how old was the main cast of friends when it started

The main cast of Friends were mostly in their mid-to-late 20s when the show started in 1994, with Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow being the oldest of the core group.

Ages at the start

• Jennifer Aniston: 25.

• Courteney Cox: 30.

• Lisa Kudrow: 31.

• Matt LeBlanc: 26 to 27, depending on the source’s filming/date framing.

• Matthew Perry: 25.

• David Schwimmer: 27 to 28, depending on the source’s filming/date framing.

Characters vs actors

The characters were written as younger than some of the actors playing them, especially Monica and Phoebe.

In general, the six characters were meant to feel like 20-somethings navigating early adulthood in New York.

Quick note

Different sources can vary by a year because they may be using the pilot air date, filming date, or character ages from the script.

Would you like the same answer in a simple one-line list with the characters’ ages too?