It’s truly shocking that the final episode of Friends aired nearly two decades ago. Besides making us feel extremely old, it’s a timely reminder that nobody is immune to the effects of ageing, not even your favourite onscreen characters.
The six friends have reunited for a highly emotional reunion episode, and while they may look a little different, they’re still as hilarious and tight-knit as ever. One of the things we love most about them is how refreshingly honest they’ve been about their experiences with plastic surgery.
Jennifer Aniston was 25 during the first episode, she is now 52. Courteney Cox was 30 and is celebrating her 56th birthday this year. Lisa Kudrow was the oldest cast member at the time as she was 31 during the shows pilot season. She is turning 58 this year.
As for the men, Matt LeBlanc (Joey) was 27 when the show first started and is now 53. David Schwimmer (Ross) was 28 years old and is turning 55 this year. Matthew Perry (Chandler) was the youngest at 25 and is turning 52 this year.
Lisa Kudrow
In several interviews, Kudrow has admitted that she’s been too afraid to try plastic surgery and has typically steered clear of it.
“I’m too afraid to do Botox or filler or plastic surgery. “It doesn’t mean I won’t ever do it, but it all scares me a little too much. I think everyone’s beautiful when they’re smiling. So I try to be happy. Drink in the good stuff,” she told Glamour UK in 2014.
That being said, she did have a nose job at the age of 16, but that seems to be where her journey starts and ends.
In a 2013 interview with the Saturday Evening Post, she said, “I went from, in my mind, hideous, to not hideous. I did it the summer before going to a new high school so there were plenty of people who wouldn’t know how hideous I looked before. That was a good, good, good change.”
She also spoke candidly about her struggles with weight during her time on the show.
“You see yourself on TV, and it’s that, ‘Oh my god, I’m just a mountain of a girl’. And I’m already bigger than Courteney and Jennifer. [I was] taller, bigger. My bones feel bigger, I just felt like this mountain of a woman next to them,” she said during a podcast interview.
As she got older, however, she’s developed a healthier relationship with her body.
Courteney Cox
Courteney has probably been the most candid out of all the cast members when it comes to retaining her youthful looks.
In an interview with New Beauty in 2017, she admitted to regretting some of the decisions she’s made around her appearance.
“”You have no idea because it’s gradual until you go, ‘Oh s**t, this doesn’t look right. And it’s worse in pictures than in real life. I have one friend who was like, ‘Whoa, no more!’ I thought, I haven’t done anything in six months. I didn’t realize,” she told the publication.
She went on to say that she’s since had all her fillers dissolved and is now as natural as she can be. The actress feels much better now, knowing that she looks like herself. She now credits laser therapy as a great, non-invasive alternative.
Jennifer Aniston
Jennifer is one of those celebrities that honestly looks the same now as she did 20 years ago. She’s long been considered one of Hollywood’s hottest actresses and was named the ‘World’s Most Beautiful Woman’ by People magazine in 2016.
Aniston has never admitted to having botox or dermal fillers, but hasn’t denied ever trying it.
“I’m not saying that I haven’t tried it. All that cosmetic stuff looks ridiculous on me,” she told People in 2007.
The things she does credit for her youthful glow is non-invasive treatments, including micro-current facials which is like a mini workout for your face. She also swears by hydration, crediting water for her healthy, plump skin.
In 2016, she told Vogue: “Because this is the only body we’re given, we need to be really good and mindful of what we eat and how we take care of our skin — getting a good night’s sleep is extremely important, as is hydrating with water, water, water. It’s so important to get that extra glow.”
Matthew Perry
Matthew Perry has endured a very public battle with drug and alcohol addiction, which began while he was already starring as Chandler on the show. In 2011, he removed himself from public life to get well. Perry has been sober ever since, and even become a spokesman for drugs and charities.
Fans were concerned after seeing Perry in the trailer for the reunion episode, who appeared to be slurring his speech. It has since been confirmed that the star underwent emergency dental surgery just prior to filming, and that there was no cause for concern.
Matt LeBlanc
While we don’t know if he has gone down the cosmetic route, Matt has spoken candidly about his struggles with weight gain following the end of the show.
He recalled an instance where he was photographed by the paparazzi at a hotel pool, with the photo becoming front page news the next day.
“The headline was ‘Beached Male’. That stung a little. Another said ‘Fat LeBlanc’. That was clever, I thought,” he told The Sun IN 2004.
“It’s part of the ups and downs of Hollywood. So it doesn’t really matter,” he went on to add.
David Schwimmer
David is the one cast member who has made next to no comments on the process of ageing. Obviously, Ross’ good looks have stood the test of time, maybe it’s all the hair gel?
