Jennifer Aniston Reflected On That Big Friends Kiss With David Schwimmer

Jennifer Aniston in the finale of Friends
(Image credit: Warner Bros.)

There are popular TV shows, and then there’s Friends. The comedy series was a sensation, which ran for a whopping ten seasons and won its cast a number of Emmy noms and wins. Fans followed the will-they-won’t-they surrounding Ross and Rachel during that time, which ended in them finally getting back together in the series finale. And Jennifer Aniston reflected on that big Friends kiss with David Schwimmer.

The series finale of Friends saw Monica move out of her beloved apartment to start a family in the suburbs with Chandler. We also saw Rachel leaving New York, before getting off the plane and choosing Ross. Their reunion kiss was steamy, and Aniston shared what it was like filming the lip lock while appearing on Live With Kelly and Mark back in March(via Page Six). When asked about the kiss, she offered:

It was quite enjoyable, actually.

Well, there you have it. Not all stage/film kisses are created equal; Millie Bobby Brown called her Stranger Things co-star a bad kisser. But it’s more than understandable if the actors don’t enjoy smooching in front of a set full of crew members. But despite this, Jennifer Aniston seems to have enjoyed that iconic last kiss with David Schwimmer’s Ross. No wonder it looked so good!

During that same interview on Live with Kelly and Mark, Kelly Ripa pointed out that Aniston and Schwimmer had crushes on each other while working on Friends for those years. The Morning Show actress confirmed this, saying:

Yes, we did. We just let it play out on TV. Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. So, we just channeled all of our love and adoration for each other into [their characters] Ross and Rachel.

While Joaquin Phoenix and other actors are known for going method for acting projects, it turns out that Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer kind of did this during Friends’ decade long run on the air. Whatever they did it worked, as fans anxiously awaited every new episode of the comedy to find out if Ross and Rachel would end up together.

For those who need a reminder, you can check out the clip with the finale kiss from Friends’ finale episode below. Titled “The Last One”, we got the answers to all of our questions, and Rachel/Ross shippers got the happy ending they’d waited for.

Despite the years that have passed, Friends remains part of the pop culture landscape. There are plenty of fans who re-watch the series, and the cast of actors recently taped a reunion special, although Aniston admitted it was creepy. After all, they were basically transported back in time.

Friends is streaming on Max. Be sure to check out the TV premiere list to plan your next binge watch.

Corey Chichizola
Movies Editor

Corey was born and raised in New Jersey. Graduated with degrees theater and literature from Ramapo College of New Jersey. After working in administrative theater for a year in New York, he started as the Weekend Editor at CinemaBlend. He's since been able to work himself up to reviews, phoners, and press junkets-- and is now able to appear on camera with some of his favorite actors... just not as he would have predicted as a kid. He's particularly proud of covering horror franchises like Scream and Halloween, as well as movie musicals like West Side Story. Favorite interviews include Steven Spielberg, Spike Lee, Jamie Lee Curtis, and more.