Jennifer Aniston has peeled back the curtain on the extraordinary benefits she and her Friends co-stars received during the show's record-breaking final seasons, revealing a perk package that sounds more like royalty than television actors.
In a recent interview, the acclaimed actress disclosed that NBC provided the core cast with an astonishing 30 or more gifts per episode during the sitcom's later years, as the network fought to keep the beloved series on air.
The Price of Keeping Friends Together
As Friends approached what would become its final seasons, Aniston explained that NBC executives became increasingly desperate to maintain the show's phenomenal success. "They had to keep the show going, and keep us happy," she revealed during her appearance on the Literally! podcast with Rob Lowe.
The gift-giving strategy reached such extravagant levels that the actress confessed she eventually had to request it stop. "We were so inundated with beautiful gifts," Aniston recalled, "that I finally said, 'Please, no more. There's no room left in my house!'"
From Small Screen to Big Rewards
The revelation offers a fascinating glimpse into the behind-the-scenes negotiations that kept one of television's most successful ensembles together. While the cast's $1 million per episode salary made headlines at the time, these additional perks remained largely unknown to the public.
Aniston described the gifts as arriving with remarkable frequency - essentially every day they filmed. The sheer volume suggests NBC invested tens of thousands of dollars beyond the cast's substantial salaries to maintain their satisfaction.
A Legacy That Keeps Giving
Even two decades after the series finale, Friends continues to generate significant revenue through streaming deals and syndication. The show's enduring popularity validates NBC's substantial investment in keeping the cast content during those final seasons.
Aniston's disclosure provides a rare insight into the extraordinary measures networks will take to protect their most valuable assets. For the Friends cast, this meant experiencing a level of corporate generosity that few in television history have witnessed.
