TV

David Schwimmer on whether Ross and Rachel were on a break: 'It's not even a question'

The actor called into The Late Show to lay down the law on the 23-year-old debate of whether the Friends characters were together or not.

By

Ruth Kinane

Published on July 21, 2020 09:54AM EDT

David Schwimmer isn't playing around when it comes to the nuances of Ross and Rachel's breakup.

During a virtual appearance on The Tonight Show, Schwimmer stopped by to discuss his new sitcom Intelligence — and also settle a 23-year-old score. When the conversation turned to Friends (on which Schwimmer played Ross Geller from 1994 to 2004), Fallon asked whether the actor believed he and Jennifer Aniston's Rachel were on a break when Ross slept with the girl from the copy place and he had a very definitive answer. "It’s not even a question," he told the late night host. "They were on a break."

Turns out Schwimmer might never have even been part of that iconic debate as he originally turned down the role on the NBC series. After having a miserable experience on his first-ever show, Schwimmer vowed to never do a sitcom again, but when creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane told him they'd written Ross with his voice in mind, he changed his mind. "It was the biggest compliment ever," said the actor.

The Friends reunion special, that was originally scheduled to air on HBO Max in May but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic, is — for now — still set to shoot in mid-August. "We're going to wait and see another week or two if we all determine it’s really safe to do," said Schwimmer. "If not, we'll wait until it’s safe."

Watch the clip above.

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