The Kids From 'Friends' Are All Grown Up Now
The six main characters in Friends were obviously the star attractions of the beloved sitcom, but let’s not forget about the child actors who won our hearts, too. It’s been nearly 20 years, so these cute kids are fully fledged adults now with their own lives and careers! And with their line-flubbing, baby-babbling, star-struck younger days long gone, some of them are barely recoginzable now. From marrying pop stars to rocking out in bands, the kids from Friends have come a long way since the 1990s. Prepare to feel very, very old when you learn what these not-so-little talents are up to today!
1. Alexandria, Cole, Justin, and Paul Cimoch
In April 2020 Alexandria Cimoch was bored of lockdown, so she decided to try her hand at TikTok. The young woman wasted no time creating an account and uploading her first video.
Amazingly, her short clip went viral and quickly amassed millions of views. But what was it about this University of Wisconsin student that captured the public’s imagination so intensely?
The real Leslie, Chandler, and Frank Jr. Jr.
Well, it’s because Cimoch is one of Phoebe’s triplets on Friends! In the video — which is set to the show’s iconic theme song — she points to a “Yes” graphic when the question “Was I on a famous TV show as a baby?” pops up on screen.
Naturally, fans of the sitcom went utterly wild. And they lost it even more when Cimoch revealed another behind-the-scenes detail — that the Buffay triplets weren't actually played by triplets at all.
Phoebe’s quadruplets
Why cast four babies when you only need three? It may seem like a counterintuitive move, but Cimoch revealed that the fact there were more of them worked in their favor. Cimoch and her baby brothers Justin, Paul, and Cole were a casting jackpot!
Alexandria told Good Morning America, “I would love to say that my brothers and I had a natural talent for baby acting, but the real reason we were chosen is that we were quadruplets. So, if one of us were crying, the other baby could switch in.”
One episode only
The Cimoch quadruplets only featured in one episode,1999’s “The One With Joey’s Porsche”, but Alexandria has always loved being a part of the show’s history — however small.
She revealed, “I am a huge fan of Friends. I spent a whole summer in middle school binge-watching the series. It really made me appreciate the fact that I got to be a part of an episode and such an iconic show.”
Entering the world of theater
“The show is very much still alive and well and so many of my college friends stream it,” Cimoch went on. “I get a lot of Snapchats from my friends who watch the episode, and they get so excited to see me as a baby on TV.”
Before graduating, she had plans to pursue theater acting in New York City. And it seems she's headed in the right direction, with career experience at Milwaukee’s professional music theatre company, Skylight Music Theatre, firmly under her belt.
2. Emily Osment
Emily Osment is best known for playing Lilly Truscott in Disney’s Hannah Montana and Gerti Giggles in the Spy Kids franchise. In recent years she delivered a celebrated turn in the Netflix sitcom The Kominsky Method, as well a regular role in CBS's sitcom Young Sheldon.
And if the name sounds familiar, then that's because acting runs in the Osment family. Emily's older brother is none other than The Sixth Sense star Haley Joel.
Lelani Mayolanofavich
Back before any of this success, though, Osment featured in a super popular episode of Friends. In “The One With The Halloween Party” she played the part of adorable Lelani Mayolanofavich. For those in need of a refresher, she was the lucky trick-or-treater who called the famed purple apartment.
After running out of candy, Rachel writes a check for little Lelani. In 2019 Osment spoke to MediaVillage about her experience and revealed a sad undercurrent to the episode’s shoot.
"Everyone was so sad”
“That was an interesting episode,” said Osment. “It was the first episode back after 9/11 — like the week after — and security was so high. I was maybe seven or eight and remember not really knowing what was going on, obviously, and I couldn’t even have my dad on set as they didn’t want anyone who wasn’t working to be there.”
“It’s a terrifying thing to look back on and remember,” Osment continued. “This iconic episode with Spudnik and Sean Penn who was a guest star and on set, and while it’s a great episode, no one knows it was shot the week after 9/11 and everyone was so sad.”
