Lisa Kudrow has a new take on Ross and Rachel’s ‘on a break’ debate on ‘Friends’

The one where Lisa Kudrow gives a hot take. The actress weighed in on a decades-long debate about Ross and Rachel’s relationship on the ’90s sitcom “Friends.” Fans have argued…

The one where Lisa Kudrow gives a hot take.

The actress weighed in on a decades-long debate about Ross and Rachel’s relationship on the ’90s sitcom “Friends.”

Fans have argued for years about whether or not Ross (David Schwimmer) was justified in sleeping with someone after stating that he and his girlfriend Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) were “on a break.”

“I’m afraid now to bring it up,” Kudrow said while on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon”on Monday.

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, from the TV show "Friends," standing and pointing at each other.
Lisa Kudrow (pictured here on Monday) gave her opinion about the decades-long debate about Ross and Rachel’s relationship on the ’90s sitcom “Friends.” Todd Owyoung/NBC via Getty Images
Ross and Rachel leaning in for a kiss.
Fans have argued about if they felt Ross (David Schwimmer) was justified in sleeping with another woman because he thought he and and his girlfriend Rachel (Jennifer Aniston pictured here in Season 2) were “on a break.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Host Jimmy Fallon replied, “What is your take? Were they on a break?”

“Well, no. But it’s beyond that,” Kudrow explained. “It’s beyond break or not— he was a bad boyfriend.”

The audience immediately erupted in applause.

“Oh, you agree! Oh, I feel better,” the “Comeback” actress gushed. “Thank you. Thank you for this. Thank you, all of you.”

Kudrow further explained her reasoning.

Portrait of actress Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in 'Friends' Season 1, smiling at the camera with her hands in her hair, wearing a white t-shirt under a blue floral dress and a brown patterned vest.
The “Comeback” star (pictured here in 1994) said she doesn’t think Ross was a good boyfriend. NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, smiling.
The “Romy and Michele” actress stated about the couple (pictured here in Season 2): “She shouldn’t have gotten back with him because he was horrible.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images

“We did the reunion just like five years ago… we were all so like, ‘They were on a break.’ Like, ‘Rachel, that hysterical shrew, not letting him sleep with someone and won’t get back together,’” the “Romy and Michele” actress recalled. “She shouldn’t have gotten back with him because he was horrible.”

When Fallon asked Kudrow if Schwimmer knew how his guest felt, she stayed quiet.

“He knows now,” the late night host quipped.

Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green and David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, from the TV show "Friends," standing and pointing at each other.
In 2020, Schwimmer (pictured here with Aniston in 1995) told Fallon: “It’s not even a question. They were on a break.” NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Rachel in a hospital bed with Ross leaning over it in a scene from "Friends."
Aniston (pictured here on the series) disagreed, saying in 2021, “For the record… we were SO not on a break.” Getty Images

Back in 2020, Schwimmer gave his own take on the situation, telling Fallon at the time, “It’s not even a question. They were on a break.”

For her part, while promoting an apparel line for charity in 2021, Aniston argued: “For the record… we were SO not on a break.” In Season 3, episode 16, titled, “The One with the Morning After,” Rachel accused Ross of cheating on her, to which he denied.

Ross claimed he thought they had broken up when he hooked up with someone else and famously stated, “We were on a break.”

Group portrait of the cast of Friends in character, with the women seated in front of the men.
“Friends” ran for 10 seasons from 1994 until 2004, and also featured Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, and Matt LeBlanc (pictured here in a cast shot). NBCUniversal via Getty Images
Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry posing at the 8th Annual Lili Claire Foundation Benefit.
Perry (pictured here with Kudrow) died in October 2023 at age 54 from the “acute effects of ketamine.” WireImage for Fusion PR _LA

The line went on to be used many times throughout the series.

“Friends” ran for 10 seasons from 1994 until 2004 and along with Kudrow, Aniston and Schwimmer, the sitcom starred Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc.

Perry died in October 2023 at age 54 from the “acute effects of ketamine.” His cause of death was ruled as accidental.

In 2024, Kudrow revealed to the Hollywood Reporter she started rewatching the NBC series to “celebrate” Perry.

Cast of Friends posing for a photo, each holding two mugs that say "Friends."
In 2024, the “Web Therapy” alum said she is re-watching the NBC show to “celebrate” Perry. Getty Images
The cast of "Friends" sitting on the edge of a fountain, smiling at the camera.
“Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious,” Kudrow (pictured here with her co-stars) gushed about his work on the show. NBCUniversal via Getty Images

For years, the sitcom star was unable to watch “Friends,” calling it too “embarrassing” to see herself act.

“If I make it about Matthew, then that’s OK,” Kudrow expressed. “And it’s just celebrating how hilarious he was — and that is what I want to remember [about him].”

Despite disagreeing with Schwimmer’s take on his relationship, Kudrow added that she was “laughing out loud” at how funny her co-stars were.

“I’m blown away by Courteney Cox. I’m blown away by [Jennifer Aniston],” the actress mused. “Matthew, obviously, is just uniquely hilarious. No one ever knew that cadence or comedic rhythm before him. Matt LeBlanc is hilarious. And David Schwimmer, too. Sometimes I even laugh at what I’ve done.”

The post Lisa Kudrow has a new take on Ross and Rachel’s ‘on a break’ debate on ‘Friends’ appeared first on Page Six.