It doesn’t matter how many years pass or how many great shows hit the 2024 TV schedule, Friends remains one of the most beloved sitcoms of all time. The NBC series celebrated its 30th anniversary this year, and it’s been fun to go down memory lane to recall stories like that Thanksgiving trifle being even grosser than we realized and how terrible it was for the stars to film that opening fountain scene. However, there are few things that could rival the epic prank that David Schwimmer and Cole Sprouse played on Jennifer Aniston in one Season 7 episode.
As one of the most rewatchable shows ever (available to stream with a Max subscription), Friends seems to have a never-ending number of behind-the-scenes lore for new generations of fans to uncover. One scene from “The One With the Truth About London” is making the rounds on Instagram, so check it out:
In the episode, Rachel (Jennifer Aniston) bonds with Ross’ son Ben (a young Cole Sprouse) by unwittingly teaching him the pranks she and her sisters used to pull on each other. With no siblings at that point in the show, Ben uses his newfound trickery against his parents — Carol, Susan and Ross (David Schwimmer) — which gets both Ben and Rachel in trouble.
The scene in question shows Ben seemingly pulling one last prank on his dad, with Ross losing his temper and chasing the boy into the hallway and up the stairs. David Schwimmer actually directed “The One With the Truth About London,” and apparently, Jennifer Aniston didn’t know a lifesize dummy of Ross had been crafted for the occasion. When the body flew down the stairs, her scream was real, and the story goes that Aniston actually broke character and shouted, “Oh my God, David!” which had to be edited out.
Watching the way she spun in panic at the sight of the dummy — and the glare she gave David Schwimmer after she realized what was happening — makes it pretty clear that she was not in the know.
It turns out that wasn’t the only one of Jennifer Aniston’s priceless unscripted reactions to make the final cut. In the Season 4 episode “The One With the Cuffs,” it was not written for Matthew Perry to hit himself in the head with the filing cabinet drawer while pantsless and handcuffed. Both of their reactions make that scene all the funnier.
The big 30th anniversary has come with some not-so-funny moments as well. The cast and crew have had to celebrate without Matthew Perry, who drowned at age 54 a year ago this month. And not all of the memories from the show have been good ones. Elliott Gould recalled how angry a producer got when he accidentally spoiled a huge season finale cliffhanger, and Tate Donovan has opened up about the real-life breakup he and Jennifer Aniston were going through when he played Rachel's love interest Joshua.
If you want to relive the most ridiculous Friends episodes that inspired all of these great behind-the-scenes stories, all 10 seasons can be found on Max, one of the best streaming services to subscribe to.