The Jen-An effect
Thankfully, despite the weight of a national tragedy hanging over the set, the cast and crew still made the experience fun for the young actress. And one star, in particular, sticks in Osment's mind. “Jennifer [Aniston] was so pretty,” she gushed.
“Everyone was so nice, and she was incredibly nice and polite. I even got to keep my costume, as it was the Halloween episode. A week later, I flew off to shoot Spy Kids 2 and took it with me. I do remember wearing it at Robert Rodriguez’s house for his Halloween party.”
3. Cole Sprouse
When Riverdale debuted on The CW, fans of Archie Comics were introduced to new TV versions of the characters they loved. Jughead is played by Cole Sprouse — an actor who probably looked familiar even if fans couldn’t quite place where they knew him from.
They could be forgiven for forgetting him, though. After all, he hadn’t worked as an actor for the five years leading up to the show's pilot episode.
Sprouse squared
Sprouse first rose to fame as a child actor alongside his identical twin brother Dylan. The boys both shared the lead role of Julian in Adam Sandler’s 1999 comedy Big Daddy, and for a three-year period from 2005, they starred in the Disney Channel hit The Suite Life of Zack and Cody.
After playing Cody Martin for a few more years in other Disney projects, though, Sprouse walked away from acting to pursue a more 'normal' life away from the stresses of the spotlight.
Re-finding himself
After leaving the limelight, Sprouse attended college at the age of 19. As he explained to GQ magazine, “I went to school and sort of reconciled who I was and tried to find my own little path through the world outside of acting.”
He majored in archeology, but after his manager encouraged him to return to acting, he found Riverdale. As well as acting, Sprouse is pursuing a career in professional photography. He's also a keen activist and proud dog parent!
Becoming Ben Geller
Interestingly, Sprouse did play another significant childhood role without the help of his brother: Ben Geller, Ross and Carol's son. His time on the show spanned two years from 2000, and during that time, he held a candle for a certain co-star.
He admitted to Today in 2019, “I’m pretty sure I fell in love with Jennifer Aniston, which the whole world had at that point. But I do remember being quite intimidated around her because of that.”
“I remember blanking on my lines"
“I remember blanking on my lines and having... stage fright when she sat next to me on the couch in one episode,” Sprouse continued. He then elaborated on this during a 2021 appearance on The Drew Barrymore Show.
The actor said, “I feel like I’d maintain my composure a bit more effectively now, but it was quite difficult when I was a kid. I was teased a little bit by the crew because they saw it.”
4. Dakota Fanning as Mackenzie
Then-ten-year-old Dakota Fanning was already a legitimate movie icon when she guest starred in the season ten episode “The One With Princess Consuela.” She had burst onto the scene in 2001’s I Am Sam and shocked the world with her precocious acting talent.
In fact, Fanning became the youngest person to ever receive a Screen Actors Guild Award nomination at the age of only seven. Following this incredible debut, Fanning then starred in Sweet Home Alabama, Uptown Girls, and The Cat in the Hat.
Sibling rivalry
Amusingly, though, there was one person who wasn’t happy when Fanning landed the role of McKenzie in Friends. And that’s the super smart kid who lives in the house Monica and Chandler want to buy: her sister Elle!
The latter told People magazine in 2019 that she auditioned to play one of Phoebe’s triplets but didn’t nab the part. Elle laughed, “Then my sister was on it, and I refused to watch the episode.”
"I was really starstruck"
When her Friends episode first aired in February 2004, she had already worked on Man on Fire and Hide and Seek, starring alongside some genuine Hollywood heavyweights. Fanning later admitted she was more overwhelmed after meeting the Friends cast, though.
Speaking on Watch What Happens Live in 2020, Fanning confessed, “I was really starstruck. I’d met a lot of people. I’d worked with Robert De Niro and Denzel Washington, but these people were in my living room all the time on the show. So, I felt like I knew them more, so I was kind of even more starstruck by meeting them all.”
Staying grounded
Fanning bypassed many of the struggles usually associated with child stars transitioning into adult roles. She was the female lead on The Alienist, and in recent years the star has made memorable appearances in Once Upon A Time In Hollywood and Ocean’s 8.
