What The Tabloids Get Wrong About The Cast Of ‘Friends’

The cast of Friends hold a special place in the hearts of many, which is what makes them a prime target for tabloids. David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc often find themselves at the mercy of tabloid rumors. Gossip Cop investigated the gossip surrounding the Friends actors and determined their truth.

David Schwimmer’s “Messing” With Debra Messing

NW ran an article claiming Debra Messing and David Schwimmer were dating. They announced the news with a splashy headline: “New Couple Alert: Ross & Grace Are Dating,” a clear reference to Messing’s Will & Grace character as well as Schwimmer’s Friends character. Schwimmer, at the time, was playing Grace’s love interest in the second season of the Will & Grace reboot, but a source for the outlet insisted “romance has also bloomed off-set” as well for the two actors.

“It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they’re very well matched to each other,” tattled the supposed tipster. “Debra calls him ‘Delicious David’ — both to his face and when she’s talking about him to her friends.” The difference in Messing was clear, added the alleged insider. “She’s got this glow about her that no one’s seen for a long time. Everyone’s totally rooting for them.” Well, people should probably find something else to root for, since this supposed romance never happened.

The outlet’s source apparently got the ‘Delicious David’ nickname from a photo Messing posted to her Instagram. The actress shared a selfie of herself and Schwimmer on set, with the caption, “This guy is delicious.” Clearly, this was just a couple of co-stars having fun on set, but the source twisted Messing’s words to suit their own purpose.

Gossip Cop wanted to get to the bottom of this rumor, so we reached out to David Schwimmer’s spokesperson, who’s qualified to speak on the actor’s behalf. We were informed that Schwimmer is not dating Messing and any claims to the contrary are totally “false.”

Jennifer Aniston And Brad Pitt “On A Break”

Of all the Friends stars, Jennifer Aniston appears the most in the tabloids. She’s usually paired with her ex-husband Brad Pitt like Heat recently reported. The outlet put a twist on those old reconciliation rumors, however, and claimed that Aniston had asked Pitt to go “on a break.” That’s exactly what Ross said to Rachel to explain away a one-night stand he had in Friends. This tabloid blatantly ripped off the sitcom’s running gag in a cheap effort to make their otherwise boring story stand out.

In any case, a source told the publication that Jennifer Aniston and Pitt decided to pump the breaks on their alleged relationship. This came after Pitt had been photographed out and about with Alia Shawkat, which the outlet alleged was romantic in nature. Apparently taking this as evidence that Pitt was continuing to “play the field,” Aniston was “furious.”

“Jen has told Brad that they’re on a break until he knows what he wants,” the so-called insider snitched to the outlet. “She’s told him that she’s too old to be played, and he’s too old to be a player.” Now that the two are self-isolating due to the ongoing threat of coronavirus, Jennifer Aniston “decided it’s the perfect time to cool things down and let Brad think about what he really wants.” None of this, obviously, has any truth to it.

First of all, Pitt and Aniston are not in a relationship, as Gossip Cop has proven time and again. Secondly, Pitt’s relationship with Shawkat is purely platonic, as we’ve also written about in the past. Thus, there would be no need for jealousy from Jennifer Aniston, if they were even in a relationship in the first place, which they’re not.

To confirm our suspicions, Gossip Cop reached out to our trusted source close to the situation. We were assured that no such break up took place because, like we stated above, there was no relationship to take a break from. It’s just the same, tired story that appears week after week.

Lisa Kudrow’s Friends Spinoff

Lisa Kudrow doesn’t appear quite as often as her other Friends co-stars, but the stories about her in the tabloids are equally bizarre. In Touch once reported that Kudrow’s character, Phoebe Buffay, was getting her own spinoff based on the hit sitcom. The magazine claimed that Kudrow had been in “serious talks with Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman about a Phoebe Buffay spin-off.”

