Press Association

Paul Rudd's daughter just started watching 'Friends,' prefers Joey over Mike

By Megan Armstrong | Last updated 11/11/21

It's been over 17 years since Friends ended its iconic 10-year, 10-season run with "The Last One."

Paul Rudd played Mike Hannigan, Phoebe's (Lisa Kudrow) eventual husband, throughout the last two seasons from 2002-04—still waiting on a good explanation as to why he wasn't on Friends: The Reunion—and his past and present are colliding through his 12-year-old daughter, Darby.

"My daughter just started watching Friends, and so I had not really revisited many of those episodes," Rudd, 52, told People as part of his "Sexiest Man Alive" rollout.

He added: "I'm far away from some things now enough that I can allow myself to be a little nostalgic about it. I had a great time doing that, and [the cast] were so awesome. I know how many people love that show, so to see my daughter watching it was like, wow, this is interesting. But then she'll just be like, 'Well, you're not Joey.'"

Joey, of course, was played by Matt LeBlanc.

Rudd has been married to Julie Yaeger since 2003. They share Darby as well as son Jack, 17.

More must-reads: