Lisa Kudrow hasn’t portrayed her iconic “Friends” character Phoebe Buffay in more than two decades. But she’s still earning a substantial paycheck from the long-running series.
In a new interview with The Times of London, the actress revealed just how much the cast continues to benefit from their 10-season run on NBC. Kudrow explained that the show’s enduring popularity in syndication and streaming continues to generate ongoing residuals for the cast, years after it ended.
How Much Does the ‘Friends’ Cast Continue to Make For Their Work on the Series?
According to a report by The Times of London, the five surviving “Friends” cast members each earn $20M yearly in residuals. Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc (Matthew Perry died in 2023) continue to be paid handsomely for their work on the sitcom.
How much the cast was paid was a huge part of the “Friends” backstory. The series was at the top of the ratings heap throughout its decade long run on NBC. Although initially the cast didn’t make top salaries, around 2002, they began to get $1M per episode each.
This salary increase was a huge deal at the time reported Business Insider. All six of the core cast members negotiated their salaries collectively. They stood together, stating that each member would be paid the same salary or they all would leave.
The Times reported, “Famously, the cast were all friends in real life. At the start they were each paid $22,500 an episode, but instead of competing they negotiated as a team to secure $1 million an episode by the end.”
“Kudrow, educated at the elite Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, upstate New York, reportedly took a lead in the discussions. As a result she, Aniston and Cox became the highest-paid television actresses in the world at the time.”
‘Friends’ Was So Huge That The Cast Had a Bargaining Chip in Salary Negotiations
According to Business Insider, “Friends” was going through a ratings resurgance when the cast bargained for more money collectively. The outlet reported that the series was “enjoying its highest-rated season in five years.”
Advertisers were still investing in the show. And overall, each episode of “Friends” averaged “25.7M viewers per week.”
Reportedly David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston were making significantly more than their co-stars because they were the show’s core couple. However, they banded together with Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc to ensure they all received the same salary.
That shared commitment ultimately helped secure the show’s future, as producers believed losing even one cast member would disrupt the chemistry that made the series so appealing to audiences. That trust among the ensemble became a defining strength of the series, helping it maintain its momentum throughout its ten-season run.
“Friends” creator Marta Kauffman told The Wrap in 2015, “A million dollars an episode is kinda ridiculous,” Kaufmann said. “Let’s be honest, that’s a lot of money.”
“I think it’s inflated,” she added. “And there’s something unrealistic about it.”
