The Friends Reunion: Get the highlights and the best reactions here

28 May 2021, 12:31 | Updated: 28 May 2021, 12:45

The long-awaited Friends reunion premiered this week, but did it live up to the hype? Get the best moments and reactions from the show here.

Friends: The Reunion officially premiered this Thursday (27 May), giving fans the chance to see David Schwimmer (Ross Geller), Jennifer Aniston (Rachel Green), Courteney Cox (Monica Geller), Matthew Perry (Chandler Bing), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe Buffay) and Matt LeBlanc (Joey Tribbiani) look back at their time on the iconic sitcom.

The unscripted one-off show captured the cast as they returned to their old set, saw them interviewed by James Corden and joined by a host of special guests such as Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber, but did it live up to the hype?

Get our rundown of the biggest moments from the reunion and how the fans reacted to it.

READ MORE: The highest-rated Friends episodes have been revealed

1. The cast returned to the set

   

   The backstage footage of the cast walking around their old workplace and catching up was one of the most natural moments of the show and was no doubt a treat for die-hard Friends fans.

   Okay so Friends: The Reunion was really well done. The first 5 minutes when the cast arrived and all scenes where they sat around the set reminiscing, that is the stuff I love and want to see.

   — Ryan Pastorino (@RyanPastorino) May 28, 2021

   i have never felt that feeling in my heart when courteney walked in to the set on the friends reunion before

   — char (@kats_zamo) May 28, 2021

   However, not everyone was happy with the show being unscripted. Did they manage to somehow miss the trailer?

   The #FriendsReunion was kind of a bummer. I'm not a complainer, but I'm doing it. We were craving an episode of literally anything besides the cast walking onto the set and saying "wow🤭" for an hour. pic.twitter.com/iUhmSnENUe

   — Eliz. C (@i_is_eliz) May 28, 2021

2. David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston revealed a real-life crush on each other

   

   David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston admitted they had strong crushes on each other at the start of the show, which they never acted on.

   "The first season, I had a major crush on Jen," Schwimmer said. "And I think at some point we were both crushing hard on each other."

   Naturally, this led to some fans completely crushing out on them.

   One wrote: "Stop it my whole heart".

   Stop it my whole heart 🥲💕

   — mamacita 🦋 (@lovedestie) May 27, 2021

   Another remarked: "That was an epic kiss! No wonder".

   That was an epic kiss 💋! No wonder 😏💕💋😍 #FriendsTheReunion

   — wiselatina_6 (@bello_ricky) May 28, 2021

3. Lady Gaga sang Smelly Cat with Lisa Kudrow

   I’m sorry but Lady Gaga can make Smelly Cat absolutely slap pic.twitter.com/V9DgdcJbso

   — Liv Marks (@OliviaLilyMarks) May 27, 2021

   Many remarked that Lady Gaga looked more like Phoebe than Lisa Kudrow, some hated the rendition, while others realised it was a nod to the episode where the song gets an upgrade.

   Kat wrote:"I HATED this!!! Loved when Lisa said “she prefers to sing it by herself”... there was absolutely no reason for Gaga to be there.... so annoyed".

   I HATED this!!! Loved when Lisa said “she prefers to sing it by herself”... there was absolutely no reason for Gaga to be there.... so annoyed

   — Kat Xenos (@katxenos) May 27, 2021

   Another fan thought it was "amazing".

   This was amazing. And Gaga looks SO good, Lisa looks amazing too! 💙💜

   — mðrï ✷ (@stonedtwitgnome) May 27, 2021

   And The Lady bird reminded us of that video:

   This sounds like that video song of Smelly Cat Phoebe made, I like the original one better! pic.twitter.com/AtXSpKsKiD

   — TheLadyBird (@TheLadyBird7) May 28, 2021

4. The cast recreated THAT quiz

   

   In honour of the epic episodes where Monica and Rachel lose their apartment to Chandler and Joey, the cast recreated that quiz, with David Schwimmer reprising his role as the gameshow host.

   This fan loved it so much, he played along at home.

   So far i am 💯 percent on this Friends reunion quiz

   — Ayush Bikram Khadka (@khadkaay) May 28, 2021

   And another wanted it to be even more faithful to the scene.

   They did the quiz scene😀 it was so good. I wish Ross threw the coin at the table. Then eveyone looks at the coin and then at Ross. 😆#FriendsReunion

   — ✨ (@confusedgrougu) May 28, 2021

5. The cast took part in an EPIC table read

   I loved this scene so much in the show and this table read made me love it even more. #FriendsReunion pic.twitter.com/nGEUfqQLtu

   — Ted Lasso (@Oluminator) May 27, 2021

   One of the more magical moments of the show was when the cast recreated some of the most pivotal scenes in the history of the series, including The One Where Everybody Finds Out, which sees Chandler and Monica's relationship finally revealed to Phoebe.

   All together now: "MY EYES! MY EYES!"

   if anyone knows me, y’all know i died today during the friends reunion because they did a table read of my FAVORITE scene 😭

   — 🤩 (@alekahakela) May 28, 2021

   there’s something so hilariously satisfying watching lisa kudrow, jennifer aniston, and david schwimmer do the table read for the one where everybody finds out during the friends reunion 😂😭
   
   truly one of the best episodes of friends 💯

   — David Martin (@dshiz221) May 28, 2021

   Best part is a table read, I loved it. They ace it even after ages. #FriendsReunion

   — arun (@arianoarun) May 27, 2021

6. The cast took part in a James Corden interview

   

   Now this admittedly was one of the most divisive parts of the reunion show, with many questioning why it had to feature the Late Late Show Host.

   Out of ALL the people that could have been chosen to host the Friends reunion, they chose James Corden... could there BE any other person with least relevance to the show PLEASE 💀 pic.twitter.com/VKZmHqZ2dw

   — !Megan! (she/her) (@morethanpilots) May 27, 2021

   #FriendsReunion #JamesCorden
   
   My favourite Friends episode..
   
   "The one without James Corden" pic.twitter.com/nnbbTmBAmq

   — Immoral JellyFish (@ImmoralJellyFi1) May 27, 2021

7. The fashion show with Cara Delevingne, Justin Bieber, Cindy Crawford and Matt Le Blanc

   The laughs no doubt came again when we got to see some of the show's most famous costumes, including Rachel's bridesmaid's dress, which was worn by Cara Delevingne and Ross' Sputnik outfit, worn by none other than Justin Bieber.

   Oh, and Matt was the best one in the fashion show by far. Sorry not sorry, Cara 🤷‍♀️ #FriendsReunion pic.twitter.com/0XeTtz9h1o

   — Megan Hinsley ~ 54 Days! 🍀🎸🏴‍☠️✨ (@meganhinsley) May 28, 2021

   However, the best moment of the catwalk came from Matt Le Blanc bringing back the moment where he put on all of Chandler's clothes and lunged while going "commando".

   All together now: "Could I BE wearing any more clothes?!"

READ MORE: How to watch the Friends: The Reunion in the UK