Paul Rudd is one of the many famous faces that appeared in Friends but to the surprise of many, he doesn’t actually make any money from the show.
Friends is one of the most beloved shows ever and featured a main cast of six actors who would all become stars across the globe.
Rudd, 54, who has appeared in classics like Clueless, Romeo + Juliet, Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy, plus The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Night at the Museum, Knocked Up, I Love You, Man, and This Is 40, had a recurring role as Phoebe Buffay’s (Lisa Kudrow) husband Mike Hannigan.
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After being introduced in season nine as Phoebe’s fake date set up by Joey (Matt LeBlanc) because he forgot to set up a real one (typical), Mike and Phoebe beat the odds and fall in love.
After a breakup, because Mike didn’t want to get married, the two eventually make amends in Barbados, when he stopped Mike David (The Simpsons star Hank Azaria) from proposing.
Mike and Phoebe tie the knot after a snowstorm on the street outside Central Perk.
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Rudd’s last appearance as Mike is in the penultimate episode, “The Last One, Part 1”.
It turns out that one of the most common questions asked on the internet is ‘does Paul Rudd get royalties from Friends?’ and the answer will probably surprise you.
During the press run for Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania this year, Rudd answered the query when he and Jonathan Majors took part in an interview for Wired’s Autocomplete Interview series.
“I don’t believe I do,” he replied.
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Majors continued: “Is that any of their business? That’s like financial, personal information.”
However, Rudd doubled down on his previous answer and said: “I don’t think I did.”
The Ghostbusters: Afterlife star then told a story about a bar in Los Angeles called Residuals, where if you received a residual check that was less than a dollar, they would take your check and pin it to the wall. You’d also get a beer in return.
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Although he may not make anything from Friends, Rudd isn’t strapped for cash. As an actor, screenwriter, and producer he has a reported net worth of $70 million according to Celebrity Net Worth.
It definitely pays to be part of the MCU. Take that, Friends!
Gregory Robinson