‘Friends’: 5 guest appearances that will always be remembered

The mega-hit American sitcom Friends ran for 10 seasons (1994-2004) with record-breaking success. Regarded as one of the best shows in TV history, Friends revolved around a close-knit group of six individuals who navigated everyday life with hilarity and amusement.

While the actors who played the protagonists on the show went on to become icons, the show also featured guest appearances by some of the biggest names in Hollywood. Take a look at some of the most memorable guest appearances on Friends.

Here are the 5 most memorable guest appearances on Friends.

1) Brad Pitt as Will Colbert

Brad Pitt played the role of Will Colbert, Monica's high school friend, on season 8, episode 9 of Friends, titled "The One With the Rumor". The annual Thanksgiving-themed episode of the series was made more special by Brad Pitt, then married to Jennifer Aniston, appearing as a guest star.

Will Colbert was in high school with Ross and was also Monica's friend. Due to his hatred for Rachel, he had started an "I hate Rachel Green" club along with Ross and spread a humiliating rumor that Rachel was a hermaphrodite.

The episode is hilarious due to Rachel being attracted to Will but is unable to recognize him. As a result, she doesn't understand the hostility coming from Will. Meanwhile, Ross's awkwardness was palpable as old, high school graves were being dug up and he was yet to tell Will that he was expecting a child with Rachel.

2) Julia Roberts as Susie Moss

In the second part of the Friends episode titled "The One After the Superbowl" (season 2, episode 13), Julia Roberts guest-starred as Susie Moss. Interestingly, the actress was in a relationship with Matthew Perry during her appearance on the show.

When Ross learned about his former pet monkey Marcel starring in a movie, he visited the set along with the rest of the gang. While on set, Chandler met Susie Moss, a girl he went to school with.

The two had an unpleasant history wherein Chandler had pulled up her skirt to reveal her undergarment to the entire school. Susie saw this as the perfect opportunity to seek revenge. She wooed Chandler to follow her into a bathroom stall inside a restaurant on the pretext of getting intimate. She then left him there wearing nothing but her underwear and ran away with all his clothes.

3) Bruce Willis as Paul Stevens

During the sixth season of Friends, Bruce Willis portrayed Paul Stevens, the over-protective father of Ross's college-age girlfriend Elizabeth. It is little known, however, that Willis' appearance on the show was a result of a bet with Matthew Perry. Well, good thing he took the bet and lost it!

The dynamic between Paul and Ross was one to remember as it constituted some of the funniest scenes. Paul's hypocrisy regarding Ross's relationship with his daughter became apparent when he started dating Rachel, who was much younger to him.

4) Ben Stiller as Tommy

Still from Friends (Image via Youtube/ TBS)

In the twenty-second episode of the third season of Friends titled "The One With the Screamer", Ben Stiller guest-starred as Tommy. He was introduced as Rachel's date to a movie premiere. While at the outset, Tommy appeared like a perfectly normal guy, he turned out to be an aggressive, intimidating bully. He screamed at people for the smallest of things and then calmed down immediately as if nothing had happened.

5) Danny DeVito as a stripper

Hands down, Danny DeVito's cameo in the tenth season of Friends is one of the best celebrity appearances ever. In the episode titled "The One Where the Stripper Cries," DeVito played a stripper hired at the last minute by Monica and Rachel for Phoebe's bachelorette party. However, due to his age and unconventional physique as a stripper, he couldn't amuse the women and started crying when Phoebe cringed at his performance.

Edited by Prem Deshpande