Behind the Scenes: The Unbelievable Accident That Nearly Stopped a Classic ‘Friends’ Episode

After 30 years, it’s the rent-controlled NYC apartment that (pretty much) everyone still wants. What happens in this iconic place in Friends has given viewers their favorite moments, like the weird Christmas with the Holiday Armadillo or spying on Ugly Naked Guy out of boredom. There’s even a new game show that continues to spread the love fans have for the sitcom. But early in the show’s run, there was a freak accident during the filming of an episode where the famous group of friends procrastinated getting dressed. It was planned to be a cost-effective episode, but then everything got more complicated with a stunt that went wrong

This ‘Friends’ Season 3 Episode Had a Simple Premise

Season 3’s “The One Where No One’s Ready” brings the best out of the bottle episode format, avoiding too many sets and guest stars. The best bottle episodes focus on what viewers want: the characters. “The One Where No One’s Ready” does this with a plot that takes place in real-time in one space, the living room of Monica’s (Courteney Cox) and Rachel’s (Jennifer Aniston) apartment. Ross (David Schwimmer) is at wit’s end trying to get his friends dressed and out the door for a museum event where he will deliver a speech. It’s easier said than done.

Joey (Matt LeBlanc) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) get into a petty fight over who should be sitting in a chair, until Joey takes the cushions, leaving Chandler in shambles: “The cushions are the essence of the chair!” Monica obsesses about whether a voice message from ex-boyfriend Richard (Tom Selleck) is new or old, while Rachel doesn’t know what to wear. Then there is Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), who gets a big stain on her dress that needs to be covered up. Other than Selleck’s voice heard over the answering machine, it’s just the core ensemble playing off each other. One little stunt became no laughing matter though.

Matt LeBlanc Remembers a Painful ‘Friends’ Memory

When Matt LeBlanc was on Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2017, the host asked questions about the filming of the fountain dance opening credits of Friends. The actor couldn’t remember small details, except it was a miserable experience because of how long it took. What he did remember with good recollection was something that happened during the making of “The One Where No One’s Ready.” At the time, Friends did a Diet Coke contest during the lead-up to the Super Bowl two-part episode in Season 2, with ads in the style of a whodunit, posing the question of which of the main characters stole a soda.

A group of winners were flown in to fill the audience during “The One Where No One’s Ready.” When Joey and Chandler fight over the chair, no one is sitting in it at one point. The two friends make a mad dash to reclaim the empty seat. Joey lunges into it and is the winner. During the 2021 Friends: The Reunion, there is a large portion set around this scene. Producer Marta Kauffman said everything was going well until a fourth take was needed. LeBlanc jumped forward and landed the wrong way on impact. The main cast watches the unedited footage of the injury, making for a funny moment that shows the chemistry and comedic timing within the ensemble’s real-life friendship when Aniston is horrified at seeing what his arm looks like — until LeBlanc has to clarify it was the other arm.

On Jimmy Kimmel, LeBlanc explained he tried to catch himself, then felt immense pain in his shoulder. He dislocated it and made his way off the set, where he ran into Anthony Edwardsfrom the nearby ER set. In that long-running medical drama, Edwards played Dr. Mark Green, a dedicated if not struggling physician and the fake doctor added to LeBlanc’s confusion over the freak accident. Filming had to end as LeBlanc was sent to the hospital. Because LeBlanc would be having his arm in a sling as he recovered, there needed to be a reason for Joey to wear one.

Real Life Caused Writing Changes in ‘Friends’

The writers picked one that worked. In the cold open of the following episode, “The One with the Jam,” Joey got hurt after jumping on the bed. Chandler is the one who takes him to the hospital and has to tell the truth when Joey tries to fib: “I didn’t think the doctor was gonna buy that it just fell out of the socket.” LeBlanc wasn’t the only Friends star who required rewrites. Lisa Kudrow’s pregnancy is what led to Phoebe’s storyline in Season 4 where she decides to be the surrogate mother for her half-brother. There was a difference. Production couldn’t resume until LeBlanc returned, since it was a bottle episode that needed the six main cast members.

Delaying the episode’s filming meant the Diet Coke contest winners also had to be flown back when filming restarted at a later date. According to co-creator and producer David Crane on the reunion special, “What started out to be the simplest Friends episode, ended up taking the longest amount of time to shoot.” Also included in the special was LeBlanc revealing one important tradition the cast forgot to do when he hurt his shoulder; before filming an episode, they huddled off camera, and LeBlanc made sure they never forgot the huddle again.