Did Jimmy Kimmel Take Jennifer Aniston By Surprise With His ‘Friends’ Reunion Sketch?

Jennifer Aniston had a mini-reunion with half of the Friends original six on Wednesday night. During a sit-down with Jimmy Kimmel, the late-night host told Aniston he’d been working on some “fan fiction” and asked her to read through some lines. Within moments, Aniston was led backstage to a replica of the Friends set and given a script.

According to some commenting on the internet, Aniston wasn’t in on the joke. Tweets and comments on the clip’s YouTube video said Aniston was clearly irritated by the stunt, which found Aniston reading a script with Kimmel — ostensibly playing Ross — and read lines that made reference to romantic plans. Aniston and Kimmel were soon joined on the faux-kitchen Friends set replica by Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow, who were then asked to participate in the mini-play.

The Wrap reports that during his show last night, Kimmel addressed the comments and said accusations that Aniston had no idea were ridiculous. The host even tipped his hat to the iconic star, saying she deserved an Emmy since she’d apparently done a fine job of acting. You can see the clip from Jimmy Kimmel Live where Kimmel addresses the controversy below:

As The Guardian recounted, the skit included such quips from Aniston as “[t]his is really dumb,” with Kimmel’s retort, “[i]s it dumber than living in a huge apartment in New York City for eight years even though you work in a coffee shop?”

Toronto Star blogger Malene Arpe said she doesn’t buy the argument that Aniston had no idea, making reference to the actress’ admission that she’d gotten up close and personal with Kimmel’s wife’s breast milk:

“I doubt the husband of someone whose breastmilk she’s tasted (Glerk! Raorkkkk! Blorp!) would stage something like that without her knowledge. Also, she gets the, clearly scripted, last word.”

Regardless of how the Kimmel skit went over, the event has renewed calls for a Friends reunion. Although that seems unlikely — Cox told David Letterman earlier this year it would never happen — Warner Bros. is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the show’s debut this fall. They are creating a functioning Central Perk coffee shop in New York that will contain many real props from the show, including the staple orange couch. Visitors can even order coffee and occasionally catch a rendition of Phoebe Buffay’s “Smelly Cat.” The shop will be located in SoHo September 17 to October 18.

As for Aniston, there’s no word from her camp as to whether she actually has a beef with Jimmy Kimmel.

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