Former “Friends” star Lisa Kudrow says the sitcom’s writers reprimanded cast members for forgetting lines and discussed “sexual fantasies” about her female co-stars, multiple news outlets report.
Ms. Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the show, told The Times of London that the writing staff of the NBC sitcom was composed mostly of men, describing them as “brutal.”
She said the writers would berate actors who messed up their lines in front of the show’s live studio audience of 400 people. She also said the writers would stay up late discussing sexual fantasies about her co-stars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox.
Ms. Kudrow said she maintained an attitude of “Say what you like about me behind my back because then it doesn’t matter.”
Amaani Lyle, who worked as a writer’s assistant on “Friends” during season 6, previously exposed the writing team’s behavior in 1999 when she sued Warner Bros. Television for the writers’ room conduct.
In a lawsuit, Ms. Lyle claimed that the “Friends” writers frequently made sexual and racist remarks and that she was forced to take notes on everything said.
“Friends” ran for 10 years from 1994 to 2004.
Ms. Kudrow most recently starred in the horror/comedy film “The Parenting” and the inside-the-TV-industry sitcom “The Comeback,” both on HBO.
• Juliet La Sala can be reached at jlasala@washingtontimes.com.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.