Lisa Kudrow is looking back on her decades-long marriage with a sense of gratitude, sharing why the timing of her love story with husband Michel Stern means so much to her.
The Friends star recently reflected on meeting Stern before her life changed forever with the hit sitcom that made her a household name. Speaking with The Hollywood Reporter, Kudrow said she feels especially fortunate that their relationship began before the pressures of fame entered the picture.
“I feel incredibly lucky to have met and fallen in love with the man I’d spend my life with right before Friends,” she said, noting how that foundation helped shape their enduring bond.
Kudrow and Stern, an advertising executive, married in 1995 and have now been together for three decades. They welcomed their son Julian in 1998, balancing family life alongside Kudrow’s rise to global fame during the peak of Friends.
Over the years, Kudrow has been open about what has made their marriage work. In a past interview with Glamour, she explained that their commitment was never about promising perfection, but about putting in the effort when challenges arise. For her, the key has always been a shared willingness to work through difficulties together.
She also emphasized the importance of maintaining individuality within a relationship. Kudrow described marriage as more of a partnership than a merging of identities, comparing it to being on a team where both people bring different strengths but share the same goal.
Her personal life even found its way into Friends, when her real-life pregnancy was written into the show as Phoebe’s surrogate storyline. Kudrow later recalled how her co-stars supported her during that time, often including her unborn son in their pre-show rituals, creating moments she still remembers fondly.
Looking back, Kudrow’s story stands out not just for its longevity, but for the steady, grounded approach she and Stern have taken. For her, finding love before fame wasn’t just fortunate timing, it may have made all the difference.
