‘Friends’ star Lisa Kudrow reveals why she was sacked from hit sitcom ‘Frasier’

Lisa Kudrow has opened up about being sacked from a hit 90s sitcom, before it ultimately led to her getting a lead role on Friends.

Lisa Kudrow may be one of the most beloved sitcom stars of all time, but it wasn’t always that way.

The US actress, 61, revealed on this week’s episode of the Smartless podcast, hosted by Sean Hayes, Jason Bateman, and Will Arnett, that she was fired from the hit 90s sitcom Frasier — an event that ultimately put her on the path to becoming Phoebe Buffay.

In the pilot of the 11-season-long show, Kudrow was booked to play Roz Doyle, a role that was ultimately taken over by fellow US actress Peri Gilpin for the rest of the show’s run.

Kudrow called getting fired from Frasier “devastating,” recalling director James Burrows telling her, “this isn’t working,” while attempting to film the pilot.

While the star was understandably upset about losing out on the role, she conceded Gilpin was always the one who was meant to take it on.

“I think they did make a casting mistake because I went to the network with Peri Gilpin,” Kudrow said on the podcast. “I think they were just correcting a mistake. ‘Cause Peri should have always been Roz.”

Lisa Kudrow booked a lead role in Frasier, before being sacked after the pilot was filmed. Picture: Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images

Peri Gilpin went on to play Roz Doyle in Frasier.

Following the loss of her role on Frasier, Kudrow booked a guest star role on the 1992 sitcom Mad About You.

The character was nameless, written only as “Waitress” in the script.

Kudrow said that despite her agents telling her not to take the background role, she knew she had to do it, telling them that she was “not in a position to say no.”

Thankfully she did, because the actress made a lasting impression on creator Danny Jacobson, who asked her to stay on for five additional episodes after her first appearance.

“I just went, ‘Yes!’ There’s my rent for the year. I don’t have to get another job,” Kudrow told Hayes.

Producer of Mad About You Jeffrey Klarik also took a liking to Kudrow, telling his husband, Friends producer David Crane, that the actress should be cast as Phoebe.

Obviously, Crane agreed to let Kudrow audition, and the rest quickly became history.

The cast of Friends at the 2002 Emmys. Picture: Lee Celano/AFP

Kudrow bounced back scoring a lead in Friends, alongside Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox and Jennifer Aniston.

Friends premiered in 1994, almost exactly one year after the initial premiere of Frasier.

Kudrow went on to win an Emmy for her performance, the first out of the Friends cast.

Her character has long been a firm fan-favourite among viewers for her quirky and fearless personality.

This story originally appeared on Decider and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as ‘Friends’ star Lisa Kudrow reveals why she was sacked from hit sitcom ‘Frasier’