What Happened Between Matthew Perry And Aisha Tyler On The Set Of Friends?

Highlights

• Matthew Perry's reputation as a professional and kind individual was highlighted in tributes following his death in October 2023.
• Perry's considerate and generous nature on the set of Friends left a lasting impact on his colleagues, including Aisha Tyler and John Stamos.
• Aisha Tyler's role as Charlie Wheeler on Friends made television history as the first recurring role for a Black woman on the show, highlighting a stride towards inclusivity in the industry.

The tributes paid to Matthew Perry following his tragic death in October 2023, especially those from his colleagues, underscore his reputation as both a consummate professional and a genuinely kind individual.

It is these same qualities that actress and talk show host Aisha Tyler discovered when she first joined Perry in the cast of Friends for the very first time. His considerate nature behind the scenes on the set of Friends and in life in general might have often gone unnoticed, but they left a lasting impact on those around him.

Perry’s support for guest stars like John Stamos exemplified his generous nature. When Stamos faced a lukewarm response from the live audience during his appearance on the famous NBC sitcom, Perry took swift action. Going out of his way, the Chandler Bing actor ensured that Stamos received the applause and recognition he deserved.

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Away from the world of Friends, Family Ties star Michael J. Fox also once revealed how, after negotiating a groundbreaking contract alongside his Friends co-stars, Perry quietly made a substantial donation to The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. In following this same pattern, Tyler reminisced about her time on the show, fondly recalling how spot on Perry was with his pep talk to her during her inaugural appearance in the series.

Matthew Perry Encouraged Aisha Tyler On The Set Of Friends

Aisha Tyler would have likely been on edge before her debut on Friends, but she found encouragement from people’s person, Matthew Perry. Tyler enjoyed a nine-episode arc on the show as a character called Charlie Wheeler. Recalling that first interaction, Tyler vividly recounted Perry’s words of encouragement.

“The night of my very first live performance in front of a studio audience, as the cast came together at the end of the taping to take a bow in front of the crowd, Matthew Perry made a point of saying to me, ‘Get ready for your life to change, and it did!” she said in a 2022 interview with InStyle magazine.

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While acknowledging the potential that Perry may have shared similar sentiments with other guest actors, Tyler emphasized the personal significance of that moment for her. “He may have said that to every guest actor, I don’t know, but it was a special moment for me, and a seminal memory of my time there!” she reflected.

Other Cast Members Were Also Welcoming To Aisha Tyler

When Aisha Tyler joined Friends during its ninth season, she stepped into a well-established ensemble that had a history of warmly integrating guest stars. This period of the show had seen a parade of high-profile celebrities, each leaving their mark on the series in unique ways.

Brad Pitt, for instance, appeared in a Thanksgiving episode as Will Colbert, an old schoolmate of Ross and Monica who harbored a comedic grudge against Rachel. Reese Witherspoon was another major guest star on Friends. She played Jill Green, Rachel’s younger sister, in a memorable two-episode arc.

Tom Selleck, as Monica’s older boyfriend Dr. Richard Burke, was another significant addition. Bruce Willis appeared in a three-episode arc as Paul Stevens, the father of Ross's girlfriend, and his performance earned him an Emmy for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series.

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Reflecting on her own guest star experience in her InStyle magazine interview, Tyler noted, “The cast was incredibly welcoming when I first joined. This was in season 9 when they had already had several very high-profile guest actors on the show.”

Aisha Tyler Made History With Her Role In Friends

Aisha Tyler made television history with her role on Friends, becoming the first Black woman to have a recurring part on the show. A study by National World highlighted a stark disparity in racial diversity across the top 20 sitcoms listed on IMDb. Out of these, 11 shows did not feature any people of color in visible roles.

Among the remaining nine that included diverse casts, only Community and Brooklyn Nine-Nine had more than a third of their main cast made up of people of color, both standing at 44.4%. In the landscape of such skewed representation, Tyler’s role on Friends was a quiet but notable stride towards inclusivity.

“Honestly, it was a great experience personally and creatively,” she reflected. Even so, the character Charlie Wheeler was integrated into the storyline as Ross’ love interest, without the show making a pointed statement about race.

“I don’t think that I felt like, even though I knew that was a milestone, I don’t know that I felt like they turned it into something more than what it was, which was just a love interest for Ross,” Tyler added. She appreciated that the storyline did not pivot on her race, suggesting a normalization of interracial relationships on television.

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