How The Cast of 'Friends' Aged From The First To Last Season

Matthew Perry's looks changed quite a bit between the first and last season of Friends. During an interview with People in 2013, Matthew Perry revealed that during the show's 10 season run, he abused alcohol routinely, and was also addicted to prescription medication, which would explain how Chandler's weight fluctuated throughout the seasons.

As he explained, "I was on Friends from age 24 to 34. I was in the white-hot flame of fame. The six of us were just everywhere all the time. From an outsider's perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism. It was going on before Friends, but it's a progressive disease."

Sadly, in 2024, Perry suffered from a fatal drug overdose and passed away. Many of the actor's co-stars shared touching tributes following his death, including Matt LeBlanc who wrote on Instagram:

“It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life. It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never. Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love. And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.”

Jennifer Aniston was 25 when she filmed the first episode of Friends. When the show concluded, she was 35. Throughout the years, Aniston seriously influenced how women wanted their hair cut. From waves to a bob to a lob, and long layers to even longer layers, Aniston set the tone for hair fashion.

Monica Gellar basically showed us all how to rock a crop top. As the seasons went on she went from short to long hair, and her fashion matured away from the crop top days. Courteney Cox was 30 when the show first aired and 40 when the series concluded.

Matt LeBlanc was 27 in the first season of Friends. In a post-show interview, LeBlanc revealed that he went gray at a young age and had to dye his hair the entire time he was doing Friends. Scandal!

When the series concluded, LeBlanc was 37.

Lisa Kudrow, who was 31 (and the oldest member of the core cast) when the show first aired, might have gone through the most noticeable of changes - mostly because she was pregnant during the taping of the show in 1997. The writers wrote in her pregnancy via the surrogacy storyline. When the show ended, Kudrow was 41.

Aside from her pregnancy, Kudrow's looks didn't change dramatically throughout the series. Her hair remained long and straight throughout the seasons, and her fashion remained as quirky as her character was. 

David Schwimmer's (who was 27 years old when the show first aired) character Ross Geller definitely got cooler during Friends' 10 seasons. He went from a nerdy haircut to kind of a spiked Robert Pattinson-esque 'do.

Similarly, his clothing style evolved from dorky sweaters to leather jackets. When the series ended, Schwimmer was 37.