Lisa Kudrow: A Glimpse Behind the Scenes of the Iconic Actress’s Private Life
For over three decades, Lisa Kudrow has been a familiar and beloved face on screens worldwide. First catapulted to international stardom as the quirky Phoebe Buffay and her equally eccentric twin sister Ursula on the iconic 90s sitcom Friends, Kudrow possesses one of the most recognisable voices and countenances in the entertainment industry. Despite her enduring fame, the 62-year-old actress maintains a carefully guarded private life, preferring to keep the spotlight firmly on her work once the cameras stop rolling. This article delves into what is known about Lisa Kudrow’s life away from the glare of Hollywood.
A Love Story Forged in Friendship: Lisa Kudrow and Michael Stern
The star of Romy & Michele’s High School Reunion has been married to French advertising executive Michael Stern for nearly 30 years. Their initial meeting, however, was far from a conventional meet-cute. Stern was actually dating Kudrow’s roommate when they first crossed paths.
Kudrow recounted the experience with characteristic humour, explaining in a 2005 interview: “I was living with [a] French girl, and he had just moved here, and they were dating when we first met. But I’m freakishly polite, so I saw him and went, ‘Well, he’s the perfect man, and it’s all ruined because now they’re together and I can’t [make a play for him]’. I thought that that’s not nice, to flirt. But the minute I saw him I went, ‘Well, that’s it, there he is.’”
Fate, it seems, had other plans. Six months later, Kudrow’s roommate and Michael Stern parted ways. Years later, their paths serendipitously crossed again at a birthday party. “Six years later, I met him again at her birthday party, and we just never stopped [talking],” Kudrow shared. This reunion marked the beginning of a lasting connection.
Navigating Nearly Three Decades of Marriage
The couple exchanged vows in 1995, embarking on a journey that has weathered nearly 30 years. In 2020, they celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary under unusual circumstances – during a nationwide lockdown. Kudrow shared details of this milestone during an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live: “We were all together in the desert because we have a house there. And then there was the lock-in, so we just stayed put. But that house needed work… And then what happened was, it got to be hotter, as it does in the Palm Springs area, right? So, it was too hot for me.”
Despite the less-than-ideal setting, Kudrow reflected on their enduring bond: “We are so used to not actually being able to be together on our anniversary that we were like, ‘Oh, well. Does it matter? I love you. You still love me? Yeah. Great. We’re good.’”
When asked about the secret to their long-lasting marriage in a 2014 interview with Glamour, Kudrow offered a refreshingly pragmatic perspective. “When [Michael and I] decided to get married, we understood: We’re not promising to love each other forever, because you can’t do that, but we are promising to work on whatever problems come up. We’re committed to our marriage working.” She elaborated on the evolving nature of love over time: “It turns out, after you have a history, there’s such a bond, and love takes another shape. But, oh, I don’t want to jinx it—I’m superstitious!”
A key element of their successful partnership, according to Kudrow, is mutual respect for independence. “We respect each other’s independence, and I don’t mean that as a euphemism. I don’t mean relationship-wise outside the marriage. Clear? But I don’t like to travel. So if he wants to go on a golf trip, he goes.” She believes that many couples encounter difficulties by assuming they must be in constant sync. “I think people get in trouble [when they assume they’re] supposed to be one unit, in sync about everything. [Marriage] is like being on a team. Each teammate is different, but you have the same goal.”
A Son’s Journey: Julian Murray Stern
Lisa and Michael welcomed their son, Julian Murray, in 1998. Interestingly, Kudrow was pregnant during her time on Friends, and the show’s creators ingeniously incorporated her pregnancy into the storyline, with Phoebe Buffay acting as a surrogate for her brother.
Kudrow fondly remembers the unwavering support she received from her Friends co-stars throughout her pregnancy. “The six of us would do a huddle backstage and just say, ‘All right, have a good show, love you love you love you love you,’” she told People in 2018. “And when I was pregnant, then they would say, ‘Have a great show, love you love you love you, little Julian!’ ’Cause we knew it was a boy, and that was his name.”
During a 2021 appearance on Conan, Kudrow recalled Julian’s particular fondness for Jennifer Aniston whenever he visited the set. “He’d fly into her lap,” she explained. “Well, she’s a love bug, and that made sense. And I was always glad for anyone that Julian felt love for and felt from. But then at home she’d be on TV, and he’d go, ‘Mommy!’”
Julian graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021. He has since ventured into the acting world, following in his mother’s footsteps.
He is currently appearing alongside his mother in the third season of her acclaimed comedy series, The Comeback. This marks the 26-year-old’s first significant acting role. “It was really thrilling,” Kudrow stated during a recent press conference when asked about working with her son. “It’s my baby! But he’s a grown man and beard, you know? Yeah. I was nervous for him, his first, like, table read. But he was great.” She added a poignant observation: “Also we’re on Stage 24, and I have a picture of him at two years old in the craft service kitchen washing his hands and then there he is, back and acting. Oh my God. I mean, he’s been in little, short films, but not anything like this. That was heaven.”
In a recent interview with People, the star of No Good Deed admitted to potentially causing some confusion on set one day when she affectionately snuggled into her son. “And he went, ‘Hi, Mom,’ and everyone was looking,” she explained. “It was maybe inappropriate. Just like to climb on him. I think some people didn’t know he was my son. So they were still wondering, ‘What’s happening right now?’”
Lisa, Michael, and Julian recently made a rare public appearance together at the LA premiere of season 3 of The Comeback, showcasing their close family bond.
