Friends: Reunion – finding out what happened AFTER the last episode

It’s been a long time since we bid goodbye to Chandler and Monica, Ross and Rachel, Phoebe Buffay and Joey Tribbiani.

In fact, the Friends final episode - aptly titled ‘The Last One’ - aired 17 years ago when the show ended on 6th May 2004.

Friends had a whopping 10 seasons and 236 episodes, and millions of us tuned in to watch Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) return home with their baby twins, Jack and Erica.

Now, in 2021, the Friends: Reunion is finally here and it's about time, because we're dying to know what happened after Rachel Green's (Jennifer Aniston) emotional "I got off the plane" moment when she and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) got back together.

Thanks to HBO Max and a pretty long trailer (two minutes of glorious nostalgia, if you ask us), we finally know a bit about what happened to the cast and their characters and...

...they play Ross' trivia game, WITH THE LIGHTNING ROUND, again.

Yep, it happens, and that's not all.

Joey and Chandler take a trip down memory lane and get back on their beloved barcaloungers (Rosita ❤️) and finally, after 17 whole years, we actually get an answer as to whether Ross and Rachel were actually on a break.

So much goodness, we don't even know how the folks at HBO Max have managed to fit it into one singular episode, in all honesty.

Not to mention the fact that they even brought back Tom Selleck (Monica's ex - Richard) and Maggie Wheeler (Chandler's ex - Janice).

Seriously, thank you, HBO.

So the question we've all got on our minds?

How can I watch the Friends: Reunion in the UK?

Well, in the US, the Friends reunion airs on May 27, annnd in the UK our release date is a little more obscure - but, because we're that great, we've put together a little need to know of all the info we have about how, when and where you can watch the Friends: Reunion in the UK.

And in the meantime, here's what we at Closer think the Friends gang got up to in those 17 years since the show finished airing, plus of course, a little update on what the actors are all doing these days...

The Friends cast: Then and now

Jennifer Aniston AKA Rachel from Friends then

Jennifer Aniston played the fashion icon we were all jealous of in the 90s and 00s...Miss Rachel Green.

Rachel had quite the character arc on the show, going from a lost housewife to a powerful fashion buyer at LOUIS VUITTON and, though we loved her transformation, we'd still love our hairdresser to give us 'The Rachel' haircut any day.

Rachel from Friends now

27 years on since the first season aired in 1994, Rachel, or Jennifer Aniston, still looks as enviable as ever. She's long since ditched 'The Rachel' but she's still sporting those gorg sandy-blonde locks and, to be honest, she's still our woman crush Wednesday.

In her work, Jennifer Aniston has gone on to have a very successful acting career, starring in the likes of Golden Globe-nominated movie Cake and Emmy award-nominated TV series The Morning Show. Plus, did you know she stars in The Morning Show alongside Reese Witherspoon AKA Rachel's sister Jill?

David Schwimmer, AKA Ross from Friends then

David Schwimmer played the Ross Geller in Friends and, if we're all honest with ourselves, he was the character we all loved to hate on a little bit.

We ALL know that Ross and Rachel were on a break...but who sleeps with a new person within hours of calling time on your previous relationship? Bad call, Ross.

Ross from Friends now

Now, over two decades since he debuted on NBC as palaeontologist Ross, David Schwimmer is 54, he's starred in the likes of Madagascar and American Crime Story, and he has two kids....just like Ross. Yep, Ross had Ben with his first wife Carol and Emma with Rachel. In real life, David has a daughter called Cleo and a son called George.

Also in real life, the actors who played Ross' fictional kids are doing pretty well for themselves. Wanna see Ben from Friends now?

Ben from Friends now

If you didn't already know, Ben from Friends was played by Riverdale's Cole Sprouse (he plays Jughead Jones) and, if you were a kid in the 90s, you'll probably know him from The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.

Nowadays, he's a bit, err, dreamy.

Emma from friends now

After Ben, we have baby Emma, who was actually played by twins - who knew? Indeed, Noelle and Cali Sheldon are now 18 years old, and they can hardly remember playing little Emma (though, they were only one year old at the time...).

