There’s no denying that Friends is one of the most successful and influential sitcoms of all time. Its status as a cultural phenomenon saw its stars become some of the best paid TV actors of all time, with Friends‘ actors still earning a reported $20 million each year through syndication. This clearly demonstrates the show’s massive success and continued popularity, even more than two decades after its initial 10-season run came to an end. While the chemistry between Friends’ core cast has always been cited as the main ingredient for the show’s success and popularity, it also boasted a wealth of excellent guests over the course of its 236 episodes.
Some of Friends‘ guest stars and celebrity cameos continue to stand out as hugely memorable, such as Robin Williams and Billy Crystal’s brief appearance, and Brad Pitt’s comedic role in as Ross Geller’s childhood friend in one of Friends‘ best Thanksgiving episodes. However, other guest stars played roles that were somewhat easier to forget, whether due to the small nature of the part or simple fact that their appearance was overshadowed by a prolific career full of other iconic roles.
1) Charlie Sheen
Appearing in Season 2, Episode 23 23, “The One with the Chicken Pox”, Charlie Sheen guest starred as Ryan. Ryan was Phoebe’s occasional flame who visits her while on three-day leave from his naval posting on a submarine, which is complicated by the pair both contracting chicken pox. Sheen made only a single appearance in the role, which, considering Friends ran for more than 200 episodes, makes his appearance somewhat forgettable.
Sheen’s brief appearance on the show was excellent, regardless of its length. The chemistry between Ryan and Phoebe was undeniable, and the light tragedy of their situation combined with the comedy of their shared illness made it an enjoyable episode. However, considering Sheen’s countless high-profile roles over his career and the fact that “The One with the Chicken Pox” was not considered one of the best episodes of the show, the actor’s time on Friends isn’t as well remembered as many others.
2) Jeff Goldblum
As well as being responsible for one of the best Jurassic Park quotes, Jeff Goldblum has enjoyed a hugely successful and prolific career. As well as featuring heavily in the Jurassic Park franchise, he also starred in Independence Day and The Fly, to name just a few of his iconic roles. In addition, he also starred in a single episode of Friends, where he played Leonard Hayes in Season 9, Episode 15, “The One with the Mugging”.
Goldblum’s appearance in Friends is one of the show’s funniest from a high-profile actor. His character, Leonard Hayes, is a famous theater director who Joey auditions for, earning the part due to his perceived intensity resulting from a full bladder. The role is somewhat silly to begin with, but is punctuated by a final scene in which Joey hugs and accidentally urinates on Hayes. For as much as the scene itself stands out as one of Friends grossest jokes, Goldblum’s appearance on the show isn’t as well-known as those of other guest stars.
3) Julia Roberts
As one of the most celebrated actors of a generation, Julia Roberts is about as A-list as entertainers come. Between her Oscar nomination for Pretty Woman and her Oscar win for Erin Brockovich, Roberts found the time to make an appearance on Friends, which was, at the time, an increasingly popular sitcom that was just beginning to hit its stride. Julia Roberts appeared as Susie Moss in the double-length Season 2 episode, “The One After the Superbowl”.
Susie’s role involved reconnecting with Chandler, who had played a cruel prank on her as a child, and dating him in a hilarious and poetic revenge plot involving underwear and public humiliation. Though Roberts is incredible in her brief appearance on the show, it came in an episode that featured multiple other celebrity guest stars. This ultimately made Roberts’ own role somewhat less memorable, culminating in many forgetting that she made an appearance on the show.
4) Alec Bladwin
Throughout the complete series of Friends, the show featured countless high-profile actors. This meant that by the time Season 8 came around, fans were all but used to the appearance of well-known names and faces in the show, making Alec Baldwin’s guest role just another fun addition to an already expansive cast of characters. In fact, Season 8 had already featured both Brad Pitt and Sean Penn, making Baldwin the season’s third high-profile guest star when he appeared in “The One with the Tea Leaves” and “The One in Massapequa”.
Baldwin’s role of Parker was that of a brief but irritating romantic interest for Phoebe. His overwhelming and unshakeable optimism and unflinchingly positive outlook was the source of much comedy for the audience, and much annoyance to the characters of the show. Some of Parker’s funniest lines stand out as relatively memorable, but the character himself – and, by extension, Alec Baldwin’s performance in the role – has been more widely forgotten in the years since.
5) Hugh Laurie
Though the brief arc might not be among the most underrated Friends episodes, the show’s story involving Ross’s marriage to Emily and the gang’s trip to London is an often overlooked gem. It aired when the show was reaching new dramatic heights, and featured various guest stars and cameos in the short three-episode London arc. Perhaps the funniest and most easily forgotten of them all was Hugh Laurie’s short role, credited only as The Gentleman on the Phone.
