Tom Selleck is getting a shout-out from a famous “Friend.”
The Blue Bloods star was the subject of a brief talk from Jennifer Aniston on some famous Friends guest stars, and her opinion of his talents was interesting.
The mystery Friends guest star
After years of stalled plans, May saw the long-awaited reunion of the Friends cast. Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc got together on the old sets to swap stories.
As part of its promotion, Aniston, Cox and Kudrow appeared on Howard Stern’s podcast. During the interview, Aniston shared the surprising story of how one male guest star on the series appeared to think he was too good for the show.
“The funny thing is, that male did apologize about their behavior years later, and just said, ‘I was so nervous, to be honest, that I wasn’t on my best behavior.’ It was as if they were just too ‘above’ this, to be on a sitcom,” she added. “I remember when we were doing a network run-through, the network and the producers would just laugh.”
“And this person would be like, ‘Listen to them, just laughing at their own jokes. So stupid, not even funny. It was just like, ‘What are you doing here? Your attitude, this is not what we’re all about. This is a wonderful, warm place to be, and you’re coming into our home and just s**ting on it.'”
Naturally, Stern pressed on who it was, and the first name out of his mouth was “Tom Selleck?”
Selleck on Friends
While already a TV icon thanks to Magnum P.I., Tom Selleck had been taking a break from another regular series when he was cast as Dr. Richard Burke, an ophthalmologist who hires Monica to cater a party.
The two were soon a couple despite the age difference. Selleck was so popular that he had to reshoot his entrances because the studio applause went on so long.
Eventually, he and Monica split, although Richard returned later to try to win her back from Chandler.
Selleck did make an appearance in the reunion special, interrupting a trivia game to relate how no one knew what Chandler’s actual job was.
When pressed by Stern, Aniston tongue-in-cheek replied. “It was Tom. You just don’t know how cruel and unusual he is.”
She quickly clarified she was merely joking. “Tom has an angel’s halo over his head, it’s just a permanent halo over Tom’s head.”
She also never clarified just who that mysterious male guest star actually was.
While he doesn’t show much comedy as Frank Reagan, Aniston’s words prove why Selleck was one of Friends’ best-loved guests.
Friends Reunion Special streaming on HBO Max.