Since Friends ended in season 10, we don't know what Ross and Rachel (and their kids) have been getting up to (well, until the reunion), but until that airs in the UK, here's what we'd guess:

It was only a matter of time before Ross and Rachel wound up on another break; after all, Ross did crack that VERY inappropriate joke when Rachel ditched her dream job and rushed to his apartment to declare her love for him.

The problem was that he never really appreciated just how much Rachel had scarified to be with him, and he kind of took her for granted.

After Chandler and Monica moved away - and Joey headed off to star in his own TV show - Ross and Rachel started getting on each others nerves.

One thing led to another and, one day, the fashionista snapped; she just wanted a bit of time to think their relationship over.

Thankfully Ross had learned his lesson from last time and, instead of sleeping with the hot girl from the copy place again, he sat down and tried to work out what he’d done wrong… and what he could do to change things for the better.

When he finally realised just how much Rachel had given up when she turned down the Paris job, he knew that he had to make a similar gesture - and, when he heard that Burberry were looking for a new creative director, he encouraged her to apply.

Naturally the folks at Burberry wanted Rachel on their team, and it wasn’t long before she and Ross were packing up their stuff in New York and boarding a plane to London together - along with little Emma, of course.

While Rachel helped Burberry reinvent itself, scoring cool advertising campaigns with the likes of Emma Watson, Ross looked after their daughter and helped her adjust to her new life in England.

Once his little princess started school, Ross challenged himself to find work as a palaeontologist in the UK, so that he could help support his family.

It wasn’t long before he was offered a sweet gig at the Natural History Museum in Kensington (a short walk from his and Rachel’s dreamy apartment in Chelsea), where he was allowed to talk dinosaurs to his heart’s content.

Ben often visits for holidays in the UK, and Ross often takes Emma over to NYC to visit with her Aunty Monica and her grandparents.

All in all, life’s pretty awesome for Ross and Rachel… until the next break, that is!

Matthew Perry, AKA Chandler from Friends then

Matthew Perry starred as Chandler Bing in Friends and, if we're honest with ourselves, he was definitely our favourite character. We WISH we were as sarcastic as this underrated gent. Could he BE any funnier?

Chandler from Friends now

Since he said goodbye to Chandler, Matthew Perry went on to star in 17 Again (what a film) and he's now engaged to talent manager Molly Hurwitz. Plus, he just joined Instagram last year and you can follow him @mattyperry4.

Courtney Cox, AKA Monica from Friends then

Ross' younger sister Monica was the Geller we've all secretly become as we've got older, incessantly cleaning our houses like there's no tomorrow. We're still not sure if we think Monica should have ended up with Richard (Tom Selleck), but we LOVED the chemistry between her and Chandler, and we wouldn't have had it any other way.

Monica from Friends now

Since Friends ended, Courtney Cox has gone on to star in her own TV show, Cougar Town, with ended in 2015. She also keeps in touch with co-stars Jen and Lisa Kudrow, and the trio regularly share their hang outs with fans on Instagram - CUTE.

We often wonder what Chandler and Monica are getting up to with their little ones (who wouldn't be so little anymore...) Jack and Erica and, once again, we'll neeeever know what they're actually doing these days...but we can hedge our bets.

This is what we think:

Their love was too pure to ever falter.

These two did things right, becoming best friends before falling head over heels in love… and, as a result, their marriage is as unshakeable as ever.

Raising twins was hard work (obviously), but both of the Bings were hugely hands-on parents - and Chandler made sure that he was there to take over the night feeds and nappy changes when his talented wife was working at her restaurant.

It goes without saying that Chandler, after a decade in advertising, is a huge success - so much so that he can work from home, and be there for the kids when they get home from school.

Because, yes, Jack and Erica are at SCHOOL now - how time flies, eh?

Monica, meanwhile, has proven that great organisation skills and hard work DO pay off. Not only did she run her own restaurant, but she also entered and won a Food Network chef competition.

The little girl who started up Easy Monica’s Bakery would be so proud, wouldn’t she?