Laurie’s character is first seen seated beside an excited Rachel on the plane to London, and who becomes immediately annoyed by her energetic behavior. He then listens to Rachel’s explanation of her feelings for Ross, and berates her for being a terrible person. His short appearance featured only a handful of lines, but offers a hilarious and cutting assessment of Rachel delivered dripping with sarcasm. It’s forgettable only because of its short duration, but it remains one of Friends‘ best guest appearances.
6) Jon Lovitz
As one of the few actors who guest starred on both popular sitcoms Seinfeld and Friends, Jon Lovitz is an instantly recognizable comedic presence. His role on Friends also stands out for another reason: he is a rare example of a guest star who played the same character just twice, with the appearances coming several years apart. First, he featured in Season 1 as Steve, a restaurateur who disastrously interviews Monica while intoxicated. He later reprised the role in Season 9, where he played Rachel’s utterly terrible blind date.
Lovitz’s appearance in Season 1 proved slightly more memorable for many, simply due to being a far more energetic performance. However, his Season 9 return was funny in a much different way, delivering one of the show’s most awkward romantic encounters of all time. However, considering the wealth of high-profile talent to appear on the show, many forgot all about Lovitz’s hilarious role entirely.
7) Brooke Shields
Another actor to appear in Season 2’s “The One After the Superbowl” was Brooke Shields. One of multiple guest stars in the two-part episode alongside Julia Roberts, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Fred Willard, and Dan Castellaneta, Shields’ role simply proved to be somewhat forgettable in the overall run of the show. That isn’t to say she wasn’t excellent, however, as she proved one of the best guest stars in the show’s early years.
Shields appeared as Erika, a woman who is completely obsessed with Dr. Drake Ramoray, the character Joey played on Days of Our Lives. Her story involves Joey playing along with her delusion in order to continue seeing her, as he believes her beauty outweighs her bizarre insistence that Joey is actually his soap opera character. Erika’s brief time stalking Joey was written to be one of Season 2’s most outrageously funny stories, with Shields’ performance standing out as especially hilarious, even lost as it was among several other high-profile guest appearances.
8) Gary Oldman
By the time Season 7’s finale rolled around, there was no denying that Friends was one of the best sitcoms to watch on TV. The two-part finale of Season 7 was titled “The One with Monica and Chandler’s Wedding”, and featured celebrated actor Gary Oldman in as a guest star. Oldman played Richard Crosby, a fictional respected actor who Joey finds himself starring alongside in a World War I movie. However, Crosby’s drunken state makes Joey late for Monica and Chandler’s wedding.
Oldman’s performance as the drunken Crosby makes for exceptional sitcom fare, especially bouncing as he does off of Joey’s more serious attitude in the episode. In addition, the plot point about Oldman’s character spitting while he speaks affords the opportunity for some especially silly scenes. It’s perhaps Oldman’s ability to blend into any role he plays that makes his stint on the show forgettable, as the character of Richard Crosby and the scenes he features in are certainly incredibly memorable ones.
9) Rebecca Romijn
With many actors who appeared on Friends, their small roles have become somewhat forgotten among their lengthy careers and impressive filmographies. In some cases, however, this isn’t the reason why a guest star is forgettable. When it comes to Rebecca Romijn, her role on Friends has been overlooked because no one really knew who she was at the time of her appearance on the show.
#Though she later went on to find fame for playing Mystique in Fox’s original X-Men trilogy, as well as roles in Star Trek: Discovery and Strange New Worlds and Ugly Betty, Romijn’s acting career started with a small role in Friends. She appeared as Cheryl, the titular character from “The One with the Dirty Girl” in Season 4. At the time, she was only known as a model, and Friends marked the beginning of her on-screen career, making her appearance on the show as a love interest for David Schwimmer’s Ross far less memorable than it would have been just a few years later.
10) Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller is one of the most well-known comedy actors working in Hollywood, thanks to his many memorable roles in various movies. However, Stiller has also made several guest appearances on TV shows – including on underrated TV sitcom King of Queens – with his role on Friends counting as just another small credit in his long and storied career. Stiller featured as Tommy in Season 3’s “The One with the Screamer”, a love interest for Rachel who finds himself at odds with Ross.
Much of the episode’s comedy derives from Stiller and his volatile performance. Having Ross be the only character who sees Tommy’s angry outbursts makes for hilarious scenes in which Stiller is able to demonstrate a fiery on-screen temper before immediately switching back into a carefree and likeable character. Despite being one of Friends funniest ever guest stars, Stiller’s appearance on the show isn’t as widely remembered as it deserves to be.
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