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David Schwimmer didn't watch Friends for decades after it finished until one thing changed his whole outlook

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Published 20:46 2 Apr 2025 GMT+1

David Schwimmer didn't watch Friends for decades after it finished until one thing changed his whole outlook

Something made him pivot...

Liv Bridge

Liv Bridge

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David Schwimmer has revealed he didn't watch a single episode of Friends after the series wrapped up after taking issue with the theme song - until something changed.

It's been two decades since our favorite New York buddies, starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, bid their emotional farewells on the iconic TV show, Friends, after a 20-year-long run.

While the 1994 NBC sitcom still stands as relevant and hilarious today to viewers both old and young, Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller, has revealed he never sat down to watch a single episode in the years after it ended in 2004.

The Emmy nominee spoke out about his relationship with Friends, and his personal grievance with its theme song, on an episode of the Making A Scene podcast with Matt Lucas and David Walliams.

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Lest we forget, the show ended back in 2004 (HBO Max)
Lest we forget, the show ended back in 2004 (HBO Max)

"So I never watched the show after we finished it," the 58-year-old said. "For me, it's like I did it, I'm moving on, I don't really go back."

"I'll be really honest. There was a time for quite a while that just hearing the theme song would really...," he sighed. "For me, I just had that reaction and I mean, I just had heard it so many times. And anytime you'd go on a show or a talk show or an interview, that would always be your intro song, so I just didn't have the greatest response to it for a period of time."

As Lucas joked, "Well, no one told you life was going to be that way," as per the legendary opening track, 'I'll Be There For You' by the Rembrandts goes. But the father-of-one seemed to have a change of heart when he became a dad.

He said he avoided the show for years after it finished (Jason Mendez/Getty Images for ReedPop)
He said he avoided the show for years after it finished (Jason Mendez/Getty Images for ReedPop)

Schwimmer, who said being a parent is the 'greatest joy' of his life, went on to say that his daughter, Cleo, 13, whom he shares with ex-wife Zoë Buckman, altered his outlook when the youngster discovered the show.

"At about as I say age nine, my kid discovered it and started watching it and I'd be making breakfast or whatever and I'd hear my kid's laughter, my whole relationship to that song and to the show changed again."

The People v O.J. Simpson actor previously revealed on the podcast that Friends was his 'big break' and one of the 'biggest life-changing moments' in his life as soon as it hit our screens.

He recalled walking through a casino in Las Vegas and being told it was the last time he would ever be able to do so with 'total anonymity' before the show went to air in 1994.

The actor said it was an emotional ending but timely (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)
The actor said it was an emotional ending but timely (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

"It was an incredible life-changing chapter, that 10-year-chapter," Schwimmer continued, describing how the cast and crew had 'so much love' for one another.

However, he revealed he was 'ready' for Friends to come to its end when it did.

While acknowledging the emotional ending, he explained: "But at the same time, yeah, there was a part of me that at least was ready for the next chapter. It felt like it was coming to a natural end, maybe even overstayed its welcome a bit, but we were still having so much fun doing it that it was time."

Featured Image Credit: Making A Scene/YouTube

Topics: Friends, Nostalgia, Film and TV, Celebrity, New York, Jennifer Aniston, Podcast, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc

Liv Bridge
Liv Bridge

Liv Bridge is a digital journalist who joined the UNILAD team in 2024 after almost three years reporting local news for a Newsquest UK paper, The Oldham Times. She's passionate about health, housing, food and music, especially Oasis...

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@livbridge

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