‘Friends’ Alum David Schwimmer Shares Major HBO Max Reunion Update

A Friends reunion is in the works at HBO Max, and series star David Schwimmer just shared an update on the upcoming special. Speaking to Andy Cohen on SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen Live, Schwimmer didn’t exactly offer any confirmed news, but he did respond to one report to confirm that it’s not true. After Cohen asked if Ellen DeGeneres was hosting the special, Schwimmer responded in the negative.

“She’s not. Do you know, can you say who is?” Cohen asked. “You know what, I don’t know if I can actually,” Schwimmer replied, adding, “Should’ve found that out. Um, all right. It’s not Ellen, it’s not Billy Crystal. I could tell you who it’s not.” Cohen continued by asking whether the host is someone who has appeared on Friends, to which Schwimmer joked, “Andy, is it you?” “Oh my God,” the host said. “I wish it was.”

In addition to who is not hosting, Schwimmer also revealed that he will be traveling to Los Angeles “in a little over a month” for the reunion. “So, finally, I mean, we figured out a way to film it safely and there’s going to be a portion of it that we filmed outside because of, you know, for safety protocols,” he said. The event was originally scheduled to film in March 2020 and air on HBO Max in May 2020, but was delayed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The Friends reunion will see all six original stars — Schwimmer, Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow and Matthew Perry — come together in person. “The idea is that they would be together. The COVID situation has been complicated — not just for this, but for television production across the board,” HBO/HBO Max chief Casey Bloys told Entertainment Weekly. “So we’re kind of dealing with that as it comes, but it will be this spring.”

HBO Max has not yet announced an official premiere date for the reunion, which the six cast members confirmed in February 2020 with matching photos captioned, “It’s happening.” In November, Perry tweeted that the event was being rescheduled for March 2021. “Looks like we have a busy year coming up,” he told fans. “And that’s the way I like it!” The reunion will be an unscripted hour-long event where the cast will revisit the original set and reminisce on their time with the show. The special will also feature “rare behind-the-scenes footage.”