Was Lisa Kudrow Really the ‘Sixth Friend’? Ranking the Stars of the Hit Series

Friends is the most popular ensemble comedy in TV history. The magic of all six actors working in unison and bouncing off of each other made the NBC hit series an all-time classic.

And yet, despite the importance of each Friends cast member, fans were drawn to one character over others much of the time. Phoebe Buffay actress Lisa Kudrow recently said that she felt like the most expendable star when compared to the rest of the cast.

Kudrow told People, “Nobody cared about me. There were certain parts of [my talent agency] that just referred to me as ‘the sixth Friend.’ ” 

The only way to find out if she's right is to rank the six characters in the show from biggest superstar to most supportive. These are the Friends, ranked in order of relevance!

1. Rachel Green - Jennifer Aniston

There's no way to objectively prove that Jennifer Aniston's Rachel Green was the biggest character on Friends, but it certainly felt like she was when taking the pulse of the TV populace.

Rachel's romance with Ross was the biggest relationship storyline that held the series together from start to finish. Rachel is also the title character of 27 episodes, according to one study, the most in the show.

Off the small screen, Aniston was a megawatt star unlike anyone else on Friends. Her public marriage to Brad Pitt dominated headlines in the 2000s, and her hairstyle on the show was referred to as "the Rachel".

2. Joey Tribbiani - Matt LeBlanc

Joey was the only character who finished the show without a romantic partner, but his individualism became a trademark part of his character's popularity.

Matt LeBlanc's gorgeous looks and charisma aided him in his stardom, and NBC gave Joey his own titular sitcom spinoff after Friends ended.

3. Ross Geller - David Schwimmer

Ross is a top-three star on Friends for one reason only: his series-long love story with Rachel.

Because of David Schwimmer's incredible chemistry with the show's biggest star, Aniston, Ross got some of the biggest plot lines dedicated to him. His quick wit and nerdy demeanor made him endearing to boot!

4. Chandler Bing - Matthew Perry

Matthew Perry's popularity has skyrocketed since his tragic death in 2023, but while he was on Friends, he was somewhere in the middle when it came to popularity.

Chandler's rapid-fire responses and his marriage to Monica helped ground the show during its most chaotic moments.

5. Monica Geller - Courtney Cox

Courtney Cox was an enormous star during Friends, but her popularity didn't stand the test of time like some of the others in the cast.

Monica's uptight personality meshed well with Chandler's sense of humor and her best friend, Rachel.

6. Phoebe Buffay - Lisa Kudrow

It looks like Lisa Kudrow was right. Phoebe is the least popular Friends character when stacked up against the rest of the cast.

It's not because of a lack of skill, though. Kudrow is an Emmy-winner, and Phoebe has some of the funniest moments in the series (who can forget her running from Satan?)

Phoebe's lack of romance with another main cast member and Kudrow getting outshone by her female castmates is what left her as the least popular name in the iconic series.