TV Conan O'Brien recalls feeling 'jealous' after ex Lisa Kudrow once praised Friends costar Matthew Perry The comedian said his "entire spirit" was envious until he saw Perry on the show and realized that Kudrow was right. By Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis Emlyn Travis is a news writer at Entertainment Weekly with over five years of experience covering the latest in entertainment. A proud Kingston University alum, Emlyn has written about music, fandom, film, television, and awards for multiple outlets including MTV News, Teen Vogue, Bustle, BuzzFeed, Paper Magazine, Dazed, and NME. She joined EW in August 2022. EW's editorial guidelines Published on July 23, 2024 03:35PM EDT Conan O’Brien once considered his ex Lisa Kudrow’s high praise for her Friends costar Matthew Perry to be no laughing matter. The comedian revealed on the latest episode of his Conan O'Brien Needs a Friend podcast that he was envious of Perry for a time after receiving a phone call from Kudrow, whom he dated from 1988 until 1993, where she lauded her late costar’s comedic talents. “You started doing that show and you called me up, and you were raving about Matthew and you were saying, he's so funny and there was part of me that was jealous,” O’Brien confessed to Kudrow on the podcast. “Like, I was, ‘Okay. I make you laugh pretty hard.’ And you were like, 'No, you don't understand. This guy's really [funny].’” Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more. Conan O'Brien, Matthew Perry, and Lisa Kudrow. Getty(3) Friends stars remember Matthew Perry in emotional tribute posts: 'He made all of us laugh' O'Brien described his jealousy as a "human" reaction to Kudrow's comments, but admitted that his "entire spirit" was green with envy until he saw Perry in action on the show and realized she was right. “There was part of me that was like [jealous],” he added, “and then I was watching him and going, ‘Yep.’” Kudrow also chimed in to insist that O'Brien is also “one of the funniest people I know” too, although he quickly downplayed her compliment. "Well, now it's hard to hear, you see," she teased. "But it is true. That's just a fact. But [Perry] was such a huge [star]." The actress added that she's been rewatching old episodes of Friends in order to remember Perry, who died at 54 last October from acute effects of ketamine. Lisa Kudrow says Friends fan Sandra Bullock accidentally called her 'Phoebe' at a party once “I used to not be able to watch it at all,” Kudrow said. “I mean, I'd see it on and be mildly interested, and then I'd see me and say, that's enough of that. I can't bear it. And then well, listen. After Matthew died, I could start watching the show again because it wasn't about me. It had to do with him for some reason.” While Kudrow clarified that she's not starting the show from season 1 and working her way through all 10 seasons, she is willing to sit down and watch a few episodes whenever they pop on on television. “There are marathons on, and I have spent, at times, since he died all day long watching the show,” she added. "Everyone is phenomenally hilarious to me." Watch O'Brien and Kudrow remember Perry in the clip above.