Paul Rudd Has This One Regret Over Friends’ Final Episode

Due to his celebrated performances in Anchorman, Clueless, Marvel’s Ant-Man franchise, and more, it can be easy to forget that the eternally youthful Paul Rudd once played a pretty major role on the hit ‘90s sitcom Friends. As fans will recall, Rudd starred in the comedy as the boyfriend and eventual husband of Phoebe Buffay, Mike Hannigan, appearing in 17 of the show’s 236 total episodes. More than two decades after first joining the series in 2002, Rudd looked back on his time on the popular sitcom, revealing that he felt “strange” being a part of Friends’ final ever episode.

During a Feb. 2023 appearance on Heart Breakfast, the actor described his time on the series as both “strange” and “fun.” He shared: “The whole thing was a bit surreal, I must say, to be a part of that. Because I came on really near the end ... I never knew that I was going to be in as many as I was.”

He continued: “But it also felt strange. I mean, I was in that last episode and I just thought, ‘I shouldn’t be here. I’m getting a front row seat to things I’m not supposed to see.’ They were all crying, it was all emotional. I felt very privileged but I was like ‘oh I just want to sit back here and not get in the way.’” When asked by hosts JK and Kelly Brook if there is a Friends WhatsApp group chat, the Marvel star added: “If there is, I’m not on it.”

Speaking on The Graham Norton Show back in 2019, Rudd also disclosed an awkward on-set encounter with former co-star Jennifer Aniston (aka Rachel Green) during the taping of Friends’ last episode

“I was in the last episode, which made no sense to me whatsoever,” he recalled, adding that he bumped into a visibly upset Aniston and attempted to make a joke about the show’s end. “So to break the ice I went over and just went, ‘We did it, huh? What a ride.’ The joke inevitably fell flat.”