Lisa Kudrow has been a recognisable face on our television screens for years, most notably for her role as the guitar-playing eccentric Phoebe Buffay on the iconic NBC sitcom Friends.
Phoebe's witty one-liners and kooky songs made Lisa, 62, a comedy star, and over the show's ten-year run, the actress, along with the rest of the Friends cast, built up a huge fan base. But it seems no one is a bigger fan of Lisa's than her very own husband of 30 years, Michael Stern.
The adorable couple are rarely spotted out together – except for the odd red carpet event – and prefers to mostly keep away from the spotlight. However, they have shared some insight into their private life – keep reading for all the details...
What does Michael Stern do for a living?
Lisa is married to 67-year-old advertising executive Michael Stern. Born and raised in France, Michael moved to the United States in the 1980s for his career and has remained there ever since.
Lisa and husband Michael's early romance
The Friends actress has shared the occasional story from her and Michael's marriage. Lisa even revealed in a previous interview that when she first met the man who would later become her husband, he was in fact dating her roommate.
© Alex Berliner/BEI/Shutterstock"I was living with a French girl and he had just moved here and they were dating when we first met. 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,'" she said, adding: "I thought that that's not nice to flirt. But the minute I saw him I went, 'Well, that's it, there he is.'"
The couple would end up dating, and they tied the knot in 1995 and have been happily married ever since. The star told The Drew Barrymore Show: "It's not a romance, it's even more than a family member. It's the most intimate relationship you can have. It's different from kids, but by 30 years...I'm not going anywhere! No way! That's how I feel about it."
© Alex Berliner/BEI/ShutterstockThe couple are parents to a son
Die-hard Friends fans will know that Lisa Kudrow's character Phoebe was pregnant during the show when she was a surrogate for her brother, Frank Junior, played by Giovanni Ribisi. But did you know that Lisa was, in fact, pregnant in real life?
The actress and Michael found out they were expecting their son while Lisa was working on the hit show, so the creators wrote her pregnancy into the script. Lisa told PEOPLE that the cast and crew were all wonderful while she was pregnant on set: "The six of us would do a huddle backstage and just say, 'All right, have a good show, love you love you love you love you.'
© NBC"And when I was pregnant, then they would say, 'Have a great show, love you love you — love you, little Julian!' 'Cause we knew it was a boy and that was his name."
Their son Julien is now a 26-year-old USC graduate! Lisa and Michael are clearly super proud of their son. On Instagram, when Julien graduated from the University of Southern California, Lisa said: "Happy proud HAPPY. And a little crying. By me not him … @juls_magewls."
© Michael TranMichael is always cheering Lisa on
When the Friends cast got together in 2021 for the reunion special, the actors discussed whether they ever watch back episodes of the iconic show. Lisa admitted to host James Corden that she can't bring herself to watch it as she hates watching herself; however, Michael is a big fan and "loves" watching his wife play Phoebe. "He enjoys [the episodes] more than I do, because I'm mortified with myself," she said.
The secret to their marriage
In 2014, Lisa was asked for the secret to her happy relationship. Speaking to Glamour, she said: "When [Michel 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. It turns out, after you have a history, there's such a bond, and love takes another shape. But, oh, I don't want to jinx it — I'm superstitious!"
