Aniston and Schwimmer starred in the sitcom as Rachel Green and Ross Geller for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004.
Now the actress has made an intriguing revelation that concerns her former co-star.
Aniston candidly delved into the dynamics of their on-screen romance during an episode of Live with Kelly and Mark.
Her onscreen on-off relationship with Schwimmer captivated viewers and curiosity lingered: Did the palpable chemistry between the two extend beyond the confines of the TV screen?
The answer, it seems, has finally emerged.
This isn’t the first time the pair have touched upon their off-screen relationship.
During the Friends: The Reunion documentary, Schwimmer candidly confessed to nurturing a ‘major crush’ on Aniston during the show’s inaugural season, a sentiment that the actress corroborated.
“At some point, we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship, and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that,” Schwimmer revealed.
He added that they’d often ‘cuddle on the couch’ during rehearsal breaks.
Schwimmer continued: “We would spoon and fall asleep on the couch and I kept thinking, ‘How did not everyone know we were crushing on each other?’ It was a situation that we couldn’t do anything about it.”
During an interview with Howard Stern, Aniston would say: “He was lovely, David was great. But no, we never, on my life [got together]… We were in relationships, and it was always never the right time, and it wouldn’t have worked.”
But now, it looks as though Aniston has finally addressed one rumor…
In a viral clip that has set social media ablaze, host Kelly Ripa broached the topic and said: “In the early years, you [and Schwimmer] had a crush on each other.”
Aniston swiftly validated the speculation, declaring: “Yes we did.”
As the conversation unfolded, Aniston elaborated, emphasizing the distinction between their real-life sentiments and the fictional narrative they portrayed.
“We just let it play out on TV,” she said, alluding to how they navigated their character’s relationship.
The disclosure gathered momentum as Ryan Seacrest, who has temporarily taken over as co-host from Mark Consuelos, sought further insight.
Seizing the opportunity, Seacrest probed: “So, was your first kiss a TV kiss?”
Aniston replied: “Yes.”
The conversation took an amusing turn as Ripa inquired whether the experience was peculiar.
Aniston commented: “Well, no, it was quite enjoyable, actually,” adding: “Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop, so we just channeled all of our love and adoration for each other into Ross and Rachel.”