‘Friends’ 30th Anniversary: What the Creators Said About Matthew Perry’s Absence

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Friends turns 30 today, with its premiere episode airing on September 22, 1994.

The show was an instant hit and has become one of the most beloved sitcoms in history. Over its 10 seasons and 236 episodes, Friends has been watched more than 100 billion times across various platforms. However, the creators—Marta Kauffman, David Crane, and executive producer Kevin S. Bright—acknowledge that Matthew Perry’s death has cast a shadow over what should be a celebratory time. The show faced a tragic turn in 2023 when Perry died at age 54 from what a medical examiner described as the acute effects of ketamine. In August, federal and local law enforcement officials announced the arrest of five defendants, including two doctors, who were charged with multiple counts for allegedly exploiting Perry’s well-known struggles with drug addiction.

Kauffman noted that the connection among the six stars—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Perry—was evident from the start. While there has never been a Friends reboot, a cast reunion was held on HBO Max in 2021.

Here’s what those who worked on the sitcom had to say about the loss of their beloved Chandler Bing.

Friends Creators and Executive Producer

“He’d been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really did feel like, from the reunion, that he had finally found some peace,” co-creator Bright said in a TODAY interview that aired on Sept. 20.

“It’s a huge loss, and it does make the 30th a little fraught,” Kauffman added.

“He made us laugh every day—David always said he was the funniest man in the room,” Bright reflected.

“When the six of them got on stage together,” Kauffman recalled of the show’s earliest rehearsals, “I got a chill up my spine and thought, ‘This is something special.’”

Kauffman also previously spoke about how to honor Perry’s memory after his death. “Donate to drug treatment centers—let’s fight the disease,” she told The Times last month. “The second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that, but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”

In 2023, shortly after Perry’s death, the three issued a joint statement: “We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent.”

“We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment—not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”

“We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”