Lisa Kudrow Grew ‘Really Angry’ at ‘Friends’ Studio Audience Because They’d Be ‘Laughing Too Long’ When Things ‘Weren’t Funny’: ‘It Irritated Me’

As a dedicated movie lover and avid fan of “Friends,” I can completely understand where Lisa Kudrow is coming from. Having watched countless hours of television and spent years observing the intricacies of production, her perspective on the importance of an authentic audience response resonates with me deeply.


Lisa Kudrow shared on the “Conan O’Brien Needs a Friend” podcast that she used to get annoyed when the live audience at “Friends” sets laughed excessively during scenes where she felt their reaction wasn’t warranted. As Phoebe Buffay in all ten seasons of NBC’s hit sitcom, Kudrow received six Emmy nominations and one win for her outstanding supporting actress performance in a comedy series.

“When O’Brien mentioned Kudrow’s frustration with the live audience, Kudrow explained, ‘They had been laughing for an excessive amount of time. It wasn’t particularly amusing to me. Consequently, their prolonged laughter disrupted the flow of the show and annoyed me. I would sometimes glance at them impatiently when they continued to laugh excessively.'”

Kudrow explained, “A TV show isn’t meant for the live studio audience. Instead, it’s created for viewers watching at home. Our primary focus is on them. In a play, you can laugh as much as you want, but here I have to find ways to keep my character engaged during filming. It’s not ideal, and they asked the audience not to interact.”

Kudrow pointed out that it took Friends six to eight hours to film a single half-hour episode. Consequently, they had to shoot “numerous takes,” leading the audience to eventually tire of the jokes. In response, the writers assumed the material was no longer effective, resulting in rewrites and additional takes.

“However, it succeeded initially!” Kudrow stated. “The only information I had was that you would transfer the laugh track from the initial recording to this one. Who is being affected by their lack of laughter? I’m fine if they aren’t laughing as vigorously. We can carry on.”

Check out more episodes of Larry David’s guest spots on “The Conan O’Brien Podcast” featured in the video linked below.

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2024-07-24 00:17