Particle.news
Download on the App Store

Lisa Kudrow Says ‘Friends’ Writers’ Room Was ‘Mean,’ With Sexual Talk About Co-Stars

Her account revives scrutiny of TV writers’ room culture after a similar lawsuit failed in California.

Overview

  • News outlets on Tuesday reported Kudrow’s Times interview alleging a harsh writers’ room on Friends and explicit talk about Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox.
  • She said the staff was mostly men, about 12 to 15 writers, who worked late into the night and discussed sexual fantasies about her female co-stars.
  • Kudrow recalled that if a joke fell flat or a line was flubbed in front of a live audience of about 400, some writers hurled profane insults at the actors.
  • Coverage links her recollections to former writers’ assistant Amaani Lyle’s case, which the California Supreme Court rejected in 2006 by citing the show’s creative context.
  • Kudrow added that she still admires the series and disclosed the main cast earns about $20 million a year in residuals, while outlets said Warner Bros. and NBC had not issued substantive public responses.