Everyone knows that Friends is a pop culture juggernaut, but part of what made it legendary was how casually it pulled A-list celebrities into its chaotic little coffee-fueled universe. We're talking about moments that had zero business going as hard as they did. From Julia Roberts plotting locker room revenge to Bruce Willis sobbing in a mirror about emotional vulnerability.
These cameos weren't just fun guest spots. Every single one of them was a full-on sitcom event. Whether you're a diehard fan or a total newbie, this list will make you search for all 10 seasons of Friends on your favorite streaming platform for the first time or dive back in just for the ridiculous, beautiful chaos.
Julia Roberts
The ultimate revenge plot in Friends history happened when Pretty Woman star Julia Roberts strutted into Season 2's "The One After the Superbowl: Part 2" as Susie Moss. Appearing sweet at first, this woman comes in with a plan to humiliate Chandler for pantsing her in elementary school. After pretending to be romantically interested, Susie traps Chandler in a bathroom, steals his clothes, and leaves him yelling from a public restroom. Watching Roberts flip from flirtatious to full-blown payback mode is comedy gold. What's more is that the A-List actress walked onto the world's biggest sitcom and just owned the entire episode.
Brooke Shields
Joey gets himself a stalker in "The One After the Superbowl: Part 1." But this was not just any stalker; it was Brooke Shields, of Suddenly Susan fame, playing Erika Ford, a woman so deep in denial that she thought Dr. Drake Ramoray was an actual human being. Shields leans into the crazy with zero shame. She kisses Joey, uses a weird baby talk, and somehow still manages to make it epic. This whole storyline is bonkers. Erika is out of her mind, but it works because Brooke Shields sells every delusional line with total commitment. Watching the rest of the gang try to help Joey escape her orbit is just the cherry on top.
Jennifer Coolidge
The White Lotus actor, Jennifer Coolidge stormed into Season 10's "The One with Ross's Tan" as Amanda Buffamonteezi, a frenemy of Monica and Phoebe who returns from England flaunting a dubious British accent and an ego that could eclipse Central Perk. Her self-absorbed anecdotes, including outlandish claims, leave Monica and Phoebe scrambling for an escape plan. In a classic Friends twist, Amanda accidentally shares Phoebe's past attempt to "phase out" Monica. Coolidge's performance turns Amanda into the epitome of that one friend everyone desperately tries to avoid.
Ben Stiller
Ben Stiller, who starred in Along Came Polly with Jennifer Aniston, brought a special sort of chaos to Season 3 in an episode called "The One with the Screamer." His character, Tommy, comes in looking like your average confident date and then transforms into a yeller. Stiller is so perfectly deranged that you're left wondering how no one except Ross sees it. And, of course, because it's Ross, no one believes him, which only makes the whole situation funnier. Stiller's entire cameo is peak '90s sitcom hilarity, which means loud, over-the-top, and absolutely unhinged.
Alec Baldwin
If you've ever met someone who's too positive, like the kind of person who claps at sunsets and cries at brunch menus, then congratulations, you've basically met Parker, Alec Baldwin's character in Season 8. This man doesn't walk into a room, he soars in on a wave of compliments and excessive joy. And Phoebe is just the right amount of weird to love it at first. The rest of the gang? Not so much. Baldwin, who starred in the sitcom 30 Rock, plays Parker with this big, manic grin that makes you laugh and want to slowly back away. His hyper-energy is both hilarious and borderline terrifying, which reminds us that even optimism has a breaking point.
Brad Pitt
The Friends Thanksgiving episode called "The One with the Rumor" featured Ocean’s Eleven films, is not there to look cool. He's there to be mad, eat turkey, and dunk on Rachel.
Reese Witherspoon
Legally Blonde character. Jill shows up in Season 6 with big "my dad pays my rent" energy and immediately causes chaos. Jill is bratty, clueless, and kind of amazing to watch, mostly because Reese knows exactly what she's doing. She flirts with Ross just to prove a point, shops like the world's ending, and turns every scene into a showcase for how much of a problem a Gucci bag can really be, while poor Rachel is stuck trying to manage the mess. The twist is that Jill's not evil. She's just allergic to responsibility.
Christina Applegate
Christina Applegate, known for her work in Married… with Children, shows up as Rachel's other sister, Amy Green, and immediately sets the tone by not knowing her niece's name. She's also loud, selfish, and aggressively uninformed. Applegate plays her like she's in a one-woman roast of the entire cast. It's brilliant. Whether she's casually insulting Monica's haircut or suggesting she and Rachel "take" the baby, Amy is the human equivalent of a car alarm at 3 a.m., disruptive, shrill, but also kind of impressive in her commitment. She's so outrageous it circles back to hilarious. Amy Green might be a walking red flag, but in the world of Friends, she's comedy royalty.
Bruce Willis
Bruce Willis, who starred with Matthew Perry in The Whole Nine Yards, brilliantly appeared in three episodes of Friends as the emotionally stunted Paul Stevens, who also happened to have major alpha-dad energy. Paul, the father of Ross' girlfriend Elizabeth, starts off all tough and intimidating, but the real fun starts when he gets cozy with Rachel. Willis plays Paul like a walking pressure cooker. Initially, he's all swagger and stern glares, but after a few deep conversations with Rachel, the character becomes a tear-filled mess with mild self-confidence problems. Watching him shift from grumpy dad to emotional wreck is one of the most unexpectedly funny arcs in the show.
Tom Selleck
Blue Bloods star Tom Selleck, had a tenure in Friends as Dr. Richard Burke, had main character energy the moment he walked through the doors of Central Perk. Monica's much older eye doctor boyfriend wasn't just cool. He was the kind of guy who could perform surgery and then grill the perfect steak. His relationship with Monica was believable enough to make the age difference feel awkward and not matter at the same time. Richard left such a mark on the show that he feels like more than a guest star.
Where To Watch Friends Online So That You Can Revisit These Guest Spots
Friends didn't just rely on big names for viewership numbers. These stars leaned into their roles, committed to the chaos, and gave us moments that hold up decades later. From petty high school feuds to awkward nanny interviews, each cameo brought something fresh to the sitcom. All 10 seasons of Friends are available to stream on platforms like Netflix, and more.
