The rumored Friends role Ellen DeGeneres turned down

NBC’s Friends went off the air in 2004, but that hasn’t stopped people from watching and rewatching the beloved sitcom. It’s hard to imagine the show without the original six cast members in their iconic roles, but apparently there was almost another well-known face filling a seat at Central Perk: Ellen DeGeneres.

As reported by AOL, television host Ellen DeGeneres was offered the role of Phoebe, but she turned it down. Thank goodness, too, because Lisa Kudrow was the perfect actress to play Phoebe.

I can’t imagine anyone else singing Smelly Cat or aggressively hating Pottery Barn quite like Kudrow. Anyone who is a fan of Friends knows that after watching the actress’ performance, the word “phalange” takes on a whole new meaning.

While DeGeneres herself has never confirmed this report, she also has never denied it!

The AOL article also provides some other behind-the-scenes casting details about how the cast of Friends came to be. Apparently, Kudrow beat out both Kathy Griffin and Jane Lynch for the role of Phoebe!

Additionally, Iron Man director Jon Favreau was offered the role of Chandler. Even though he turned it down, he later had a recurring role on the show as Monica’s uber-wealthy boyfriend, Pete.

Ellen DeGeneres’ career would most likely look a lot different today had she taken the role of Phoebe Buffay on Friends. She might not have her talk show, and even if she did, it would probably be very different.

Who knows, Friends might have not lasted as long as it did with a different cast. Thankfully, everything worked out the way it was supposed to, and the series has since become a classic.