Lisa Kudrow Recalls Her Son’s 'Demeaning' Reaction to ‘Friends’

Lisa Kudrow's son, Julian, was only five years old when her time on Friends came to an end after 10 seasons, but that didn't stop him from watching the show -- and having a strong opinion about it. During her Tuesday appearance on Late Night With Seth Meyers, the 58-year-old actress recalled the hilarious conversation she and Julian had after he watched the show as a child.

"He was five when we were finished... but he did start watching when his friends at school started watching," she explained. "He watched it and he was impressed. He said, 'It's actually really funny, I mean, the guys are so funny.'"

Julian wasn't just a fan of the guys on the show, though. Kudrow went on to share that to much of his surprise, he found her beloved character, Pheobe Buffay, hilarious as well. "He's like, 'No, I mean you're funny too,'" she quipped. "Never in my life have I wanted to tell my own kid, like, 'F--- you!' I mean, I thought it, I didn't say it."

"It's not required that you're a fan," she continued. "You don't have to like what I do. But don't be so demeaning!"

Fast forward nearly two decades, and Julian would become a fan of his mom's work on The Comeback, which he watched while sick with COVID-19. 

"He called me up and said, 'So I just watched the first two episodes. It's really good, Mom,'" she told Meyers. "I said, 'Thanks.' He said, 'Can I ask you some questions about that?' I'm like, 'Yes!' I almost started crying. I didn't think that anyone in my family liked that show."

This isn't the first time Kudrow has recalled her son's relationship with Friends. During a May 2021 interview with Conan O'Brien, Kudrow said that Julian -- whom she shares with husband Michel Stern -- used to think Jennifer Aniston was his mom after set visits.

"He got a little confused," she said of bringing him to set. "I know that he really was obsessed with Jen. He'd fly into her lap. Well, she's a love bug, and that made sense. And I was always glad for anyone that Julian felt love for and felt from. But then at home, she'd be on TV, and he'd go, 'Mommy!'"

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