Why Mike (Paul Rudd) Was Not a Part of Friends Reunion?

If you are a fan of the FRIENDS TV Show, you would have already seen the Reunion episode that was aired in June 2022. FRIENDS is the most-watched TV show ever and it still generates a lot of income for the producers, writers, and the main cast which includes Phoebe, Chandler, Joey, Monica, Ross, and Rachel.

But while we talk about them, we also cannot forget the role of Mike or Paul Rudd on the show who married Phoebe in the end and was considered as the 7th FRIEND.

But despite such a popular role, Paul Rudd was not a part of the Friends Reunion and this raised eyebrows for most people because even when some people could not be a part of the same, they were connected through video calls.

As per the producers and Paul Rudd himself, he was not a part of the Friends reunion for a few reasons.

• Scheduling conflicts. Rudd was filming the Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania movie at the time of the reunion, so he was unable to attend.
• Logistical reasons. The reunion special was only an hour and 45 minutes long, and the producers wanted to focus on the six main cast members. Including Rudd and other guest stars would have made the special too long.
• Rudd’s own wishes. Rudd has said that he felt like he was “just a prop” on Friends and that the show was “about them” (the six main cast members). He may have felt that his presence at the reunion would have taken away from the focus on the original cast.
• Ultimately, the decision of whether or not to include Rudd in the reunion was up to the producers. They decided that it was not feasible to include him for scheduling and logistical reasons, and Rudd himself may not have wanted to be included.

Here are some quotes from Paul Rudd about why he didn’t appear at the reunion:

• “I was filming Ant-Man and the Wasp: Quantumania at the time, and it was just too difficult to make it work.”
• “I felt like I was just a prop on Friends. The show was about them, not Mike Hannigan.”
• “I didn’t want to take away from the focus on the original cast.”

However, as a huge fan and follower of FRIENDS, I think Paul Rudd should have appeared on the sets and he could have been invited. His presence would have made the Reunion much more special. What do you think?