Top 20 Times Matthew Perry Sabotaged a Scene on Friends

“The One with the Nap Partners”
It’s natural to poke back when you’re around someone who usually pokes fun at you. Courteney Cox grabbed her opportunity when Matthew Perry messed up the delivery of his line. Within the context of the episode, Monica and Chandler discuss looking for the latter’s ex-girlfriend so that Chandler can apologize for how he treated her. The actors’ interaction is far less intense than the scripted exchange would have you believe. When setting up the scene, Cox mocks her co-star’s odd choice of delivery. Perry then decides to lean into it, following up with a take that’s even more exaggerated.

“The One with the Joke”
Sometimes the jokes write themselves. So, can you blame a natural comedian like Matthew Perry? In this episode, Joey tries to conceal his new job at Central Perk from his friends. His attempts are painfully obvious, which is where the humor is. However, the blooper offers its own brand of comedy. Joey lets out a nervous laugh after he tries to discreetly wait on a table in front of his friends, but Matt LeBlanc keeps having to redo the scene. Sometimes it’s because he’s unhappy with his own performance but, to his credit, it’s not all on him. When LeBlanc finally gets it right, Perry’s quick to fill in the take with an imitation of the actor’s previous gaffes. Just like that, he bags the biggest laugh.

“The One Where Ross Meets Elizabeth's Dad”
While bloopers give us a peek into behind-the-scenes content, they don’t show us every detail. As it appears, Courteney Cox seems to have made Matthew Perry start the scene over before. Because of this, he’s out for revenge. The actual scene follows Monica and Chandler as they argue about their plans. No matter the circumstance, Chandler would never call Monica any truly horrible names. But, there’s no Chandler in this blooper – it’s all Matthew Perry. Catching Cox (and everyone else) completely off guard, Perry throws out some choice words that cause chaos on set. It’s, of course, all in good fun and clearly demonstrates the close friendship the actors had.

“The One Where Phoebe Runs”
Ruining a scene with something as silly as a cough means you’re in for it with Matthew Perry around. During the scene, Monica, Chandler, and Ross talk to Joey about his new roommate, Janine, highlighting all the reasons it’s a bad idea for Joey to date someone he’s living with. They’d already had to reset after Courteney Cox messed up her line, so when David Schwimmer just can’t hold in his cough, all bets are off. Perry pokes fun at his co-star in the next take, highlighting his rendition of Schwimmer’s cough to hilarious effect.

“The One with the Free Porn”
When Chandler and Joey lived in Monica and Rachel’s apartment, the guys had a habit of putting on quite a spread. If you think it’s easy acting with food in your mouth, it isn’t. While filming a scene, Courteney Cox finds herself choking mid-sentence, blaming it on the popcorn the cast is snacking on during the scene. The botched moment surprises everyone, most of all Matthew Perry. He clearly saw the potential in carrying the joke forward and, as soon as action is called the next time around, he delivers a spit take for the ages.

“The One with Ross' Grant”
Even excess swearing would have got you made fun of by Matthew Perry. In this episode, Joey accuses Chandler of lying about watching his commercial tape, and then showcases the tape to prove as much. When Matt LeBlanc keeps having technical issues, he lets out a few curses here and there. By the time things are finally going smoothly, however, Perry ruins it by rivaling LeBlanc’s potty mouth with a few choice words of his own. It might mean one more retake, but at least everyone gets a good laugh out of it.

“The One with Ross' Wedding”
Chandler and Joey are best friends. But, they also behave like an old married couple. These undertones weren’t lost on Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc, who almost make this pairing canon. Before Ross’ wedding, he and Monica argue in the hotel room, and Chandler and Joey escape to the bathroom to avoid being the awkward witnesses. (Now, they’re the awkward eavesdroppers!) While Chandler doesn’t want people thinking anything other than that is going on, Perry and LeBlanc don’t mind. In the blooper, the co-stars emerge from the bathroom, having each forgone one rather important piece of clothing.

“The One with Ross' Grant”
With baby co-stars, you never really know what you’re in for. An actor needs to go with the flow in these instances, which Perry flawlessly demonstrates. Unsure about an issue regarding Joey, Chandler seeks Rachel out for advice. Within the “Friends” universe, Emma lets her mother do the talking. In the real world, though, the child actress interrupts Jennifer Aniston’s dialogue. While Aniston thinks she’s cute like the rest of us, Perry isn’t willing to let it slide. Just as much as his usual style of comedy, Perry shines at deadpan humor as well.

“The One with the Proposal”
Most of Monica and Chandler’s relationship progressed without complications. However, the events preceding Chandler’s proposal couldn’t have been worse. After interrupting their dinner date, Richard shows up at Monica’s workplace, hoping to get her back. It’s a big twist that appropriately ends in a cliffhanger. However, things were completely different behind behind-the-scenes. Rather than let the shock sink in, Matthew Perry bursts in to confront his rival while in character. Since this is the last thing the audience expected, Perry’s improv draws a massive response that seeps all the tension away.

“The One with Phoebe's Ex-Partner”
It might not look like it, but every scene filmed on a TV show normally takes place on the same set. The actor is usually close by even when their character’s supposed to be someplace else. In this clip, Joey is supposed to be looking for Chandler, with Monica explaining his whereabouts. After a few flubbed takes courtesy of Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry takes on Joey’s role, nailing his distinct hammy delivery and everything. With Cox and Lisa Kudrow expecting no one but LeBlanc, it’s surprised laughter all around. The best might just be LeBlanc’s anticipatory reaction in the hallway.

