When we tuned in to Must-See TV on Thursday, November 9, 1995, and watched the Friends episode where Ross and Rachel kiss for the first time in Central Perk, there was practically a collective “ooooh” heard in living rooms across the country. It was the moment we’d all been waiting for — and, as it turns out, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer were pretty psyched about locking lips, too.
The reason all the Friends fans could feel the chemistry between Ross and Rachel oozing out of their television screens was because, according to new info revealed in the Friends reunion special on HBO Max, the two actors were giving each other the feels IRL. Aniston and Schwimmer admitted they had feelings for each other while filming Season 1 of the hit sitcom, flirting on set and even spooning on the couch during rehearsal!
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“The first season, I had a major crush on Jen,” Schwimmer said. “At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other.”
Aniston confirmed, adding, “I remember saying one time to David, ‘It’s gonna be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kissed is gonna be on national television.’ And sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. But we just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.”
Mind. Blown. Ross and Rachel could have been a real-life celebrity couple!
“I thought back on the very first year or two, when we would have breaks from rehearsal, there were moments when we would cuddle on the couch,” Schwimmer remembered
“We would spoon and fall asleep on the couch,” Aniston added.
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Schwimmer wondered aloud how the rest of the cast didn’t know that he and Aniston “were crushing on each other,” but Courteney Cox and Matthew Perry quickly confirmed that were well aware of how the two felt about each other.
“We knew,” Perry said.
“We knew for sure,” Cox assured.
Schwimmer said that he and Aniston “couldn’t do anything about” their feelings for each other because they were always in relationships with other people.
“It was like two ships passing, because one of us was always in a relationship, and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that,” he said, to which Matt LeBlanc added an under-his-breath “bull****,” eliciting laughs from the rest of the cast.
Of course, the fact that the two never became a real-life celebrity couple was probably for the best, as it would have affected Ross and Rachel’s epic on-screen love story.
As Cox explained, “If you had, and it didn’t work out, it would have not probably been as great [for Ross and Rachel].”
True, but it’s still a juicy look inside what made Ross and Rachel so compelling to watch!
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Before you go, click here to see all the celebrity couples who met on set.
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