The overwhelming success of “Friends” is all thanks to Jerry Seinfeld… according to him.
Actress Lisa Kudrow, who plays Phoebe Buffay in the hit ’90s sitcom, revealed an unlikely encounter she had with the comedian who didn’t hesitate to tell her he had something to do with the show’s triumph.
At a party in the ’90s where the pair both attended, Seinfeld boasted that the popularity of his own show had a knock-on effect in helping “Friends” climb higher.
“I remember going to a party and Jerry Seinfeld was there, and I said, ‘Hello,’ and he said, ‘You’re welcome,'” Kudrow, 59, told The Daily Beast. “I said, ‘Why, thank you… what?'”
“You’re after us in the summer, and you’re welcome,” he added, before Kudrow said, “That’s right. Thank you.”
It seems that Seinfeld’s words had a lasting effect on Kudrow, who agrees that “Seinfeld” could have something to do with increasing the viewership of “Friends,” which aired from 1994 to 2004.
“Not to detract from the writing about Friends, or the cast, or how good Friends really was, but the first season our ratings were fine,” Kudrow added.
“Friends” also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc and Matthew Perry as twenty-somethings struggling with life and love in New York City.
Meanwhile, “Seinfeld” shows the comedian portraying a fictionalized version of himself, focusing on his personal life with three of his eccentric friends George, Elaine and Kramer, played by Jason Alexander, Julia Louis-Dreyfus and Michael Richards, respectively. It ran from 1989 to 1998.