enough of that.'" She continued, "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. So I have started watching 'Friends.' Not started from season 1, but there are marathons on, and I have spent at times, since he died, all day long watching the show." Two months after Perry's death, Kudrow paid tribute to him on Instagram with a heartfelt post, concluding with, "Thank you for all I learned about GRACE and LOVE through knowing you. Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew."
