Entertainment
25 'Friends' Celebrity Cameos You Definitely Forgot About
There are many reasons why Friends remains so popular after premiering more than 25 years ago, but one of the mot obvious is its super-talented cast members and their off-the-charts chemistry with one another. In each episode of the classic sitcom, the core six friends really did seem like a tried-and-true friend group who would be super fun to hang out with in real life. That's why whenever a new actor joined them for a bit, it was a pretty big deal to see how they new person would interact with everybody's favorite friends. There were countless Friends celebrity cameos over the course of the show's 10 seasons, and each brought a whole new dynamic to the show.
The live studio audience always seemed to love these guest-star appearances (as evidenced by the show's controversial laugh track). No matter if it was a major role that a big star took on for a multi-episode arc, or a much smaller spot that you might have missed if you blinked for too long, the applause was always thunderous when a familiar face joined in for a scene. Then of course, there were the appearances by actors who were, at the time, relatively unknown and didn't get much fanfare back in the day, but now that they're well-known, they bring even more delight to re-watchers.
No matter what form they take, these celebrity cameos on Friends are worth checking out again and again.
1. Christina Applegate
Applegate won an Emmy Award for her role as Amy, Rachel's annoyingly materialistic and self-centered sister, who showed up in two episodes of the season.
2. Brad Pitt
At the time of filming, Pitt was married to Friends star Jennifer Aniston, which made his cameo in the Season 8 Thanksgiving episode all the more exciting for fans, especially since his character had a deep, burning hatred for Rachel.
3. Reese Witherspoon
Years before Witherspoon worked with Aniston on The Morning Show, she played her spoiled sister Jill for one episode of Friends.
4. George Clooney & Noah Wyle
Clooney and Wyle both starred as doctors on ER, so it wasn't too much of a stretch for them to also play doctors in a Season 1 episode of Friends.
5. Robin Williams & Billy Crystal
The two superstar comedians dropped into the Friends set for a quick and hilarious bit in the cold open of a Season 3 episode. According to IMDB, their guest spot actually wasn't planned; the two happened to be on the same studio lot as Friends and so they improvised their scene just for fun.
6. Julia Roberts
The superstar appeared on Friends in Season 2 when she played a former schoolmate of Chander's, who went on a date with him to fulfill her secret plan to exact some elementary school revenge on him.
7. Alec Baldwin
Baldwin had a two-episode arc in Season 8 as Phoebe's boyfriend Parker, who somehow managed to be even more optimistic than Phoebe... to the point where even she couldn't handle it.
8. Bruce Willis
Willis also appeared on Friends for multiple episodes as the stoic Paul, Rachel's boyfriend and the father of Ross' girlfriend, Elizabeth.
9. Anna Faris
Before she became famous for her starring roles in The House Bunny and Mom, Faris played a big part in Friends history as the birth mother of Chandler and Monica's twins.
10. Kristin Davis
Davis is best known for starring on Sex and the City, but she took a trip over to another NYC-set show for a stint as Joey's girlfriend Erin in Season 7. Unfortunately, Erin broke Joey's heart, and she was gone pretty quickly.
11. Jon Favreau
Today, Favreau is best known for helping to create the Marvel universe and directing photo-realistic lions in The Lion King. But before all that, he was Monica's lovable, ambitious boyfriend Pete in Season 3 of Friends.
12. Winona Ryder
Ryder appeared in one episode of Friends as an old sorority sister of Rachel's who had a very, very deep love for her.
13. Ellen Pompeo
Right before Pompeo began her iconic role as Meredith Grey on Grey's Anatomy, she had a guest role in a Season 10 episode of Friends as Ross and Chandler's crush from college.
14. Dakota Fanning
As one of the go-to child stars of the early 2000s, it makes perfect sense that Fanning snagged a guest spot on Friends as a child Joey meets at an open house in the suburbs.
15. John Stamos
Uncle Jesse himself made a cameo appearance in Friends' ninth season as an officemate Chandler thought would make an excellent sperm donor. It didn't end well.
16. Jennifer Coolidge
Coolidge played an old friend of Phoebe and Monica's who had somehow developed a British accent since the last time they saw her.
17. Hugh Laurie
Laurie had a small part as another passenger on Rachel's ill-fated flight to London to try to stop Ross' wedding to Emily. For anyone else who was seriously questioning Rachel's decisions in this moment, Laurie provided the perfect commentary.
18. Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller played Rachel's short-tempered date in the Season 2 episode aptly titled "The One With The Screamer."
19. Jeff Goldblum
Goldblum brought all of his most Goldblum-y energy to his role as a director auditioning Joey in Season 9, Episode 15.
20. Susan Sarandon
Joey had a history of dating his co-stars, and Sarandon played a very special co-star and girlfriend, who ended up helping him in his career in a big way.
21. Gary Oldman
When Joey had to work the same day as Monica and Chandler's wedding, he got held up on set by Oldman's spitting-actor character, whose drunkenness slowed things down.
22. Freddie Prinze Jr.
Prinze played a nanny for Ross and Rachel's baby Emma in Season 9, until Ross' outdated ideas of gender roles got him fired.
23. Gabrielle Union
Ross and Joey fought over getting the chance to date Union's character Kristen in Season 7. In the end, neither won.
24. Paul Rudd
Rudd played Phoebe's boyfriend and eventual husband toward the end of Friends' run, and became the de facto seventh friend in the process.
25. Cole Sprouse
How could this list not include Ross' son Ben? Before he was Jughead on The CW's Riverdale and before he lived The Suite Life of Zack and Cody on Disney Channel, he starred in multiple episodes of Friends. In fact, he even admitted in a 2019 W Magazine video that he had a huge crush on Aniston during filming. Same, Cole, same.
