Friends ended in May 2004. More than 20 years later, a single episode still plays somewhere on Earth at essentially every moment of the day - and the six people who made it happen are each still collecting a check that most people will never see in a lifetime.

The Deal That Keeps Paying

When the show was still on air, the six main cast members - Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer - negotiated something almost unheard of at the time: backend points in syndication revenue. Each secured a 2% stake in whatever Warner Bros. earned from selling the show to broadcasters and streaming platforms worldwide.

At the time, that kind of deal was typically reserved for creators and showrunners. Actors getting a slice of syndication profits was almost unthinkable. The cast got it anyway.

What That Looks Like Now

Friends generates roughly $1 billion a year for Warner Bros. through a combination of domestic syndication, international broadcast rights, and streaming deals. Two percent of that - per person - works out to around $20 million a year each. In an April 2026 interview with The Times of London, Lisa Kudrow confirmed the figure, joking that it was probably because "Phoebe Buffay was so great."

The payments continue indefinitely. There is no sunset clause. As long as networks keep buying the rights to air Friends - and they have been doing so continuously for over 20 years - the checks keep arriving.

The Guest Star Getting $2,000

The residuals waterfall reaches further down than most people realize. Vincent Ventresca played the recurring character "Fun Bobby" - Monica's boyfriend who turned out to be a functioning alcoholic - in just two episodes. He later told The Guardian that he still receives residual checks from the show.

"Every time I get a cheque I think to myself: 'Wow, they must be really rich,'" Ventresca said. "I get about $2,000 a year in residuals, and I only did two episodes."

For two episodes of a supporting role filmed more than 30 years ago, the money never stops coming.

Why the Numbers Stay So High

Friends is one of the most-licensed television properties in history. TBS, Nick at Nite, and local affiliates have aired it domestically for decades. Netflix paid $100 million for a single year of streaming rights in 2019 before the show moved to HBO Max. The show consistently ranks as one of the most-watched streaming titles on any platform that carries it.

The six cast members negotiated their backend deal around 2000, midway through the show's run. At the time, nobody knew quite how large the syndication market would become. It turned out to be worth more than anyone had imagined - and it shows no signs of stopping.

Related Tags