She doesn't let the fame go to her head, though. In 2016 Fanning told The Independent that her family had helped to keep her grounded. She added, “I think I am the same kind of person I would have been if I wasn’t an actor.”
5. Sarah Tuttle
“The One Where Rachel Quits” has one of the most memorable Friends subplots. When Ross accidentally breaks the leg of a cute Brown Bird named Sarah Tuttle who was trying to sell him cookies, he makes it his mission to sell the cookies in her stead.
The episode then ends with a poignant moment of Ross, Chandler, and Joey recreating a private space camp for Sarah in the guys’ apartment. But what about the actress behind the adorable Brown Bird character?
Meet Mae Whitman
Sarah is played by an actress named Mae Whitman. As it happened, she had already appeared in a massive blockbuster by the time she got the role. The actress played President Thomas Whitmore’s daughter Patricia in Independence Day.
Which, if you didn't know, became the second-biggest movie of all time upon release. Apparently, the only film at that time which had grossed more at the box office was Jurassic Park!
An unusual childhood
Whitman continued to star in movies — playing the daughters of George Clooney in One Fine Day and Sandra Bullock in Hope Floats. Of her unusual childhood, Whitman told Yahoo’s Build Series, “I just felt like I had a big, big family growing up. I think equally of... hanging out with Harry Connick Jr. and Sandra Bullock, genuinely feeling like, ‘These are my friends, mom, please go away…’”
“I luckily had a super strong family base,” Whitman added. “My parents have always been so amazing and [are] my heroes.” And this strong foundation enabled the actress to keep pursuing her career as she got older. Whitman had memorable turns in TV shows like Arrested Development and Parenthood, along with movies such as Scott Pilgrim vs. the World and The Perks of Being a Wallflower.
Podcasts, movies, and more
More recently, Whitman starred as mom-turned-criminal Annie Marks in four seasons of NBC’s Good Girls. In 2018 the star told Variety that it means a lot to her to now be a mother on-screen — given how she spent so long playing daughters. Whitman said, “It just feels really full circle,” before adding, “It makes me remember how thankful I am that I still get to be doing the job I do.”
The talented Whitman has also turned her hand at a number of voice acting roles, most notably perhaps her voiceover in Family Guy. Those vocal chords aren't getting a rest either, as she's also involved in the sinister podcast series The Sisters.
6. Emma Geller Green
In the final two seasons of Friends, Ross and Rachel’s baby daughter Emma is played by a pair of twins. Cali and Noelle Sheldon don’t have any real memories of their time on the show, as they were only one at the time.
But that hasn’t stopped them from making the most of it on social media, as the two sisters often post throwback pictures with the famous cast members.
Cali and Noelle Sheldon
Fast forward to 2019, and the girls scored their biggest roles since their time on Friends. They appeared in Jordan Peele’s horror film Us. Cali said, “Us was an awesome experience... because we got to meet all really influential people and obviously you can actually remember that. So, it was cool to be on the set of a real movie.”
Cali was also adamant that she’d love to play Emma again, should Friends ever return to screens. Which is no surprise when you learn what fond memories the entire Sheldon family have of their experiences with the cast and crew.
"Treated us like little princesses"
Over the years, the girls’ parents have told them stories about their experiences on-set, and they were happy to relay them to Insider in 2019. Cali said, “All of the cast were super nice to us. They treated us all like little princesses and when we had holidays and stuff, they’d give us little Christmas gifts.”
According to their parents, the show’s cast were amazing around the girls. Cali said, “One scene when I was sitting on Jennifer Aniston’s lap, she had to like feed me because I was making way too many noises, but I never threw up thank God!”
From showbiz to studying
The cast would regularly crack the girls up as well, with Cali claiming, “... We’d just laugh at all of the jokes, even the ones that were inappropriate.” On top of this, the adult Sheldon’s always felt included by the show’s cast and crew. Cali said, “My parents got to go to all the cast parties and the Christmas party and were always talking to the cast members.
