Jennifer Aniston opens up about Friends co-star crush in TV interview

Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay in Friends season two. Photo / Getty Images

Ross and Rachel have always been each other’s lobsters - even Jennifer Aniston says so.

The Friends alum appeared on the talk show Live with Kelly and Mark to reflect on her time filming the ‘90s comedy sitcom and her mutual crush on co-star David Schwimmer, reports Decider.

Due to the ongoing SAG-AFTRA strikes stopping actors from promoting their work, Live replayed an interview from earlier this year with Aniston - who rose to fame in her iconic role as Rachel on Friends and still, to this day, is asked about her time on the show.

“You and David in the early years had a crush on each other,” Kelly Ripa hinted, to which Aniston responded, “Yes, we did. We just let it play out on TV.”

For those who have been living under a rock with no cable TV, Aniston and Schwimmer play Rachel and Ross in the series. While their characters only officially date in the earlier seasons, the pair end up having a baby together after a one-night stand, tying the knot in Vegas (and then getting divorced) before ultimately finding their way back to each other and becoming endgame in the series finale.

During the interview, Aniston confirmed that her first kiss with her co-star was, in fact, a TV kiss, which was seen in season two when Ross and Rachel share a steamy moment at Central Perk late at night.

David Schwimmer as Ross Geller and Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Green in Episode 15: "The One Where Ross and Rachel ... You Know". Photo / Getty Images

When asked if it felt “weird” to kiss Schwimmer for the first time while being filmed, Aniston confessed: “Well, no. It was quite enjoyable, actually.”

On Friends: The Reunion, which hit screens in May 2021, the actors opened up about their mutual infatuation with each other while filming. In the highly-anticipated television special, Schwimmer admitted that he had a “major crush” on Aniston in season one, to which she said the feelings were “reciprocated”.

“At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship and we never crossed that boundary,” Schwimmer revealed. “We respected that.”

The cast during the reunion episode. Photo / HBO

When she recalled her and Schwimmer’s first kiss, she revealed she had hinted to her co-star that it would be “such a bummer” if the first time they kissed was on television.

“Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop,” she said. “So, we just channelled all of our love and adoration for each other into Ross and Rachel.”

No wonder Ross and Rachel had so much chemistry - life imitates art.