FRIENDS: THE REUNION special, with surprise guests, May 27 on HBO Max

Courteney Cox,  Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Jennifer Aniston, and David Schwimmer (photos courtesy NBC)

  Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow wanted to film FRIENDS: THE REUNION special more than a year ago. But the coronavirus pandemic repeatedly threw a monkey wrench into the production efforts. Now finally it’s done, and HBO Max will debut the special on Thursday, MAY 27, the one-year anniversary of HBO Max’s launch.

“The one with us finally getting together,” stated Lisa Kudrow on Instagram following the announcement of the airdate.

All the Friends stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow, returned to the iconic comedy’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank, California, for a real-life unscripted celebration of their beloved show.

  Celebrating with them on FRIENDS: THE REUNION will be a variety of spectacular guests including Lady Gaga, BTS, Justin Bieber, David Beckham, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Malala Yousafzai, and Reese Witherspoon.

  Friends is one of television’s most beloved series. It ended its top-rated 10 year-run on NBC in 2004, and was one of the most popular TV shows of the 1990s. A smash hit in syndication, it has also found new life on streaming platforms where it is one of the most watched shows worldwide.

A favorite among critics and fans alike during its original decade on the air, Friends not only won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy series, but also garnered Emmy Awards for series stars Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow.

From Warner Bros. Television, Friends follows the lives and loves of a close-knit group of friends living in New York City: siblings Ross (David Schwimmer) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox), along with friends Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry), Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow), Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) and Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston). Friends was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman, who executive produced the series with Kevin Bright through Bright/Kauffman/Crane Productions in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Ben Winston directed the special and executive produced along with “Friends” executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane. Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, Perry, and Schwimmer executive produced the special from Warner Bros. Unscripted Television.

  Fans can catch every episode of Friends on TBS before the big HBO Max reunion. From May 10, 2021, until June 4th, TBS is airing every single episode of “Friends” ever, weekdays from 10 am  to 4 pm ET/PT. The month-long “Friends: From The Beginning” Marathon will fuel the Friends-frenzy as fans catch-up on all their favorite episodes before the highly anticipated premiere of Friends: The Reunion on HBO Max, Thursday, May 27. Tune in.


Margie Barron has written for a wide variety of outlets including Gannett newspapers, Nickelodeon, Tiger Beat and 16 Magazine, Fresh!, Senior Life, Production Update, airline magazines, etc. Margie is also proud to have been half of the husband & wife writing team Frank & Margie Barron, who had written together for various entertainment and travel publications for more than 38 years.

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