Alongside the many soothing tales of friendship, NBC’s Friends was never devoid of anxiety-inducing plot twists either. Among the many cliffhanger moments that made the sitcom the more addictive to watch was when Matthew Perry as Chandler was dealt some karmic justice at the hands of Julia Roberts’ Susie Moss in The One After the Superbowl. It left viewers shocked at the sweet vengeance Susie had planned for Chandler when the two childhood acquaintances went on a fateful date. 

As it turns out, the moment when Chandler is tricked into stripping and changing into a thong was lifted from a real-life instance!

The truth of the Chandler and Susie moment on Friends

During a chat with The Hollywood Reporter, Friends co-writers, Mike Sikowitz and Jeff Astrof relived the creation of the Super Bowl episode. To make it compelling enough to keep audiences glued to their screens, Sikowitz revealed their plan to do something “big, promotable and funny”. At this point, Astrof confessed that the idea for the Chandler and Susie scene was his, and “was based on something that sadly happened” to him!

Apparently, the hilarious scene was based on an “embarrassing experience’ he had with “a girl”.  Then, it went on to become an opportunity for Ross to see “Chandler’s tushie”. As also detailed by former NBC heads earlier, Sikowitz expanded on why it was important for them to create an unexpected scenario. According to him, they did not want to deliver a “pleasant and contemplative” after the excitable sports event. 

Well, the episode was certainly not dull, much like the behind-the-scenes ongoings during that episode’s shoot. 

The romance that blossomed between Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts

While the relationship between Perry and Roberts’ characters on Friends was short-lived, the actors did not have to suffer the same fate. In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, the 17 Again actor confessed that he and the Pretty Woman star had started a fling not long after working together on the NBC series. In fact, the reason why Roberts agreed to do the show was also him!

According to Perry’s statement in his book, she wanted him to woo her and teach her quantum physics! So, to appease her, the Friends star had three dozen roses sent to her along with a flirtatious note. However, their sweet love story ended when Perry started doubting if he would ever be good enough for her. Unlike the show, he called quits on their relationship feeling that she inevitably would. 

Are you surprised that the stall sequence from Friends actually happened with somebody? Share your thoughts on it in the comments.