Friends: Did Matthew Perry reject Chandler's cheating plot? Here's what we know

Friends is among the cult classic American sitcoms that premiered in 1994. The show followed a group of friends who lived in Manhattan and depicted the entangled, humorous lives of these individuals as they navigate adulthood together. Over the years, these characters have become fan-favorites, especially the character played by the late Matthew Perry, Chandler Bing. His sarcastic flair and witty dialogue are still part of the pop culture and are used all over the internet.

Another reason was his beautiful relationship with Monica (Courteney Cox), Ross’ sister. In juxtaposition to Ross and Rachel's troubled relationship, the audience adored Chandler and Monica’s hopeful and loyal dynamic. However, that relationship was also supposed to go through a cheating plot, but was not included due to Matthew Perry’s intervention.

In an exclusive 2023 interview with TMZ, actress Lisa Cash, who appeared in Season 5, Episode 23, shared that the episode was supposed to be the one in which Chandler cheats on Monica. However, the storyline was cut just before the day of performing in front of a live audience because Perry was talking to the writers and advised cutting it out. She said:

"The day before we were shooting in front of a live audience, I was told that Perry went to the writers and said the audience would never forgive [Chandler] for cheating on Monica."

More on this in our story.

Friends: Actress Lisa Cash’s comments on Matthew Perry rejecting Chandler’s Cheating Plot

In the finale episode of Season 4, the friends travelled to London for Ross’ wedding ceremony. While Ross and Emily’s wedding ended with a cliffhanger that was solved in Season 5, we got another couple who ended up together and became one of the show's best couples. Chandler and Monica became a couple at the end of Season 4, and initially, kept their relationship a secret from everyone except Joey (Matt LeBlanc).

However, as per Lisa Cash, their relationship was supposed to undergo trouble in Season 5. In the episode titled, The One in Vegas Part 1, Monica goes out to have lunch with her ex, Richard. When Chandler finds out about it, he gets angry. Cash told TMZ that after having a fight with Monica about it, Chandler was supposed to return to his room and order room service. Cash was going to star as the hotel worker that Chandler cheats on Monica with.

She also revealed that they all had rehearsed their lines, but just a day before filming it in front of a live audience, Perry asked the writers to scrap the storyline. According to Perry, the audience would definitely not have liked that arc. She agreed and added that the storyline would have changed Matthew’s character forever.

To add to her previous comment, she said:

"He was probably right! That would’ve changed possibly the course of the show and his character."

While the cheating plot was rejected from the show, Cash still appeared in the episode as a flight attendant.

More about Friends

Chandler and Monica’s relationship in Friends was one of the highlights of the series. While he never cheated on her, they went through their fair share of challenges and faced them together. The duo also got married in Season 7 of the fan-favorite sitcom.

Apart from Perry, LeBlanc, and Courteney Cox, the popular show also includes Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, and David Schwimmer. Several big Hollywood stars, such as Hugh Laurie, John Stamos, Selma Blair, and Brad Pitt, have also appeared in the show.

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Also Read: Stranger Things: 5 reasons behind Steve Harrington's cult favorite status in the horror series

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