She added, “They were just super nice and were just like normal people, not cocky or arrogant or anything.” Outside of the showbiz sphere, both girls have been busy with their studies at The University of California.
7. Owen
The thought of accidentally telling a kid that he’s adopted when his parents have kept it a secret is quite frightening. But imagine compounding that by also revealing that Santa Claus isn’t real, and you might start begging the ground to swallow you up.
Unfortunately for the hapless Chandler Bing, this very scenario befell him in “The One Where Ross Is Fine.” The poor child in question is Owen — the son of a couple who owned a house Chandler and Monica were interested in buying.
Daryl Sabara
The unfortunate Owen is played by an actor named Daryl Sabara, who at the time would have been a familiar face to family audiences around the world. Remember Juni Cortez in the Spy Kids movie franchise?
Sabara continued to act as he got older — including another go-around as Juni in 2011’s Spy Kids: All the Time in the World. His other movie credits include Halloween, Machete, John Carter, and The Green Inferno.
From ad libbing to dad living
And he wasn't done with acting, either. He had a recurring role on Weeds as Tim Scottson, and he also gave his vocal talents to cartoons like The Batman, Ultimate Spider-Man, and Ben 10.
Though these days Sabara may be more well known for his personal life than his work. The actor is married to pop star Meghan Trainor, and the couple have two sons together.
Daryl & Meghan
During an appearance on his wife’s podcast Dirty Pop Radio, Daryl described meeting Meghan for the first time. Sabara revealed, “When you walked into the room, I was like, ‘Damn, she’s a dime.’” What a way with words!
Still, it worked on the songstress. The adorable couple has been going strong since July 2016 when they were set up by a fellow celebrity in 2016. By October of that same year, the pair were already inseparable. And the rest is history!
Working with his wife
During the same podcast, Trainor asked Sabara about his past as a spy kid. He gushed, “It was just so much fun. I never wanted it to stop. What’s cool is that people still watch it, and they still really like it, and then we watched it a couple times, and every time I do watch it, it’s like, boom, I get to relive my childhood.”
And though Sabara may not be picking up as many acting gigs as he did in the past, his wife is making sure he's kept busy! As well as a hectic parenting schedule, the former Friends star has appeared in a number of Trainor's music videos, including footage from their actual wedding day in the video for "Marry Me."
8. Charla Nichols
Who can forget Sarah Tuttle's adorably sassy Brown Bird sidekick in “The One Where Rachel Quits.” The exchange between Ross and Charla Nichols is up there as one of the best in Friends history. Say it together now, “What’s a scrud?”
In a hilarious exchange, it becomes clear that little Charla won't be forgiving Ross for breaking Sarah’s leg in a hurry — no matter how many how hard he tries to make up for it. She’s a tough customer, and it’s hilarious!
"Anybody figure out what a scrud is yet?"
The hilarity of the scene hasn't been lost on Pratt, either. The actress referenced her small but memorable Friends role in an Instagram post on December 29, 2018. She captioned the shot, “How I look at people telling me how to live my life.”
The best part of the throwback came in a reply from a fan with the handle “msbricks.” She inquired, “Anybody figure out what a scrud is yet?” Anybody have a mirror?
Kyla Pratt
In real life, though, the actress who plays headstrong Charla is the accomplished Kyla Pratt. After her performance in Friends, Pratt has paved the way to an impressive career in her own right.
Two years after her episode aired, Pratt played Maya Dolittle, the daughter of Eddie Murphy’s character in Doctor Dolittle as well as the sequel Doctor Dolittle 2, alongside fellow child actor Raven-Symoné.
Proving that women can do it all
After working with Murphy, Pratt returned for three more direct-to-video sequels. She also had great success as a voice actor, including playing the main role of Penny Proud in Disney Channel’s The Proud Family and its spin-off second season, The Proud Family: Louder and Prouder. When the cameras stop rolling, Pratt is a proud mental health advocate and mother of two daughters, Lyric and Liyah.
The actress and mom proves that balancing kids and a career is possible. In a "Day In The Life" video for MadameNoire, she said, that "as a woman," she can do it all. "I can be a mom, I can work."