Lisa Kudrow Breaks Silence on Losing Matthew Perry Who Crushed on Her & Drove Her to Tears Laughing

• "Friends" actress Lisa Kudrow has paid tribute to Matthew Perry weeks after his passing.
• Perry once shared he had a crush on Kudrow.
• The actor presented his colleague with a special gift when "Friends" ended.

On November 15, 2023, "Friends" star Lisa Kudrow took to Instagram to pay a touching tribute to her beloved co-star and friend, Matthew Perry, who recently passed away. The actress, known for portraying the iconic character Phoebe Buffay on the hit TV show, shared a nostalgic polaroid photo of herself and Perry during their early days.

In her heartfelt caption, Kudrow expressed her deep appreciation for Perry's warm and inviting personality. She recalled how he suggested they play poker together during their time at the NBC Upfronts, creating memorable bonding moments.

The star also thanked Perry for the genuine laughter he brought into her life, saying, "Thank you for making me laugh so hard at something you said, that my muscles ached, and tears poured down my face EVERY DAY."

Kudrow went on to praise her colleague's dedication to a six-way relationship with the "Friends" cast, emphasizing the importance of compromise and communication in their close-knit ensemble. She concluded her tribute with a touching message of gratitude for the decade they spent working together, describing it as "the best 10 years a person gets to have."

In a candid interview with ABC News' Diane Sawyer, Perry once disclosed crushing on his "Friends" co-stars, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, and Kudrow. He admitted that these feelings occasionally made it challenging to maintain a purely professional relationship on set.

Perry's honesty about these crushes added depth to their on-set interactions, as he candidly stated, "How can you not have a crush on Jenny, and Courteney, and Lisa?" He added, "It made it kind of difficult to go to work, because I had to pretend that I didn't."

In another heartwarming revelation, Kudrow revealed a sweet moment she shared with Perry from her time on the "Friends" set. During a 2020 interview with Jimmy Kimmel, she recounted a scene where her character, Phoebe, was supposed to check the time, but she didn't have a watch.

Thinking on her feet, Kudrow noticed a clock, which was actually a cookie jar, in the background and gestured towards it, saying, "Oh! Look at the time. I gotta get going." And soon after, Perry asked her, "Did you look at the cookie jar and say look at the time?"

Kudrow revealed that Perry gifted her the very same cookie jar when the iconic series ended in 2004. She humorously recalled her initial reaction to the thoughtful present, saying, "I think the first thing I asked was, 'This was so nice — did you get permission?' I mean, my car used to get searched every night when I left."

As we remember Matthew Perry and celebrate his contributions to the world of entertainment, these touching stories remind us of the enduring friendships forged on the set of "Friends" and the indelible mark he left on his co-stars' lives.