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Friends fans react to Ross and Rachel reunion revelation, Lady Gaga

Fans love Gaga singing Smelly Cat, and swoon over the idea that David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston had real feelings for each other.

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Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
CNET freelancer Gael Fashingbauer Cooper, a journalist and pop-culture junkie, is co-author of "Whatever Happened to Pudding Pops? The Lost Toys, Tastes and Trends of the '70s and '80s," as well as "The Totally Sweet '90s." If Marathon candy bars ever come back, she'll be first in line.
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Gael Fashingbauer Cooper
2 min read
friends-reunion

The Friends got back together to reminisce about those good old days.

 HBO Max

As you may have heard, the Friends from NBC's hit sitcom got back together for a special called Friends: The Reunion and streaming now on HBO Max. Memorable moments include Lady Gaga joining Lisa Kudrow to sing the classic Smelly Cat; Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer revealing their real-life feelings for one other; and celebs such as Justin Bieber and Cindy Crawford modeling classic Friends outfits.

The special hasn't been airing for long, but some fans stayed up late or got up early to watch the reunion. After all, Ross, Rachel, Monica, Chandler, Joey and Phoebe haven't had new adventures together since 2004, and this may be about as close as they'll get to a new episode. Here's a look at some of the fan reactions so far.

More on the reunion

Remembering the Friends

"The best," wrote one fan. "Thank you."

Said another, "Friends reunion is so wholesome I can't."

Some fans called out individual actors, with every one getting shouted out. "Thank you, Jennifer Aniston, for bringing Rachel Green to life," wrote one Twitter user.

Yes, there were jokes. Writer John Moe cracked, "If Friends was my group of friends in my twenties, I wouldn't be the Joey or the Ross and I wouldn't quite be Gunther. I would be the other cafe employee, who had no lines and was easily replaced and maybe didn't even exist. Oh we had some crazy times."

Ross and Rachel were real

On the special, David Schwimmer and Jennifer Aniston, who played on-again, off-again couple Ross and Rachel, admitted they had feelings for each other while working on the show. "We were both crushing hard on each other," Schwimmer revealed. "But it was like two ships passing, because one of us was always in a relationship ... we never crossed that boundary." Instead, the pair said they channeled those emotions into their characters, leading one fan to call them the definition of "right person, wrong time." 

"So that kiss was THEIR kiss," wrote one fan.

Love for the guest stars

The six Friends had a little help from guest stars and celebrity fans.

"I didn't know that I mentally and emotionally needed an appearance from Mr. and Mrs. Geller but I did," wrote one Twitter user. Christina Pickles and Elliott Gould, who played Judy and Jack, parents of Monica and Ross, made a short but sweet appearance on the reunion.

Lady Gaga sings Smelly Cat

Singer Lady Gaga can belt out just about anything, as she proved when she joined in on Smelly Cat.

"I'm sorry but Lady Gaga can make Smelly Cat absolutely slap," wrote one fan.

Friends: The Reunion is now streaming on HBO Max.

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