FRIENDS’ 25th Anniversary: Remember When Robin Williams and Billy Crystal Cameoed?

[On Thursday, September 22, 1994, NBC debuted the pilot of FRIENDS. The sitcom, about a group of six 20-something friends, went on to become a pop culture touchstone. In honor of the milestone, we’re doing 25 Days of FRIENDS, looking back at the show in big and small ways.]

FRIENDS had no shortage of guest stars over the years, in sizable roles and brief spots, but one of the most bizarre instances was Billy Crystal and Robin Williams briefly showing up in the season 3 episode, “The One with the Ultimate Fighting Champion.”

In the cold open, the gang is at Central Perk, with Chandler making jokes—and Monica trying to tell them she wasn’t actually engaged, but instead her boyfriend was about to undertake a new career—when Williams and Crystal’s characters descend, requesting space on the couch and bringing with them a whole lot of drama.

As random as it seems, it makes sense: Crystal and Williams, were not only real-life friends with great chemistry, but they also had a Warner Bros-produced film (FATHER’S DAY) coming out the day after the episode originally aired. This allowed them to be out there (Williams’ character shared he was worried his wife was having an affair; Crystal’s admitted it was with him), but also very contained as they exited as quickly as they entered.

It was also a fun excuse for the regular characters to get drawn into the “WTF just happened?!” moment. The conversation and confrontation was so big, of course they couldn’t focus on what Monica was saying, and eventually Monica stopped trying to pretend they all shouldn’t be listening to what was going on next to them.

I’m sure some people find the scene cheesy, but it makes me laugh every time…

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• FRIENDS’ 25th Anniversary: A Closer Look at ‘The One Where Ross Finds Out’
• FRIENDS’ 25th Anniversary: Please Stop Asking for a Reunion
• FRIENDS’ 25th Anniversary: TOW They Appeared on Each Other’s Shows
• FRIENDS’ 25th Anniversary: How Did Monica Afford Her Apartment?
• A FRIENDS Mini-Marathon is Hitting Theaters This Fall
• Warner Bros. Stages FRIENDS Pop-Up for 25th Anniversary
• FRIENDS, Rita Moreno Honored by the TCA Awards
• Which Current TV Stars Appeared on FRIENDS?

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