'Friends' star Lisa Kudrow reveals surprising take on Ross and Rachel

Brendan Morrow, USA TODAYThu, May 7, 2026 at 6:27 PM UTC

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Lisa Kudrow is sharing her hot take on one of the most infamous debates in TV history.

While appearing on "The Tonight Show," the "Friends" star gave her thoughts on the classic sitcom's "on a break" debate involving Ross (David Schwimmer) and Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). When Jimmy Fallon asked Kudrow if Ross and Rachel were on a break, the actress said, "Well, no!" But she didn't stop there.

"It's beyond that," Kudrow said. "It's beyond break or not. He was a bad boyfriend!"

Fallon's studio audience immediately burst into applause, which seemed to surprise Kudrow. "Oh, you agree!" she said. "I feel better." Kudrow added that after their "on a break" fight, Rachel "shouldn't have gotten back with [Ross], because he was horrible!"

Lisa Kudrow attends the HBO Max launch party on March 25, 2026, in London.

In Season 3 of "Friends," Ross and Rachel get into a big fight, and Rachel suggests they should take a break from their relationship. Ross subsequently has sex with another woman, upsetting Rachel. Ross, though, maintains he did not cheat on Rachel because they were on a break at the time. These events frequently come up throughout the rest of the show, and Ross defensively shouting that "we were on a break" whenever Rachel mentions it becomes a running joke.

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In the years since, there have frequently been debates about Ross' actions and whether he and Rachel were, in fact, on a break. In 2020, Schwimmer defended Ross on "The Tonight Show and offered his take on the issue. "People are so passionately divided about whether or not they were on a break," he said. "Yeah, it's not even a question. They were on a break."

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As Kudrow's statement about Ross being a bad boyfriend went viral online, she took to the comments of the "Tonight Show" Instagram to clarify. "BUT!!! Later he did tell her she should go to Paris. He became a good partner! He did," she wrote, referring to the events of the final season, in which Rachel is offered a job in Paris.

Kudrow also spoke further about her position in a May 7 appearance on "The View."

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"He wasn't [a good boyfriend] at that moment, and then he got better by the end, and he was sending her off," Kudrow said. "Like, 'Yes, go to Paris. Don't think twice. It's a great opportunity.' But in that season where 'we were on a break,' to me, it didn't matter. That he cheated was way after the fact that he was completely unsupportive and dismissive of her career and her job and her dedication to it. Like, 'Well, I haven't seen you in three nights because you had a crisis.' That's what bothered me."

Lisa Kudrow attends the Los Angeles premiere of "The Comeback" on March 19, 2026, in Beverly Hills, California.

Kudrow's thought comes after she revealed in 2024 that she was rewatching "Friends" as a viewer, 20 years after the show's series finale. Kudrow told The Hollywood Reporter she decided to go back and watch the show in honor of costar Matthew Perry, who died in 2023.

"Honestly, I wasn't able to watch it because it's too embarrassing to watch yourself," she told the Reporter. "But if I make it about Matthew, then that's OK. And it's just celebrating how hilarious he was – and that is what I want to remember [about him]."

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: 'Friends' star Lisa Kudrow shares surprising take on Ross and Rachel

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