Nowadays she has her very own cooking show, which features guest appearances from the likes of Nigella Lawson and Mary Berry (not to mention a celebrity taster in the form of Joey Tribbiani).

In short, the Bings have great jobs, a gorgeous house, wonderful children, and are very happy. Win!

Matt LeBlanc, AKA Joey from Friends then

We ❤️Joey. That's it, that's the article. No, but seriously, Joey was the light-hearted entertainment our little 90s brains needed and nothing has filled the sandwich-loving-how-you-doin'-ing space in our hearts since.

Joey from Friends now

Now, you might not know this, but Joey was one character who we actually did get to follow on AFTER the final Friends episode. Yep, NBC gave the laughable Friends character his own Joey TV series for two seasons but, after quite the negative reception, the show was axed in 2006. Plus, it didn't give us any of the answers we really wanted (who did he end up with!?).

In real life, Matt LeBlanc went on to star in his own show, Episodes, where he played a fictionalised version of himself - co-star David Schwimmer even joined him for an episode.

In the fictional world, ignoring everything that happened in the Joey TV series spin-off, this is what we think the future held for Joey Tribbiani:

He started dating Erica. Yes, the very same Erica who was a surrogate for Monica and Chandler.

The pair hit it off right away (as Chandler had always suspected they would) and they arranged to go for dinner together that same evening.

Dinner turned into breakfast (if you know what we mean), breakfast turned into a whole weekend together, and things just got better and better from there.

They recently moved in together and Joey is trying to get up the nerve to ask her to marry him…

We have a feeling she’ll definitely say yes!

Lisa Kudrow, AKA Phoebe from Friends then

Lisa Kudrow starred as Phoebe Buffay in Friends and she was the slightly weird friend we all wish we had. We're still not over that moment when Ross finds out it was Phoebe who mugged him as a kid and we kinda wish she'd ended up with David, you know, the love of her life David?

Phoebe from Friends now

These days, Lisa Kudrow is starring in movies left, right and centre. She played the headmistress in Easy A, she was in The Girl On The Train with Emily Blunt, and she even guest starred in Courtney Cox's Cougar Town.

Plus, she's on Instagram @lisakudrow and we're here for it.

In the world of Friends, we're bummed we never found out if she and Mike had kids, so we're presuming they did, and this is what we think went down:

They’ve gone on to have five kids; three little girls, named Lily, Alice and Consuela, and two little boys, named Joey (after all, he DID introduce Phoebe and Mike!) and Frank Jr Jr Jr. Obviously.

Their large family made it impossible to find a New York apartment big enough to house them all, so the couple decided to move to the suburbs, winding up in a house pretty close to Monica and Chandler.

Yup, their kids are really good friends with Jack and Erica.

Phoebe, who always longed for a family of her own, works freelance as a masseuse, but she spends most of her time looking after the kids. She LOVES being a soccer mom!

Mike, meanwhile, needed to find a way to turn his piano skills into dollar bills - so Phoebe contacted her ex singing partner, Leslie, and demanded she help Mike find work writing advertising jingles.

Leslie, worried that Phoebe would charge royalties for Smelly Cat after all these years, found Mike work almost immediately - and now he happily creates ditties for films, TV shows, and adverts.

He really is that good.

His parents, Theodore and Bitsy, have finally accepted Phoebe as family - and absolutely dote on their grandkids. In fact, they forked out the money for the couple’s house deposit… and gave Mike a loan so that he could build his own recording studio in the garage.

Chandler and Monica love having Phoebe and Mike so close by, and the foursome regular enjoy dinner parties and family holidays together. N’aww.

Do you agree with our predictions? Where do YOU think the Friends gang would be today?

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So, you've seen the Friends actors now, you've read our predictions for their characters (which we're taking as gospel, btw), but have you seen all the Friends-themed things you can buy?

We're talking lip balms, board games, phone cases (you know you want Monica's purple door on the back of your phone...) - seriously, these days you can buy it all.

Now, this may be a Christmas guide, and it may not be Christmas, but we see absolutely no reason why you can't buy these iconic bits all year round. Well, that's what we'll be doing, anyway.