Lisa Kudrow talks down rumors Jennifer Aniston’s pal Ellen DeGeneres will host Friends reunion… amid talk show star’s career crisis
- DeGeneres has been dealing with a career crisis scandal
- Employees say work culture rife with bullying, racism and sexual harassment
- Aniston has remained mum on the issue while other celebs have publicly supported Ellen
Friends star Lisa Kudrow gave fans an update on the show’s reunion, clarifying rumors whether Ellen DeGeneres will be involved.
The 57-year-old actress appeared on Andy Cohen Live Monday, and was asked about the prospects of Ellen hosting the highly-anticipated HBO Max special amid her career crisis surrounding a toxic workplace scandal.
Cohen asked Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay on the NBC staple, ‘Did I hear that Ellen DeGeneres is hosting the reunion?’
The latest: Friends star Lisa Kudrow, 57, gave fans an update on the show’s reunion, clarifying rumors whether Ellen DeGeneres will be involved, saying, ‘I don’t know that that’s been decided’
Kudrow replied, ‘I don’t know that that’s been decided.’
The potential hosting gig could be a turning point for DeGeneres, who has spent much of the year dealing with a career crisis scandal that her show’s work culture is rife with bullying, racism and sexual harassment, which prompted an investigation from parent company WarnerMedia.
While some celebs have taken up in Ellen’s defense – including Kevin Hart, Scooter Braun and Samantha Ronson – longtime DeGeneres pal Jennifer Aniston has kept mum amid the issue.
The actress and host go back decades, as Aniston was Ellen’s first guest on the debut of her talk show on September 8, 2003 and has guest hosted the show in the past.
While some celebs have taken up in Ellen’s defense, longtime DeGeneres pal Jennifer Aniston has kept mum amid the issue
Coming soon: Kudrow and Aniston are set to reunite with Matthew Leblanc and the rest of the Friends cast for an HBO Max special
‘I spent ten years here on a show called Friends,’ she said of the Burbank, California Warner Bros. lot where Ellen films while on the show in January.
DeGeneres last week said in a statement that she’d address the controversy when she begins the show’s 18th season September 21: ‘I can’t wait to get back to work and back to our studio. And, yes, we’re gonna talk about it.’
DeGeneres has a strong slate of celebs booked to appear, including Tiffany Haddish, Chrissy Teigen, Kerry Washington and Alec Baldwin.
Ready: DeGeneres last week said in a statement that she’d address the controversy when she begins the show’s 18th season September 21
Elsewhere in the appearance, Kudrow confirmed that she’s in a group chat with her castmates from the smash comedy, including Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
Kudrow, who has a 22-year-old son named Julian Stern from her marriage to Michel Stern, said that the group chat is about ‘checking in and how are you and stuff like that,’ as well as details about the upcoming ‘reunion and let’s talk about this and can we jump on a call and, and stuff like that.’
She alluded to Cohen’s Real Housewives reunions and the drama they encompass, joking, ‘I think we’re going to sit around like a really nice restaurant and have you host and start screaming at each other.’