In the world of sitcom legends, pranks are as common as laugh tracks, but Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc took their mischief to a whole new level on the set of Friends. Imagine pulling off a joke so sneaky that even the show’s co-creator didn’t catch on for multiple seasons! And here’s the kicker: this wasn’t just any prank—it was one with a hilarious twist, involving ultra-conservative behavior that left everyone wondering how they managed to keep straight faces.
Dive into the story of how these two comedic masterminds got away with it for so long, and prepare to be both amused and amazed by their on-set antics!
Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc Pulled a Decade-Long Toilet Prank on Friends Creator David Crane
Do you recall that scene from Friends when Joey comes out of Monica and Chandler’s bathroom with a newspaper, seemingly having spent the entire episode there? Well, it appears that it might not have been without reason. Instead, it could be a consequence of a decade-long ‘prank’ staged by Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc on the show’s co-creator, David Crane.
Perry and LeBlanc, known for their comedic timing and on-screen chemistry, found a unique way to keep things interesting on set. According to David Wild’s book, Friends … ‘Til the End: The One With All Ten Years, the duo would regularly pitch toilet humor to Crane, who, despite his intelligence, had a particular aversion to such jokes. LeBlanc explained (via Slashfilm):
We have this really fun thing that we do with David Crane. He’s super, super smart, but he’s also ultraconservative in that he doesn’t like toilet jokes. So Perry and me, just to egg him on, will pitch toilet humor to him. And we’ll pitch it with a straight face in front of everyone. He doesn’t have any idea we do it on purpose.
Of course, Crane himself would have figured out by now that the two of them were just goofing on him and playing the charade for so long. And who knows? The infamous bathroom scene—maybe that was just one of the many products of their pranks and scandals.
NBC’s Bizarre Survey on Monica Geller’s Morality Revealed: Was She Really Labeled a ‘Harlot’?
Is Monica Geller a harlot? That was the question posed to a dress rehearsal audience of Friends in a bizarre attempt by NBC executives to prove that Monica’s one-night stand in the pilot episode would alienate viewers. The show’s creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, said in an interview that they had to fight hard to protect Courteney Cox‘s character from network morality (via People).
The network even handed out a survey during the rehearsal, but it was totally skewed. As Crane put it, the options were ridiculous:
When Monica sleeps with a guy on her first date, is she a) a slut or b) a harlot?
To the network’s surprise, the audience wasn’t having it. They rejected both labels and said Monica’s behavior was fine. This was a major win for the creators, Monica’s character, and the show’s tone. It proved audiences were ready for characters with real depth, not just cookie-cutter roles.
Watch Friends on Max and Apple TV.
