It’s arguably the biggest sitcom of all time, and its legacy still lives on to this day with adoring fans rewatching classic episodes again and again, but Friends was always more than just the core group of six New York twenty-somethings. In fact, it would have been pretty boring if that was all we saw across the 236 episodes of the iconic comedy series.
Thankfully, the creators were able to persuade some of Hollywood’s biggest and best stars of the time to jump in for the odd cameo here and there. So, we’ve assembled a list of the best guest stars you probably forgot appeared on Friends over the years, plus some details on what you can watch them in right now.
1. Jennifer Coolidge
Friends saved the best until last, with the final season of the show introducing us to Amanda in the episode ‘The One With Ross's Tan’. Jennifer Coolidge played Monica and Phoebe’s old friend, who was hilariously self-obsessed, inexplicably British, and a fantastic dancer despite never having any lessons. Her best moment was when she told Chandler he looked “positively ghastly” after his fake car accident.
Coolidge has enjoyed a return to prominence of late, with her role in The White Lotus producing an abundance of meme-worthy moments once more. She is also (briefly) in the new video game adaptation, A Minecraft Movie.
2. Brad Pitt
Season 8 episode ‘The One With the Rumor’ could well be the best Friends episode ever. It’s certainly the best holiday special, at least, and a big part of the reason that episode works so well is the scene-stealing guest appearance from Brad Pitt as Ross’ high school buddy, Will Colbert. His sheer hatred for Rachel–made even funnier by the fact Pitt and Jennifer Aniston were a couple at the time–produces some of the most hilarious scenes in the whole show.
You’ll be able to watch Pitt take on the role of Cliff Booth again in the recently-announced Once Upon a Time in Hollywood sequel from David Fincher. He’s also done some work behind the camera of late, as one of the producers on Adolescence.
3. Jeff Goldblum
We don’t see an awful lot of Jeff Goldblum in Season 9’s ‘The One With the Mugging’, but the legendary actor brings all of his effortless charm and quirky line delivery as Leonard Hayes, a theater director determined to put Joey through his paces during an audition. He ends up with a bit of a wet leg after Joey lets all his tension (and urine) out upon getting the part.
Most will know Goldblum from his work in the Jurassic Park franchise, where he played Ian Malcolm. He’s also popped up in the MCU as The Grandmaster in Thor: Ragnarok, and honestly, we’re quite surprised he’s not found his way into the Avengers: Doomsday cast yet.
4. Ben Stiller
And the award for the angriest man in the whole ten seasons of Friends goes to: Tommy, played by Ben Stiller in Season 3’s ‘The One With the Screamer’. Tommy dated Rachel, and while everyone seemed keen on him, Ross saw a very different, very mean side to his love rival. Thankfully, Tommy’s dark side was revealed when he was caught berating the chick and the duck.
Nowadays, Stiller is renowned for being the man behind bringing Severance to the small screen, but his past body of work includes plenty of classic comedies like Dodgeball: A True Underdog Story and Zoolander.
5. Reese Witherspoon
If you thought Rachel Green was a spoiled brat when she first turned up in Friends, the arrival of her sister, Jill, makes Rachel look like an absolute saint. Played by Reese Witherspoon, Jill was such a great supporting character that she stuck around for two episodes, with Season 6’s ‘The One With Rachel's Sister’ and ‘The One Where Chandler Can't Cry,’ during which she dates Ross.
Most recently you’ll have been able to see Witherspoon opposite Will Ferrell in the comedy movie You’re Cordially Invited, but she made her name in early-2000s classics like Legally Blonde and American Psycho.
6. Christina Applegate
It’s hard to decide which of Rachel’s sisters are more annoying. Ask Rachel herself and Jill would probably win that battle, but Joey would have no trouble picking Amy, played by Christina Applegate in Season 9’s ‘The One With Rachel's Other Sister’. Applegate even won the Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Comedy Series after that episode, and returned as Amy again in Season 10’s ‘The One Where Rachel's Sister Babysits’.
Applegate is probably best known for her role as Veronica Corningstone in comedy classic Anchorman, but more recently she was the star of the hit TV show Dead to Me.
7. George Clooney
We’re going all the way back to Season 1 for this Friends guest star appearance, as George Clooney popped up alongside his ER co-star Noah Wyle to play a pair of doctors that double date Rachel and Monica. In ‘The One With Two Parts: Part 2’, things don’t go to plan for the girls, as they’re forced to swap identities to fraudulently claim medical insurance, leading to a disastrous date.
Clooney has so many hits over the years, from Ocean’s Eleven to Gravity. Most recently, he starred alongside Brad Pitt in the Apple TV+ movie, Wolfs.
8. Sean Penn
Another Friends guest star who managed to get invited back for a second episode, Sean Penn appeared in Season 8 as Eric. He was introduced as Ursula’s fiancé, but when he learned she had been lying to him (a lot), he left her for her twin sister, Phoebe. Eric’s awkward humour and that wild storyline gave us one of the greatest one-liners in the history of the show, as he describes Phoebe as “Blursula”.
You’ll have no doubt seen Penn in something before, with the actor appearing in the likes of David Fincher’s The Game, Clint Eastwood’s Mystic River, and more recently, Licorice Pizza.
9. Julia Roberts
Chandler Bing may have been a bit of a loser in high school, but that didn’t stop him being mean to people. We saw him pick on Monica in a flashback, and then, in Season 2’s ‘The One After the Superbowl: Part 2’, we learn that he made Susie Moss’ life miserable, too. Thankfully, Julia Roberts shows up for a blistering guest appearance to get her revenge.
Like her frequent collaborator, George Clooney, Roberts has had a sublime career, starring in iconic pictures like Pretty Woman and Erin Brockovich. She was most recently the star of Netflix’s Leave the World Behind back in 2023.
10. Gary Oldman
While Chandler and Monica were preparing to get married in the aptly-titled two-parter, ‘The One With Monica and Chandler's Wedding’, Joey was starring in a war movie alongside the legendary Richard Crosby, played by Gary Oldman. Joey had a torrid time on set with Crosby, though, getting covered in spit and having to babysit the drunken actor causing him to very nearly miss his best pal’s big day.
Oldman himself is a true legend of the silver screen, having appeared in The Dark Knight trilogy, becoming an Oscar-winner for his turn as Winston Churchill in Darkest Hour, and now being the star of the hit TV show Slow Horses.
Where to watch the movies and TV shows featuring the best Friends guest stars streaming online
To watch all of these actors in action away from Friends, you can dive in below to see where their latest films and TV shows are playing on streaming services like Apple TV+, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video.
