‘He’s the Perfect Man’: Lisa Kudrow, 62, Shares the Secrets to 29 Years With Husband Michael Stern
The 'Friends' star knew her husband was 'the one' the moment they met—and decades later, they’re still going strong
A lot of celebrities have been in several high-profile relationships over the course of their career. But not Friends star Lisa Kudrow. It turns out that the actress has only ever been married once, and it is truly a love story for the ages. Keep scrolling to learn more about Lisa Kudrow’s husband, Michael Stern, including how they met and what they are up to now.
How Lisa Kudrow met her husband, Michael Stern
Originally from France, Stern was working as an advertising executive when he met Kudrow through a mutual friend in the 1980s.
“I was living with [a] French girl, and he had just moved here and they were dating when we first met. But I’m freakishly polite, so I saw him and went, ‘Well, he’s the perfect man, and it’s all ruined because now they’re together, ” Kudrow said. “I thought that that’s not nice to flirt. But the minute I saw him, I went, ‘Well, that’s it, there he is.”
Eventually, though, Stern broke up with Kudrow’s roommate and began dating the actress instead. They tied the knot in 1995, one year after Friends hit the small screen.
“When [Stern and I] decided to get married, we understood: We’re not promising to love each other forever, because you can’t do that, but we are promising to work on whatever problems come up,” Kudrow said in 2014. “We’re committed to our marriage working. It turns out, after you have a history, there’s such a bond, and love takes another shape. But, oh, I don’t want to jinx it— I’m superstitious!”
Following their wedding, Kudrow and Stern had about three years of marital bliss before welcoming their one and only child together in May 1998. The actress was still filming Friends at the time of her pregnancy and birth, which fans will remember was written into Kudrow’s character Phoebe’s storyline.
“The six of us [the Friends cast] would do a huddle backstage and just say, ‘All right, have a good show, love you love you love you love you.’ And when I was pregnant, then they would say, ‘Have a great show, love you, love you—love you, little Julian!’” Kudrow’s said. “’Cause we knew it was a boy, and that was his name.”
Julian is currently 26 years old and recently graduated from the University of Southern California in 2021, as Kudrow posted on Instagram.
What’s next for Lisa Kudrow and Michael Stern?
Kudrow and Stern are still happily married to this day, and while they don’t post a lot on social media or walk a lot of red carpets together, it is widely believed that after 29 years of marriage, the two are as happy as they have ever been, thanks to their mutual respect for each other.
“[Michel and I] respect each other’s independence, and I don’t mean that as a euphemism. I don’t mean relationship-wise outside the marriage,” Kudrow said in 2014. “I don’t like to travel. So, if he wants to go on a golf trip, he goes. I think people get in trouble [when they assume they’re] supposed to be one unit, in sync about everything. [Marriage] is like being on a team. Each teammate is different, but you have the same goal.”
Kudrow recently released a new Netflix show called No Good Deed, in which she co-starred with Luke Wilson, Ray Romano, Linda Cardellini and more. While it is proving to be a huge success, she hasn’t forgotten her Friends roots, revealing that Stern loves watching the hit sitcom whenever he can.
“He enjoys them more than I do,” Kudrow said in 2021 during the Friends reunion special. “Because I’m mortified with myself.”
Conversation
All comments are subject to our Community Guidelines. Woman's World does not endorse the opinions and views shared by our readers in our comment sections. Our comments section is a place where readers can engage in healthy, productive, lively, and respectful discussions. Offensive language, hate speech, personal attacks, and/or defamatory statements are not permitted. Advertising or spam is also prohibited.
