Jimmy Kimmel convenes Friends reunion of Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow; 20th anniversary of sitcom also plans real-life Central Perk

This is as close as we’re ever going to get to an actual Friends reunion, most likely.

So thank Jimmy Kimmel for being such a devoted fan that he spent thousands on designing an exact replica of the Friends NYC apartment set, and convinced guest Jennifer Aniston to read his Friends fanfic with him — then surprised the Jimmy Kimmel Live audience even further by convincing Courteney Cox (Monica) and Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe) to also make appearances. Roll the clip to see Kimmel as Ross and Aniston as Rachel once more. Kimmel cracked that Joey and Chandler had died, which is why they weren’t showing up in this scene.

Roll the clip!

It’s the 20th anniversary of Friends appearing on the NBC primetime lineup on Sept. 22, 1994, and Warner Bros. Television Group actually plans a real-life Central Perk in NYC to celebrate.

The replica of the Friends coffee shop will open up on Sept. 17 and offer free cups of Eight O’Clock Coffee to visitors, who also can sit on a replica of the same orange couch the cast sat on and dish about their days. James Michael Tyler, who played the show’s barista Gunther, also will make appearances there. The Central Perk pop-up store will remain open from Sept. 17 through Oct. 18 at 199 Lafayette St., New York, NY, with regular daily hours.

Sean L. McCarthy

Editor and publisher since 2007, when he was named New York's Funniest Reporter. Former newspaper reporter at the New York Daily News, Boston Herald and smaller dailies and community papers across America. Loves comedy so much he founded this site.

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