“The One Where Ross Meets Elizabeth’s Dad”
For whatever reason, guys seem to have an obsession with the size of certain things. Apparently Matthew Perry is no exception. On at least two separate occasions, Perry can be heard beckoning Monica to come see what he’s just deposited in the bathroom. It’s certainly not something that they would ever air as part of an episode of the show. But, for the actors, and the live studio audience, it’s certainly a fun opportunity to give a few extra laughs. And, no Chandler, we don’t need to see it, thanks.

“The One in Barbados”
Say what you want about the Joey and Rachel romance, but it did give us a great little blooper courtesy of our favorite sarcastic Friend. The scene involved Joey leaning on Rachel’s door in the hallway after learning she has feelings for him. Rachel opens the door and Joey falls to the floor. Well known for inserting himself into scenes he’s not part of, Perry stands at the door and “falls” as Rachel opens the door, causing everyone to break the scene. It’s a cute little blooper that shows just how much of a prankster Perry could really be.

“The One With Rachel's Phone Number”
For a short period of time, Chandler and Monica had to work through a long distance relationship as Chandler had accepted a job in Tulsa. So when he came home on weekends, they naturally wanted to spend as much time as they could together. Hoping for some “private time” alone, Chandler secretly flies home and lies to Joey about it. This leads to an entire plot around Joey thinking Monica is cheating because of how she’s dressed. When she tells Chandler that Joey thinks she’s a… let’s say a promiscuous woman, Perry retorts, “Have you looked in the mirror?” His joke is met by both laughs and some somber “ohhhhs” from the audience.

“The One with the Girl from Poughkeepsie”
In some ways, we think this episode should have been called, “The One Where Monica Fires Joey”. Upset that her coworkers don’t take her seriously, Monica hires Joey for the purposes of firing him in front of everyone to show them who’s boss. The scheme ultimately works, but not before Perry once again inserts himself into a scene he’s not in. Monica’s uniform is supposed to catch fire slightly, which Joey pats out with his hand on one side of her chest. Perry runs in from off-camera and playfully pats out the other side of her uniform, before ducking out back behind frame. It’s a funny bit that also shows us how comfortable these actors are with each other.

“The One With the Cake”
The “fourth wall” is a term used in television and film that refers to an imaginary barrier that exists between the scene unfolding in a play, movie, or episode, and the audience watching. The characters never look beyond this wall, because they’re not supposed to know they’re being watched by an audience. In this clip, Courtney Cox accidentally looks directly at the camera and then realizes her mistake. When they do the next take, Matthew Perry amplifies her mistake purposefully which brings a pile of laughs, and even another blooper featuring Matt LeBlanc doing something similar.

“The One with the Morning After”
Directors often have a vision for a particular scene or episode, and offer notes to the actors in order to try and fulfill that vision. During one scene in season three’s “The One with the Morning After”, Joey & Chandler barge into Monica’s bedroom in a panic when they hear screaming. In the gag reel, immediately following that take, we hear the director ask the two boys to dial it back a little. So when they call action and the boys enter, Perry and LeBlanc come in all somber and calm asking the girls what happened. We can’t imagine what it was like directing these goofballs.

“The One in Barbados”
Remember when Monica and Mike had their ping-pong competition in Barbados? Well, it turns out, there were all kinds of bloopers during that scene. Courtney Cox tripped up a few times, including a moment where she yells out “BAH” as she’s supposed to hit a ball. She realizes her mistake and they go to do another take. This of course opens the door for Matthew Perry to step in for his own laughs. As they call action and Monica swings, Perry blurts out some gibberish which of course ruins the take. It gets even better the next time, when Cox accidentally throws her paddle.

“The One Where Chandler Gets Caught”
The decision for Chandler and Monica to purchase a home to raise their kids outside the city was one that came as a surprise to all of us. As the two discuss whether or not to buy the home, they both recognize how big of a decision it is, and how it’s going to affect their friends. The conversation audiences saw had Monica saying “This is huge”. In an outtake for the scene, though, she accidentally says, “It’s huge” which was the perfect cue for Matthew Perry to allude to something else. It’s yet another great example of Perry’s unmatched improv ability.

“The One with the Morning After”
After having been trapped in Monica’s bedroom while Ross and Rachel fight over whether they were “on a break”, Monica, Phoebe, Joey and Chandler are getting hungry. In a cut scene from the episode, Courtney Cox has a line where she tells everyone she has chocolate bars in her purse, in the kitchen. She does the line several times, but keeps getting asked to do it again. When she says the line one last time, Perry chimes in with one of his signature sarcastic quips. Since the final edit of the episode excluded this scene, we’re guessing they never did get it right.

“The One Where Dr. Ramoray Dies”
Joey finally gets his big break and is featured in an issue of “Soap Opera Digest”. Ever so excited to show someone, he bursts into Central Perk and shows it off to Phoebe. But, Matt LeBlanc struggled to get the scene right several times. On one occasion, he straight up faceplants. On another, he looks at his mark on the floor. By the time he finally gets to his chair, it falls over. As highlighted in the “Friends: The Reunion” special, Matthew Perry wasn’t even in the scene, but mocked his costar’s failures by crashing the scene that might have finally been LeBlanc’s good take. It’s pure comedy gold which we’re so thankful to be able to see behind the scenes.