Jennifer Aniston Explained Why The “Intense” “Friends” Reunion Was A “Sucker Punch” For The Cast

Jennifer Aniston is getting candid about her past romantic feelings for her Friends costar David Schwimmer.

Jen and David, who portrayed onscreen lovers Rachel and Ross in the hit NBC sitcom, have found themselves at the center of real-life romance speculation several times since the show first aired in 1994.

In fact, these rumors that the pair were an item IRL circulated as recently as 2021 following the memorable Friends reunion — though they were quickly shut down by David’s rep.

For those who need reminding, the televised special saw David candidly opening up about his and Jen’s offscreen relationship and revealing that they had mutual crushes on one another during the early seasons.

“The first season I had a major crush on Jen,” he told their costars Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc. “I think we both, at some point, were crushing hard on each other.”

However, David made it clear that in spite of their feelings, he and Jen never pursued anything romantic offscreen.

“It was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship, and we never crossed that boundary,” he said.

A month later, Jen further clarified that she and David couldn’t be together because it was “never the right time.”

“We were in relationships, it was always never the right time, and it wouldn’t have worked,” she said during an interview with Howard Stern.

Now, Jen is reflecting on the subject once more.

Sitting down for an appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan last month, Jennifer was asked about the crushes she and David had on each other while shooting Friends.

Host Kelly Ripa said, “You and David had a crush on each other,” to which Jen replied, “Yes, we did.”

And speaking about their feelings toward each other, Jen said, “We just let it play out on TV.”

Ryan Seacrest then asked Jen if her and David’s first kiss was one captured by the cameras for the show. “Yes,” she confirmed.

And when asked by Kelly if the kiss felt “weird” or unusual, Jen looked flustered as she replied, “Well... it was quite enjoyable actually.”

Needless to say, fans of Ross and Rachel were quick to react to the sweet remark.

“‘Quite enjoyable actually’... FANS ARE DYING RIGHT NOW,” one person wrote on TikTok. “We need them to be together in real life.”

“[Rachel] and Ross love was fucking real I knew it,” someone commented, while another user made a sweet reference to their onscreen romance, writing, “HE’S HER LOBSTER.”

Elsewhere during the interview, Jennifer reflected on the aftermath of shooting the aforementioned Friends reunion — something that she’s been vocal about in the past.

Back in September 2021, Jen admitted that the special episode — which was filmed 17 years after Friends finished shooting — was actually far more difficult than she and her costars had anticipated.

“In your mind, you think, ‘Oh, this will be really fun to time travel,’” she said on the Literally! With Rob Lowe podcast. “It turns out… it’s kind of hard to time travel.”

“All of a sudden, here you are, and, you know, 16 years… a lot has gone on for each of us,” she continued. “Sixteen years ago, we were all sort of wide-eyed, bushy-tailed, and sort of had our whole lives ahead of us, even though we were heartbroken to say goodbye to these 10 years and… the job we all loved to do.”

“It’s nostalgic in a way that’s kind of also a little melancholy, you know, ‘cause a lot has changed,” she said. “We have all gone down different roads,” she went on. “Some easy and some not-so easy, for each of us.”

And Jen certainly hasn’t changed her tune today, describing the aftermath of the reunion as “intense” during her appearance on Kelly and Ryan.

“It was a sucker punch,” she said. “No one really expected what we were gonna feel. Because in your mind you’re like, Ooh, time travel! That sounds really cool! And then you’re there and you’re like, Oh, that’s really intense — because so much has happened since.”

You can watch Jen’s appearance on Live with Kelly and Ryan here.

More on this

• David Schwimmer Responded To The Rumors That He And Jennifer Aniston Are Now Dating In Real Life After Admitting To “Crushing Hard” On Each Other During The “Friends” ReunionEllen Durney · Aug. 11, 2021

• Jennifer Aniston Opened Up About The “Brutal” Reality Of Filming The “Friends” Reunion, Which Affected Them Much More Than They AnticipatedLeyla Mohammed · Sept. 17, 2021

• Jennifer Aniston And David Schwimmer Revealed An Important Detail About Their Real-Life Relationship While Filming “Friends”Krystie Lee Yandoli · May 27, 2021