‘Timing is everything’: Lisa Kudrow discovers a note from ‘Friends’ co-star Matthew Perry and I’m not crying, you’re crying

Perry’s tragic death at just 54 in 2023 shocked the world. The entertainment industry mourned his ing, with his Friends co-stars underlining how the event caught everyone off guard. Appearing on Jesse Tyler Ferguson’s Dinner’s on Me podcast, Kudrow referred to the news as “a big jolt,” adding that “it shook [the Friends cast] up,” but she believed that “[Perry] died happy” in the end.

Appearing on The Drew Barrymore Show (via People) in January 2025, Kudrow further reflected on her time on Friends. Host Drew Barrymore brought up the infamous cookie time jar to which Kudrow responded, “Matthew [Perry] gave that to me at the end of our last episode.” Yet, it was what Kudrow said next that touched the heart and had every fan shedding tears. She revealed:

“I had recently found the note that he had in it for me. I hadn’t opened it up or looked inside of it. But yeah, he did. He had a note in there and I forgot about it… Timing is everything.”

Kudrow didn’t disclose the specific contents of the note nor did she choose to elaborate on her comments – which no one should be upset about since it is her choice to share as much as she’s comfortable with. However, judging from her response, the note obviously said something special and reconnected her with fond memories of Perry, whom she worked with on Friends for 10 seasons.

It’s never been a secret that the Friends cast got along well during their time on the show. In fact, director Jim Burrows, who helmed early episodes of the series, claimed to Perry’s ing was akin to “a brother dying” for the cast.

As Kudrow explained on Dinner’s on Me, the cast didn’t see each other much after the show wrapped, but when they did, it was as if no time had ever ed. They simply picked up from where they had left off. 

When Perry ed away, Kudrow posted a touching tribute to him on her Instagram . She shared a photo of the pair from the early days while writing a “thank you” note to him. Kudrow wrote that Perry was one of the first people to suggest the cast bond by playing a poker game and always knew how to make her laugh. She added: 

“Thank you for the best 10 years a person gets to have. Thank you for trusting me. Thank you for all I learned about grace and love through knowing you. Thank you for the time I got to have with you, Matthew.”

Hopefully, the message Perry left Kudrow in the cookie jar also lets her know how much she and the show meant to him. Okay, let’s dry our eyes for a second… and get back to yet another Friends binge.