Meet Michel Stern, Lisa Kudrow’s French husband: he’s an ad exec, used to date the Friends star’s roommate, and they have a kid, Julian – who’s also pursuing a career in film
- The Friends actor and Stern have been married for almost 30 years, but when they first met he was briefly dating her roommate – they reconnected six years later at said roommate’s birthday party
- They tied the knot in 1995 in Malibu, California, and the wedding was attended by Kudrow’s Friends co-stars Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Jennifer Aniston and the late Matthew Perry
A fundamental rule of the girl code is to never to date a friend’s – or in this case, roommate’s – ex-partner. Lisa Kudrow, 61, renowned for her role as the kooky but lovable Phoebe Buffay on Friends, was determined to follow this rule when it came to her now-husband, Michel Stern.
“I thought, that’s not nice – to flirt,” Kudrow recalled in 2005, as reported in British media. “But the minute I saw him I went, ‘Well, that’s it – there he is.’”
He’s a French ad executive
Michel Stern, 66, was raised in France and relocated to the US in the 80s, per Hello magazine. Today, he is a successful advertising executive, per People.
“I was living with a French girl and he had just moved and they were dating when we first met,” Kudrow recalled in 2005. “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 and I can’t [make a play for him].’”
Fearing that her feelings might be obvious, Kudrow made a conscious effort to maintain her distance, the source continues.
“When he’d come to pick her up, he’d say, ‘Oh, hello Lisa,’ and I’d say, ‘Hi,’ and I’d go and leave the room and he thought I was a freak,” she explained.
They’ve been married for nearly 30 years
Kudrow’s roommate and Stern broke up after two and a half months. Six years later, Kudrow and Stern found themselves at said roommate’s birthday party, where they reconnected.