Lisa Kudrow Knew Future Husband Michel Stern Was The ‘Perfect Man,' But Couldn’t Date Him

Mar 30, 2022 by apost team

Lisa Kudrow is an actress, comedian, writer and producer best known for her starring role as Phoebe Buffay on the iconic television sitcom "Friends." The show aired from 1994 to 2004 and was extremely successful and helped boost the careers of its six main stars, including Kudrow, Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry and Matt LeBlanc.

Some of Kudrow's other works include "Romy and Michele's High School Reunion," "The Opposite of Sex," "Easy A" and "Booksmart." Her work is clearly impressive as it has won her a plethora of awards and accolades and has helped her stay relevant in Hollywood for several decades.

The show was incredibly instrumental in Kudrow's long, successful career and even played a huge role in her personal life. She was pregnant with her son Julian while filming for the series, and fans loved how her pregnancy was written into the story, making it one of the more exciting moments of the show. "Friends" has continued to hold a special place in Kudrow's heart as she even reunited with her former castmates for a reunion in May 2021.

On the show, Kudrow's character had many relationships before ultimately ending up with Mike Hannigan, portrayed by Paul Rudd. In her real life, Kudrow's own marriage has an enchanting yet somewhat dramatic story. When she first met her husband Michel Stern, he knew he was perfect for her, but they had a less than perfect start to their relationship. Finally, after many years, Kudrow was happily married to the man of her dreams.

While many fans fell in love with Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay on "Friends" and enjoyed watching her fun yet sometimes emotional storyline, fans were just as excited to see that Kudrow herself has a beautiful personal life. In May 2016, the actress uploaded a photo onto her Instagram profile of her holding her son, Julian, who was wearing graduation robes. She captioned the photo, "Happy proud HAPPY. And a little crying. By me not him.."

Kudrow's pregnancy with Julian was written into "Friends" as a storyline when she acted as a surrogate mother for her brother Frank and his wife Alice during the fourth and fifth seasons. Kudrow told PEOPLE in 2018 that the cast even included Julian in their pre-show rituals while filming.

Speaking with Glamour back in 2014, Kudrow explained how important it is to keep your friends a priority, even when it comes to balancing romantic relationships and parenthood. "(Courtney, Jennifer) and I – we've known each other for over 20 years," she said. "We had lunch together every day for 10 years, and it just mostly feels like, well, that wasn't enough time at all: I want more, please." She added, "There is a bond that is there forever."

While Kudrow has a wonderful family life now, her happily ever after didn't start as perfect as people may think. The actress first met French advertising executive Michel Stern back in the 1980s when he was dating her roommate. According to Good Housekeeping, Kudrow developed a crush on Stern almost immediately, but she never acted on her feelings as she respected his relationship with her roommate.

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"I was living with a French girl and he had just moved here and they were dating when we first met," Kudrow said, as per the Daily Mail. "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 (try to start something with him).'" Kudrow continued, "I thought that that's not nice to flirt. But the minute I saw him I went, 'Well, that's it, there he is.'"

According to Good Housekeeping, Kudrow's roommate and Stern ended their relationship after two and a half months but stayed good friends. Kudrow ended up losing touch with Stern since there was no reason for him to come around anymore. However, their paths finally crossed again years later.

"Six years later I met him again at her birthday party and we just never stopped," Kudrow said. Kudrow and Stern quickly began dating and married on May 27, 1995, after the first season of "Friends" was finished.

Now, Kudrow and Stern have been married for close to 27 years and have learned a lot about making their marriage work. She told Glamour, "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."

Although Kudrow and Stern's relationship may not have started as soon as the actress had hoped, it's clear that she got her happy ending.

What do you think about Lisa Kudrow and her husband's love story? Let us know, and be sure to send this to any "Friends" fan you know!