Friends turns 30 immediately, with its premiere episode airing on September 22, 1994.

The present was an on the spot hit and has grow to be one of the vital beloved sitcoms in historical past. Over its 10 seasons and 236 episodes, Friends has been watched greater than 100 billion instances throughout varied platforms. However, the creators—Marta Kauffman, David Crane, and government producer Kevin S. Bright—acknowledge that Matthew Perry’s demise has forged a shadow over what needs to be a celebratory time. The present confronted a tragic flip in 2023 when Perry died at age 54 from what a health worker described because the acute results of ketamine. In August, federal and native legislation enforcement officers introduced the arrest of 5 defendants, together with two medical doctors, who had been charged with a number of counts for allegedly exploiting Perry’s well-known struggles with drug habit.

Kauffman famous that the connection among the many six stars—Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Perry—was evident from the beginning. While there has by no means been a Friends reboot, a forged reunion was held on HBO Max in 2021.

Here’s what those that labored on the sitcom needed to say concerning the lack of their beloved Chandler Bing.

Friends Creators and Executive Producer

“He’d been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really did feel like, from the reunion, that he had finally found some peace,” co-creator Bright mentioned in a TODAY interview that aired on Sept. 20.

“It’s a huge loss, and it does make the 30th a little fraught,” Kauffman added.

“He made us laugh every day—David always said he was the funniest man in the room,” Bright mirrored.

“When the six of them got on stage together,” Kauffman recalled of the present’s earliest rehearsals, “I got a chill up my spine and thought, ‘This is something special.’”

Kauffman additionally beforehand spoke about learn how to honor Perry’s reminiscence after his demise. “Donate to drug treatment centers—let’s fight the disease,” she advised The Times final month. “The second way is to watch Friends and remember him not as a man who died like that, but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody.”

In 2023, shortly after Perry’s demise, the three issued a joint assertion: “We are shocked and deeply, deeply saddened by our beloved friend Matthew’s passing. It still seems impossible. All we can say is that we feel blessed to have had him as part of our lives. He was a brilliant talent.”

“We will always cherish the joy, the light, the blinding intelligence he brought to every moment—not just to his work, but in life as well. He was always the funniest person in the room. More than that, he was the sweetest, with a giving and selfless heart.”

“We send all of our love to his family and friends. This truly is The One Where Our Hearts Are Broken.”