Friends reunion 2021: Official trailer, release date, guest stars, and more

HBO Max just released new deets on The Friends reunion 2021

Key art for the Friends reunion 2021
(Image credit: WarnerMedia)

Pivot your focus for the day because the official full-length trailer for the Friends reunion 2021 is finally here, people!

Yes, we finally have an official look at the upcoming HBO Max reunion between show stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer. Cue the chills!

And not only that, but we also officially have a premiere date and a bevy of exciting celebrity guest stars joining the main cast for the reunion, including a certain Mother Monster. (Yes, you read that correctly.)

Here’s everything we know about the Friends reunion 2021 so far:

Check out the official Friends trailer 2021:

From the official trailer, released on May 19th, we can see the gang back at it for another round of trivia (hopefully it goes better for the ladies than that "transponster" mess the last time, eh?), as well as revisiting old sets and offering behind-the-scenes scoop. (Apparently, Courteney Cox used to have her lines written on the kitchen table, per Matt LeBlanc.)

They also sit down to read through old scripts, including the iconic The One Where Everybody Finds Out, and finally answer age-old questions from the show—namely, were Ross and Rachel actually on a break?

The whole ordeal looks like it was pretty emotional for the whole crew, and we can't blame them. "Where's the tissue box?" Aniston asks when walking through the set of Monica and Rachel's apartment. Girl, we're asking ourselves the same question!

When is the Friends reunion 2021?

Mark your calendars: HBO Max announced that Friends: The Reunion is set to hit the streamer on Thursday, May 27th. 

Key art for Friends reunion 2021

(Image credit: WarnerMedia)

Is the Friends reunion just one episode? 

The Friends reunion will be one single television special, but according to interviews with the Friends cast, no, the reunion will not be a new scripted episode of the series.

Rather, it will be a sit-down between the main cast and executive producers Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman, and David Crane, on the show’s original soundstage, Stage 24, at the Warner Brothers Studio lot in Burbank, California. The reunion will be directed by Ben Winston. 

Lisa Kudrow clarified on the Literally! with Rob Lowe podcast: “It’s not a reboot. It's not like a scripted thing, we're not portraying our characters. It's us getting together, which just doesn't happen a lot and has never happened in front of other people since 2004 when we stopped. I think it'll be great."

Courteney Cox doubled down on the details, saying on a May 6th episode of The Ellen DeGeneres Show: "It's an unscripted reunion, but we got to be on Stage 24 for the first time, all of us in, like, I forgot how many years. 15 years? 17 years?” Cox said of seeing all of her old pals together again: “It was very emotional and I just...it was great."

Though the cast will not be playing fan-favorite Friends characters in the reunion, David Schwimmer did tease on The Graham Norton Show back in April that the cast did pre-film something for the reunion. "There is one section of it that I don’t want to give away, but we all read something."

How long is the Friends reunion 2021?

The Friends: Reunion event will be an hourlong special, available to stream on HBO Max after midnight on May 27th. 

Friends reunion guest stars: Who will show up?


In addition to the original cast and creators, a whole host of familiar faces will be showing up to chat about the hit NBC sitcom during the reunion.

Recurring and guest actors will feature, including Elliott Gould and Christina Pickles (Ross and Monica’s parents, Jack and Judy), Tom Selleck (Monica’s former boyfriend Dr. Richard Burke), Maggie Wheeler (Chandler Bing’s memorable ex-girlfriend, Janice), James Michael Tyler (Rachel’s Central Perk manager Gunther), and Reese Witherspoon (Jill Green, Rachel’s younger sister.) 


Famous fans of the beloved ’90s series will also be joining the reunion fun, including Justin Bieber, David Beckham, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Kit Harington, Mindy Kaling, Malala Yousafzai, and, yes, Lady Gaga herself. Basically the dinner party of our dreams.

Reactions to the Friends reunion teaser 

Obviously, Friends fans are going gaga for the reunion news. Here are just a few social media reactions:  

Christina Izzo

Christina Izzo is the Deputy Editor of My Imperfect Life. 

More generally, she is a writer-editor covering food and drink, travel, lifestyle and culture in New York City. She was previously the Features Editor at Rachael Ray In Season and Reveal, as well as the Food & Drink Editor and chief restaurant critic at Time Out New York

When she’s not doing all that, she can probably be found eating cheese somewhere.