The Best Celebrity Cameos From Friends

After premiering more than 20 years ago, Friends still lives on as one of the most binge-worthy shows of all time. With its 236-episode run, you can bet that the storied sitcom racked up an impressive number of celebrity cameos along the way.

Cameos are often what make a great show even better. As much as we loved the cast of Friends, it was always a treat to see what actors and actresses were going to show up in the Central Perk universe. There were even some surprising guest stars when the show premiered. The next time you’re re-watching Friends keep an eye out for some of these celebrity cameos.

1. Julia Roberts

In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Julia Roberts was one of the biggest celebrities so it was not surprising when she made an appearance as Susie Moss on Friends. If you can remember the episode, she was Chandler’s (Matthew Perry) old fourth grade classmate. Or “Susie Underpants” on account of Chandler having lifted up her skirt to humiliate her at school. This episode is one of sweet justice.

2. Hugh Laughie

Hugh Laurie starred as an annoying guy on a plane who sat next to Rachel (Jennifer Aniston). If you always seem to end up sitting next to the most annoying people on the plane, you probably felt sorry for Rachel when she sat next to Hugh’s character. Yet many would agree with Laurie’s harsh-but-kinda-true comments.

3. Bruce Willis

Bruce Willis character of Paul Stevens was incredibly entertaining, it’s The One Where Ross Meets Elizabeth’s Dad. Ross is dating his student Elizabeth Stevens only to hit a brick wall when Paul Stevens (Bruce Willis) doesn’t like him. People might know Bruce WillisFriends cameo more for the fact that it may-or-may-not have been the result of the actor placing a bet with Matthew Perry while they were filming the The Whole Nine Yards. And he may-or-may-not have guest starred it for free.

4. Reese Witherspoon

Rachel’s younger sister, Jill Green rolled into town and she seemed to cause a lot of trouble right away. Played by A-list star, Reese Witherspoon they make for entertaining episodes as Ross and her go out on a date.

5. George Clooney and Noah Wyle

George Clooney and Noah Wyle showed up in their blue scrubs to treat Rachel’s ankle. It’s more common for TV worlds to collide nowadays, but do you remember the moment that Friends and ER came together? They ended up in Monica’s apartment…

6. Charlie Sheen

Ryan was in the navy and in town for a short time so the two wanted to catch up with Phoebe who he used to date. Played by Charlie Sheen this was before Two and a Half Men. In the episode when Phoebe ends up with chicken pox their plans become a little more complicated.

7. Alec Baldwin

Some of the best Friends cameos came when the characters dated outside of their friendship circle. That’s when Alec Baldwin enters. He plays the role of Parker, Phoebe’s (Lisa Kudrow) very short-lived boyfriend. Forever positive about everything and with a knack for coming up with the most random compliments, his role was hilarious yet not surprised it didn’t last.

8. Winona Ryder

Winona Ryder played Melissa Warburton, an old college friend of Rachel’s. When the two play catch up, Rachel shares about how she and Melissa kissed during a wild weekend of partying and sangria. Melissa claims not to remember the incident… and the episode transpires.

9. Tom Selleck

Tom Selleck (and his mustache) had a reoccurring part as ophthalmologist Dr. Richard Burke. He was a close friend of Monica (Courteney Cox)’s parents which made things even more complicated when he ended up having a relationship with her. On top of being some 21 years her senior. Because of the entire situation, there was some drama.

10. Susan Sarandon

Joey’s (Matt LeBlanc) acting jobs was one of the funniest recurring themes, especially his work on Days of Our Lives. Susan Sarandon played Jessica Lockhart who appeared on the show. Let’s just say that what happened off screen on the show was almost as complicated as what happened on screen.

11. Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller had a lot of movies coming out while Friends was on the air including Meet the Parents, There’s Something About Mary and Zoolander. Yet, we’re glad he still managed to have time for his role as Tommy on Friends. Aka The Screamer, who was Rachel’s wedding date. And he was a date that people weren’t soon going to forget.

12. Brooke Shields

In the 1980s, Brooke Shields was one of the hottest models who branched out into acting. One of her memorable turns was on Friends when she played stalker-girl, Erika Ford. She was a massive fan of Joey as Dr. Drake Ramoray on Days of our Lives. While Joey might have initially been enamored with her, things quickly changed directions when he saw beyond her pretty face.

13. Danny DeVito

Danny DeVito surprised everyone (real and fictional) when he showed up as a stripper dressed in a policeman’s uniform for Phoebe’s bachelorette party. If you thought that was shocking, the episode actually had even more surprises.

14. Sean Penn

Remember Ursula Pamela Buffay, Phoebe’s not-so-nice twin sister? Sean Penn played Ursula’s fiancé, Eric. As one can expect Ursula didn’t treat Eric nicely either. This resulted in a memorable moment between Eric and Phoebe on the steps outside of the apartments in the middle of a Halloween party.

15. Robin Williams and Billy Crystal

It’s sitcom legend that the guest appearances of Billy Crystal and Robin Williams weren’t actually planned. The universe came together when the two legendary comedians were in the same building where Friends was being shot. So hey, why not do a cameo? Thankfully, the pair of comedy actors agreed and a new moment was made in Friends history.

16. Dakota Fanning

Many people still don’t know that Dakota Fanning was on Friends. Despite her many as a child actress, she really impressed us at just 10 years old playing Mackenzie. She lived in the house that Chandler and Monica eventually bought when they were moving to the suburbs. Like Dakota in real life, Mackenzie was wise beyond her years and offered some good advice to Joey.

17. Brad Pitt

If we think back to when Friends was at its peak, Jennifer Aniston and Brad Pitt were the golden couple. They had the matching blonde hair and that golden California vibe. Audiences and fans couldn’t get enough of them in their difference performances as well as in real life. So it was a thrilling day when Brad suddenly turned up on Friends as Will. As an old friend of Ross’s (David Schwimmer) he came for Thanksgiving and there were some major revelations, including who the founders of the real “The I Hate Rachel Green Club” were.

18. Denise Richards

Denise Richards made a one-episode appearance on Friends as Cassie Geller, the cousin referred to in the title of the episode, “The One with Ross and Monica’s Cousin.” Cassie makes a trip to visit New York City, spending a few days with Monica before her wedding to Chandler.

Summing-Up

There are so many things to love about Friends. The show became one of the biggest cult favorites in the history of television because it had so many great elements. Think about the cast, the hilariously quotably lines and the episodes that made us have all of the feels. We also cannot forget about the guest stars.

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