After what seems like years of ‘will they or won’t they’ and months of coronavirus delays, the Friends reunion is finally set to film.
David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller in the hit NBC sitcom, revealed that he will join his former co-stars to tape the reunion ‘in a little over a month’ during a chat on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live on Wednesday.
The 54-year-old appeared on Cohen’s popular satellite radio show to promote Lookingglass Theatre Company’s 2021 gglassquerade unGALA.
The one with the reunion: David Schwimmer revealed that he will join his former co-stars to finally tape the Friends reunion ‘in a little over a month’ during a chat on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live on Wednesday
‘Have you guys shot anywhere?’ Cohen asked of the upcoming Friends reunion at HBO Max.
‘Actually, in a little over a month I’m heading out to LA,’ the actor responded. ‘So, finally, I mean, we figured out a way to film it safely and there’s going to be a portion of it that we filmed outside because of, you know, for safety protocols.’
Andy then inquired about rumors that the highly anticipated event was going to be hosted by former daytime darling Ellen DeGeneres. Who saw her star dim quite a bit in 2020 after her toxic workplace scandal made headlines.
‘Is Ellen hosting that?’ Cohen asked, to which Schwimmer replied with a quick ‘no.’
‘Actually, in a little over a month I’m heading out to LA,’ Schwimmer said. ‘So, finally, I mean, we figured out a way to film it safely and there’s going to be a portion of it that we filmed outside because of, you know, for safety protocols.’
‘She’s not,’ Andy said, pushing the star to give more details. ‘Do you know, can you say who is?’
‘You know what, I don’t know if I can actually,’ the Friends star said. ‘Yeah. Should’ve found that out. Um, all right. It’s not Ellen, it’s not Billy Crystal. I could tell you who it’s not.’
Deflecting, David asked: ‘Andy is it you?’
‘Oh my God. I wish it was,’ the Bravolebrity responded seemingly confirming that he too would not be hosting.
‘Is Ellen hosting that?’ Cohen asked, to which Schwimmer replied with a quick ‘no.’
The special event has been in the works for quite some time now. It first got the greenlight in February 2020 with a film date of March 2020.
Originally, the reunion was supposed to debut May 2020 as part of HBO Max’s launch but after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, production plans were scuppered.
HBO Max announced in April of last year that the show would not be filmed in time to debut by the streaming service’s launch and the sit-down was pushed back to August 2020.
Postponed: Originally, the reunion was supposed to debut May 2020 as part of HBO Max’s launch but after the COVID-19 pandemic arrived, production plans were scuppered
As the pandemic raged, that date two was abandoned and the core cast set their sights on filming in the spring of 2021.
Matthew Perry tweeted in November that the taping was officially rescheduled for March but even that date was delayed according to the latest from Schwimmer.
‘Friends reunion being rescheduled for the beginning of March. Looks like we have a busy year coming up. And that’s the way I like it,’ Perry wrote at the time.
The team at HBO Max as well as the beloved stars of Friends – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry – all want the show reunion to be in person.
Gang’s all here: The team at HBO Max as well as the beloved stars of Friends – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matthew Perry – all want the show reunion to be in person
Not only did the cast refuse to do a virtual reunion – something that became commonplace during the pandemic era – they all wanted it to be filmed at their former set, Stage 24, at the Warner Brothers lot in Burbank.
Friends remains one of the popular shows despite the show’s finale airing 16 years ago.
The sitcom aired for 10 seasons from September 22, 1994 until May 6, 2004; the show follows a group of six friends as they navigate life, love and their careers in New York City.
Andy Cohen hosts SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live Mondays and Wednesdays at 10:00 am ET on his exclusive SiriusXM channel Radio Andy.
Iconic: The sitcom aired for 10 seasons from September 22, 1994 until May 6, 2004; the show follows a group of six friends as they navigate life, love and their careers in New York City