Why Lisa Kudrow Was Annoyed With Her Son's Reaction To Friends

Nearly two decades after "Friends" came to an end, Lisa Kudrow's son, Julian Murray Stern has finally gotten around to watching it, but his reaction to the show wasn't exactly welcomed by his mom.

Kudrow gave birth to her only child in 1998, while "Friends" was still on the air. As such, many of Stern's earliest years (and months in the womb!) were spent on-set. In fact, back in 2018, Kudrow told People tha,t prior to his birth, he'd even been included in the cast's pre-tape, backstage huddles. "When I was pregnant ... they would say, 'Have a great show, love you, love you, love you — love you, little Julian!'" she recalled. That only made sense, though. With Kudrow's pregnancy worked into Phoebe Buffay's storyline, Stern was an in-vitro cast member in his own right! 

Despite that, Kudrow revealed on "CONAN" in 2021 that she and her family had not watched "Friends" together. "It wasn't like, 'I'm not interested,' and 'Who cares?' It was more ... I'm so self-conscious of, 'Okay everybody shh, I'm on TV now!' You know?" she explained. In light of that, Stern didn't grow up seeing much of the series, and only began to show an interest when the beloved sitcom was added to Netflix, when more of his classmates started watching it. Today, he finally gets the show's appeal ... but that's not to say his first reaction was what Kudrow wanted to hear.

Given that Lisa Kudrow and her family didn't watch "Friends" in its later seasons, it makes sense that she didn't expect any of them to be major fans of the show. In fact, as she revealed on "Late Night with Seth Meyers," she was surprised when her son enjoyed it. "I didn't think that, you know, anyone in my family liked that show," she giggled. However, in the same interview, she gave Julian Murray Stern a little side-eye for his surprise enjoyment. 

"He goes, 'It's actually really funny,'" she said, bemused laugh in tow. But, to add insult to injury, in the same conversation, he noted how funny the male cast members were. "He's like, 'No, I mean, you're funny, too' ... never in my life have I wanted to tell my own kid, like, 'F**k you!'" she joked. The actor added, "Listen, it's not required that you're a fan ... but don't be so demeaning!" 

Kudrow has since joked about the conversation on "CONAN," as well, sharing, "He did really think that everybody else was very funny." However, she agreed with the host that she believed that had more to do with her being his mom than her actual comedic abilities.

Julian Murray Stern may have been a little apprehensive to give Phoebe Buffay his stamp of approval when he first started watching "Friends," but the truth is, he couldn't be prouder of his mom. 

Despite joking about her son's initial reaction to, well, everyone but her on the show, Lisa Kudrow shared that they'd had a very sweet moment after the "Friends" reunion. On "CONAN," she revealed, "He was able to come to the reunion ... and afterward, he came up to me and he just said, 'I don't know if this is awkward or inappropriate — can I say that I'm really proud of you?" Cue an adorable mock cry from the actor, who referred to it as one of the more emotional moments of her life. However, not one to let his earlier comments slide, she also clarified, "Not 'cause he saw the show and went, 'G-d, she's good!'"

Regardless of Stern's comments on Kudrow's part in "Friends," it certainly seems like he's warming up to his familial ties to the show. His Instagram features pictures of his visits to the set, and back in 2019, he posted a video of himself outside the New York City "Friends" pop-up store, promising to show viewers a place special to him. True to form, he quickly walked off in another direction — but something tells us "Friends" is a lot closer to his heart than he'll ever let on.