The two worked together on the Netflix series Grace and Frankie and had allegedly been spending a lot of time “brainstorming fun storylines” for the new sitcom. An “insider” for the outlet further claimed that in the new show, Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe character would be “divorced now and living back in NYC.”

“It’s only natural that she would occasionally bump into her old Central Perk gang,” continued the seemingly fake source. The “ultimate goal,” however, would be to have the rest of the cast of Friends make cameos for “one hilarious episode.”
“It would be an epic TV moment. If there’s anyone that can make that happen, it’s Lisa,” the ill-informed source concluded.

Gossip Cop checked out the report and found it to be completely false. The rumors of a Phoebe spinoff first came to light over a decade ago, but the project never got off the ground due to a lack of audience interest. It was already highly unlikely that the project would be tried again considering all the time that has passed and the lack of interest the first time around.

We also reached out to Lisa Kudrow’s rep, who informed us, “There’s no truth to this.” Sorry Phoebe lovers, there’s no spinoff in the works.

Courteney Cox Causing Marriage Problems

NW reported late last year that Victoria Beckham was leaving her husband, David, over a hot tub selfie with Courteney Cox. The selfie was posted to Cox’s Instagram page while she was on set with David filming a cameo for the ABC sitcom Modern Family. According to a so-called source who spoke with the outlet, “Victoria went ballistic. She said it was totally inappropriate. She’s done with David’s constant flirting,” adding, “This fight seems like it could be the final straw.”

The publication also took quotes from an alleged “close family friend” who said, “His behavior is just so disrespectful.” Again, this is all over a selfie taken on-set.

It should be noted that David also posted snapshots from set to his Instagram and, unfortunately for the tabloid’s narrative, his wife and mother of his four children had a very positive reaction to seeing Courteney Cox and David together. Victoria commented on the photo, which depicted David and Cox, fully clothed and learning their lines, “I can’t wait!!!!!! Kisses x.”

That doesn’t seem like something a woman seething with jealous fury would write, but it does sound like a supportive wife’s response. Regardless, Gossip Cop wanted to make sure all our bases were covered, so we reached out to the Beckhams’ spokesperson, who assured us their marriage was not in any danger.

Matthew Perry’s Tabloid Woes

Matthew Perry was the victim of a particularly cruel rumor last summer. The Globe reported that Perry’s friends worried that he was off the wagon and only had months to live. A photo of Perry looking a little shabby as he walked in New York City was the inspiration for this article, apparently. A source told the outlet, “People are really concerned he’s abusing pills and drinking again, and that’s a virtual death sentence for someone who’s had as many health issues as he’s had.”

The untrustworthy source continued, saying Perry had “lost the will to go on,” adding, “Matt has virtually killed himself with all of his vices and health issues over the years and doesn’t seem to be getting better. At this rate, if there isn’t any drastic change, he’ll be dead within six months!”

Gossip Cop didn’t believe this tall tale for a moment. We reached out to Matthew Perry’s spokesperson, who told us on the record that the story was untrue. The actor is not on the verge of death and his friends don’t fear for his life.

Matt LeBlanc’s Secret Non-Friends Project

Finally, OK! reported last year that Matt LeBlanc was secretly working with Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox on a new TV show. Quoting an insider, the tabloid claimed, “For a long time, there was talk of the entire cast doing a reboot.” Plans changed, though, insisted the so-called insider. “But in the end, producers decided the show’s premise would never work with them as older adults. So Jen, Matt and Courtney got the idea to do a totally different show with a whole new vibe and cast of characters.”

Though LeBlanc, Cox, and Aniston are headlining the new show, they’re not opposed to having the other three cast-mates on for guest appearances, tattled the tipster. Gossip Cop looked into this rumor and found that it was untrue. We asked Matt LeBlanc’s spokesperson about the possible reunion of the trio and were told the story is “just not correct.”

Similar inquiries to sources close to Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston confirmed that the three former co-stars are not in cahoots to develop a new TV show together. Maybe all this time inside due to coronavirus will help tabloids find better sources that won’t send them bogus tips.