January 2nd 2025.
During the iconic run of the hit series Friends, there was a moment that left the cast and crew shaken. David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller, recently reflected on the "genuinely frightening" incident where his co-star Matt LeBlanc, who portrayed Joey Tribbiani, had to be rushed to the hospital while filming.
The beloved sitcom aired for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004, catapulting its stars - including Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and Courteney Cox - into superstardom. But behind the laughter and on-screen chemistry, there were moments of real fear and concern for the safety of their friends and colleagues.
In a new interview, 58-year-old Schwimmer shared that his return to the small screen in the second season of Hulu's Goosebumps is nothing compared to the terrifying moments he experienced on the set of Friends. He recalled a specific incident during the live taping of a beloved season three episode, The One Where No One's Ready.
"During the live taping of the show, [Matt] is supposed to do a kind of a pratfall, and he actually dislocated his shoulder," Schwimmer revealed. "He went totally white, and he stood up, and I could see his shoulder was out. He looked like he was going to pass out."
The actor, who played Ross on the show, vividly remembered immediately turning to the camera and calling for a cut. "That was genuinely frightening. You could see how badly hurt he was," he added. "And we had to stop filming that night, obviously, and he went to the hospital."
The episode aired in September 1996 and saw Ross rushing the gang to get ready for an important event at the museum. However, each of them had their own individual issues to work through, leading to hilarious chaos. Matt's character Joey spent much of the episode battling with Chandler over who could sit in Monica's chair, resulting in the iconic moment where he wore all of his friend's clothes out of spite.
But things took a dramatic turn when, in a crucial moment, LeBlanc fell while trying to get into the chair and ended up dislocating his shoulder in front of the live audience. The filming had to be halted, and the actor was left with no choice but to wear a sling while his arm healed.
To everyone's surprise, the injury was written into the show, most notably in the next episode, The One With The Jam. In a 2017 interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live, LeBlanc shared the painful details of the incident, saying, "It was the second scene, Chandler and I are fighting over the big down chair. I'm downstage at the table, and he comes in the door - we both look at each other, look at the chair, and neither one of us is sitting in it, so we both race to the chair."
He went on to explain how he ended up completely upside down and "exploded" his shoulder while trying to break his fall. The audience thought it was part of the show and laughed, but the pain was real. The situation became even more comical when LeBlanc went backstage to check his arm, and Anthony Edwards from ER - a real-life doctor - happened to be there.
"I'm like, 'Wow, did I hit my head, too? Because I know you're not a real doctor!'" LeBlanc joked. The fire department was called, and they had to shut down the show. The actor continued to film a few episodes in a sling, and the injury was written into the storyline as Joey jumping on a bed.
The series, which ran for 10 years, holds a special place in the hearts of fans worldwide. But behind the scenes, there were moments of real drama and danger. This incident serves as a reminder that even the most iconic and beloved shows have their share of frightening moments.
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