Lisa Kudrow’s Phoebe Buffay had some fantastic lines of dialogue in Friends cast included an array of entertaining figures, but none were as wacky as Phoebe Buffay.

Throughout all 10 seasons of Friends, Phoebe kept audiences in fits of laughter with her quirky personality and hysterically funny remarks. However, there was one particular line of dialogue that stayed with viewers long after the credits rolled, which actually came from Matthew Perry. Phoebe’s funniest line wasn’t just her best, though; it also gave us what many considered to be the show’s greatest episode altogether.

Lisa Kudrow Stole "My Eyes, My Eyes" From Matthew Perry (And He Was Cool With It)

Phoebe's Iconic Line Was Actually Inspired By Lisa Kudrow's Friends Co-Star

In a Friends reunion interview alongside Jennifer Aniston in 2020, Kudrow shared a tale about how the “My eyes!” line came about (via Monica and Chandler’s relationship in Friends, Phoebe offers a hilarious response after spotting her two best friends together. The actress took inspiration from her co-star Matthew Perry, who played Chandler Bing, specifically the emphasis he would put on certain words and phrases while in character.

Kudrow tried it out during rehearsal, and it worked brilliantly. But she also explained that she “Asked [Perry’s] permission before [they] shot [the episode].” Kudrow was initially unsure how Perry would react to the impression, but thankfully, the actor was all for it and gave his approval. Aniston also added in this interview that she felt “[Perry] required [them] to ask permission when [they] borrowed Chandler’s cadence,” so it was a relief that he was on board with Kudrow’s idea. And fortunately, it resulted in one of Phoebe Buffay’s best quotes in Friends.

Phoebe's "My Eyes" Became The Most Iconic Moment From Friends' Funniest Episode

"The One Where Everybody Finds Out" Is A Classic & Hilarious Episode

The best episodes of Friends stuck in audiences' memories for several reasons, but many of them were notable because of certain lines of dialogue. "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" was undoubtedly the greatest episode of Friends, and Kudrow was responsible for the most iconic moment of the entire thing. It was absolutely hilarious to witness Phoebe's intense reaction to seeing Monica and Chandler canoodling across the street, especially as the only things she was able to bring herself to shout were their names and “My eyes!”

"The One Where Everybody Finds Out" is the highest-rated episode of Friends on IMDb, with a rating of 9.7/10.

Phoebe squeezed her eyes closed so tightly when she turned around, it almost seemed like her vision had actually been impaired in some way. Everyone who learned about Monica and Chandler in this episode offered a brilliant response, but Phoebe’s was the best. Ross’ reaction was a little over-the-top, although his troubles at work contributed to this. "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" was such a lore-heavy story that it’s odd it is Friends’ highest-rated episode, especially as fan-favorite sitcom episodes tend to be standalone installments. It clearly struck a chord with audiences.

The Origin Of "My Eyes" Makes "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" Even More Special

Kudrow & Perry's Friendship Made This Episode Of Friends Even Better

In an AMA from 2014, Friends’ Lisa Kudrow recounted that Matthew Perry was the funniest actor she’d ever worked with off-set (via Reddit). Her remarks about the actor were very sweet, and it made her taking inspiration from him in "The One Where Everybody Finds Out" even more wholesome and special. The world has continued to mourn Matthew Perry since his death in 2023, and Kudrow’s comments to Variety about the “My eyes!” line proved just how strong their relationship was both on-set and when the cameras stopped rolling.

It was heartwarming to learn that Kudrow was so invested in her performance as Phoebe Buffay.

Friends will always be a crowning jewel in the respective careers of the cast , and it was heartwarming to learn that Kudrow was so invested in her performance as Phoebe Buffay that she was comfortable enough to borrow her co-star’s mannerisms, all in the name of comedy. It would’ve been hilarious for Kudrow to do this in any scene, but she picked the time to do it perfectly. The line was a great way of honoring both Perry and Chandler in an episode of Friends that saw the character at the forefront of the story.

Source: Variety, Reddit