Friends Cast Members Still Pulling in $20 Million Annually in Residuals

The financial rewards from Friends keep flowing for its cast, even two decades after the NBC sitcom wrapped.

Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and the late Matthew Perry each pocket roughly $20 million annually in residuals, according to recent reporting. That figure nearly matches what they commanded per episode during the show's final two seasons, when cast members earned $1 million per installment.

The enduring paydays stem from Friends' robust second life in syndication and on streaming platforms, which continue to draw audiences worldwide.

Speaking to The Times, Kudrow reflected on revisiting the series following Perry's death. "After Matthew died I watched the show again," she said. "Before, I only saw what I did wrong or could have done better. But for the first time I truly appreciated just how great it was. I felt I did OK, but Jennifer and Courteney? Amazing. David and Matt? They had me laughing so hard. And then Matthew — he was just beyond us all."

When discussing why the show resonates with younger viewers today, Kudrow offered her perspective: "Friends captured a kind of innocence that maybe a younger generation has never got to experience."

The ninth season of Friends ran 24 episodes while the tenth and final season contained 18 episodes, generating the substantial annual residual payments that continue flowing to cast members without requiring any active work on their part.

In the same interview, Kudrow also addressed the "brutal" treatment she experienced from the show's writing staff during production.