FRIENDS Is Back On Netflix India, A Look At The Salary Of The Cast From 'Monica', 'Rachel' To 'Joey'

F.R.I.E.N.D.S has not only been a series but also an emotion to its entire fanbase. The series aired on NBC back in 1994 and ran till 2004. The sitcom consisted of a total of 10 season having 236 episodes. The sitcom has been a comfort place for the global fanbase, and throughout all the years, the loyal ones haven't yet got over the soft aura the series creates. The series is about six friends figuring out their lives.

Whether their job is broken, their love life is DOA, or even life is stuck in the second gear, they remained there for each other, and for their fans too. The sitcom not only entertains but also heals. And thus, when Netflix India announced that it would stop streaming the sitcom, the fans were left heartbroken. However, the overwhelming demand for the series even led Netflix to bring it back on the small screens on and from March 31, 2026. Amid fans being extremely happy and excited, let's have a look at the massive salary package the cast, i.e. 6 actors, got throughout the 10 seasons of the series. 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S is back on Netflix: How much did the cast get paid for the show?

In the first season of the sitcom, the F.R.I.E.N.D.S cast reportedly earned USD 22.5K for each episode in season 1. For season 2, it was revealed that the six stars were paid between USD 20K to USD 40K (per episode), and as reported and David Schwimmer who played 'Ross Geller' and Jennifer Aniston who was seen as 'Rachel Green' were paid a bit more than the other 4 stars, Courteney Cox, seen as 'Monica Geller', Lisa Kudrow as 'Phoebe Buffay', Matt LeBlanc as 'Joey Tribbiani', and Matthew Perry as 'Chandler Bing'.

The reason David and Jennifer got paid more was said to be the fact that their relationship in S2 grabbed the attention. While being on the 3rd season, the cast negotiated for pay parity and an equal pay raise, which led them to earn USD 75K per episode. On S4 and S5, the 6 of them were paid USD 85K and USD 100K per episode, respectively, as reported.

For S6, all the 6 actors were reportedly paid USD 125K per episode, while seasons 7-8 showed a huge jump in salary as they were earning USD 750K. On the other hand, for the final two seasons, the salary of the entire cast reached USD 1 million, as reported. In an interview with HuffPost back in 2015, 'Joey', Matt was asked if he thought they were worth earning USD 1 million per episode. To this, Matt remained miffed and said:

"Were we worth $1 million? To me, that’s such a strange question. It’s like, well, that’s irrelevant. Are you worth it? How do you put a price on how funny something is? We were in a position to get it. If you’re in a position in any job, no matter what the job is—if you’re driving a milk truck or installing TVs or an upholsterer for a couch—if you’re in a position to get a raise and you don’t get it, you’re stupid. You know what I mean? We were in a position and we were able to pull it off. ‘Worth it’ has nothing to do with it."

F.R.I.E.N.D.S cast's paycheck from the reunion and earnings from residuals 

F.R.I.E.N.D.S had a reunion back in 2021, which saw a surge of virality. The 6 actors were reportedly offered USD 1 million for the special episode, which they rejected, and the offer was later bumped up to USD 2.5 million each for their appearance on the special episode. If the reports are to be believed, the cast has been making USD 20 million annually from the series residuals alone. 

What do you think about F.R.I.E.N.D.S's return on Netflix India?

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