Courteney Cox celebrates 20 years since the iconic, emotional “Friends” finale aired.
On Monday, the 59-year-old actress took to Instagram to pay homage to one of the more emotional scenes the cast ever filmed – the final moment of the last episode.
“It’s been 20 years since the series finale of Friends,” she wrote, alongside a clip of the scene. “I don’t know how we were able to act through all the tears. Forever grateful.”
The last scene shows the six friends – Monica (Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Chandler (Matthew Perry), Ross (David Schwimmer), Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) – gathered in Monica and Chandler’s apartment, saying their goodbyes and fighting through tears as the couple prepares to move out with their new babies.
The series finale of “Friends” aired 20 years ago. (Jon Ragel/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal)
The end of the clip sees the cast sharing their final bow with the live audience applauding.
“Years may pass and FRIENDS will always be the best thing that happened in a world that is totally different nowadays,” one user commented. “Thank you friends for bringing joy and love to our lives. we love them so much forever.”
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“Friends is THE best!! The most iconic show of all time with the most talented writers and actors,” another wrote. “You guys make so many people laugh and you hold so many people lift out of the dark. Even today. This show will forever be watched by generations.”
Courtney Cox portrayed Monica on the hit TV show for 10 seasons. (Getty Images)
“Friends,” which first debuted on NBC in 1994, was one of the most watched sitcoms on television. Throughout the years, the cast remained close, even reuniting for a special on HBO Max in 2021.
Just days ahead of the special’s release, the cast mates joined former “Good Morning America” host Amy Robach for an interview about how it felt to reconnect on screen for the first time since the sitcom’s 2004 finale.
“I don’t think that any of us had any idea how emotional we would be when we walked onto the set to see it exactly the way it was,” Cox said. “Literally besides the cookie jar that Lisa took home and the neon coffee thing that Jen took. Besides that, it was exactly the same. It was so emotional that we just started crying.”
The “Friends” cast remained close even after the final episode aired in 2004. (NBC)
“Truth is, I didn’t cry walking out onto the set,” Kudrow confessed. “And now I can’t stop.”
“Floodgates open,” Aniston added. “We’ve literally just slipped right back [in].”
“We have such a bond from this show,” Kudrow added.
Cox’s tribute comes six months after Perry died of acute effects of ketamine and drowning in October 2023. In 2021, Perry spoke about how the sitcom impacted his life and the friendships he made with his fellow cast members.
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“The best way that I can describe it is after the show was over, at a party or any kind of social gathering, if one of us bumped into each other, that was it. That was the end of the night. You just sat with the person all night long and that was it,” Perry said during the Max reunion.
Matthew Perry portrayed Chandler Bing on the sitcom, which first aired in 1994. (Jon Ragel/Getty Images)
“You apologized to the people you were with, but they had to understand you had met somebody special to you, and you were going to talk to that person for the rest of the night. And that’s the way it worked.”
Aniston agreed and Cox teared up, as Perry added tearfully, “It’s certainly the way it worked with all of us. It’s just the way it is.”
“We stay in touch, maybe not every day. We have such a bond from having done this show and forged this very tight relationship, anytime you text or call someone, they’re gonna pick up. They’ll be there,” Kudrow said.
Matthew Perry died due to the “acute effects of ketamine,” the County of Los Angeles Department of Medical Examiner said. (Getty Images)
“It was an incredible time. Everything came together. We became best friends who, just, the chemistry, the whole thing. It was life-changing, and it forever will be. Not just for us but for people who watch it, and that’s just such a great feeling to carry forever,” Cox said.
Fox News Digital’s Elizabeth Stanton contributed to this post.
Christina Dugan Ramirez is an entertainment writer for Fox News Digital.
