The popular sitcom Friends aired for around a decade on NBC on Thursday Nights. While Lisa Kudrow’s real-life pregnancy led the makers to show her pregnant also on screen, Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel Green’s pregnancy was handled differently.

The incredibly hit sitcom Friends was aired from 1994 to 2004 and is now being streamed on different platforms. The main cast of the show comprised six young New Yorkers who were in their mid-twenties. 

All six characters faced relationship, as well as, career challenges while they progressed into their thirties. Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) and Monica Geller (Courteney Cox) lived in one of the apartments. On the other hand, Chandler Bing (Matthew Perry) and Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) stayed in the second apartment together.

Rachel and Ross Geller (David Schwimmer), who was also Monica’s brother, had an on-again, off-again relationship in the series and was the show’s central focus all through the years. 

Lisa Kudrow portrayed the role of their sixth friend called Phoebe Buffay. Kudrow was expecting a baby in real life in 1997 and so the series showed her character pregnant in season 4 and season 5. 

Rather than showing her character in a relationship, Phoebe became the surrogate mom for her half-brother and his wife. She eventually delivered triplets for them on the show. 

However, Kudrow had to wear padding on the show despite being pregnant, Scoop Whoop reports. This was done as she was supposed to have triplets while she was expecting a single baby in real life. 

It was tough for Kudrow’s character to give up the triplets and simply become their aunt. However, making her a surrogate mom also signified that the scriptwriters did not have to add any baby in their cast. 

It was in the sitcom’s 100th episode that the much-anticipated triplets were born to Phoebe. The episode was aired on Oct. 8, 1998. It was episode 3 of season 5.

It is interesting to note that Lisa Kudrow’s son was born before her on-screen triplets were born. The actress delivered in real life between season 4 and season 5. 

Also, the time of her actual pregnancy gave her the benefit to join her remaining castmates in the United Kingdom so that they could shoot for Ross’s wedding when season 4 was about the end. 

The makers of Friends handled other pregnancies differently. While Rachel Green’s (Jennifer Aniston) pregnancy was shown with padding as Jen was not expecting a baby, Courteney Cox’s pregnancy was concealed since Chandler and Monica had infertility problems, Showbiz Cheat Sheet reports.