Friends is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, which means a lot of those connected to the show are reflecting on the role it played in their lives and careers. Not all of the memories from one of the best sitcoms of all time are good ones, either. Elliott Gould, who played Ross and Monica’s dad, recalled a particularly embarrassing situation in which he spoiled a huge cliffhanger, and the actress portraying Ross’ first ex-wife Carol opened up about the “hardest part” of being on such a famous show. She admitted, however, that what she went through was nothing compared to the main six.
Jane Sibbett took over the character of Carol Willick from Anita Barone after just one episode of Friends. Her recurring role alongside Jessica Hecht as Susan Bunch made a huge impact on LGBTQ+ pop culture, with Carol and Susan participating in the first lesbian wedding on television. However, her playing an openly gay character didn’t go over so well with some people, and Sibbett recalled getting backlash, even from some people close to her. She told The Times (UK):
When we were getting ready for the [lesbian] wedding episode, it was getting all this hostile hullabaloo and attention. A woman I had gone to church with called me saying she wanted to interview me and when I got on the call she said: ‘I just want you to know that you’re going to burn in Hell.’ My dad and his third wife would have Bible study on Thursday nights at eight o’clock to make sure none of their friends would see Friends.
The LGBTQ+ community wasn’t represented as much or as well a few decades ago as is is today, and I can only assume that exposing TV viewers to characters like Carol and Susan opened the door for more queer stories to be told on television.
But with Carol being one of Friends’ most beloved side characters, Jane Sibbett also encountered a lot of fans excited to meet her, and sometimes things went a little overboard. She continued:
[As the show got famous] people would come up to me and squeal. The hardest part was when I would go to the toilet and someone would start talking to me through the door. I’ve had stalkers. It’s been pretty intense. But I have a big dog and people that watch out for me. And believe me, it’s nothing like what the main six have gone through.
Jane Sibbett appeared in just 15 episodes of Friends, and if she had to deal with stalkers and people following her to the bathroom stall, I honestly cannot imagine what that level of fame must have been like for Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer.
If you want to relive your favorite Friends episodes and some of Chandler’s funniest quotes, all 10 seasons are available to stream with a Max subscription.
