Jack Black is an actor, comedian and musician whose iconic roles and quirky personality have made him a living legend. He’s had a few cameo TV roles, but has he ever been in an episode of ‘Friends’?
Jack Black has never starred in an episode of TV show ‘Friends’. He has however hosted ‘Friends’ stars Courteney Cox and Lisa Kudrow for a ‘Celebrity Escape Room’ special, which he executively produced with Ben Stiller, that was televised on May 21, 2020 to raise money for Red Nose Day.
Read on to learn more about Jack Black’s career and the ‘Celebrity Escape Room’ special that saw him unite with some of the stars from ‘Friends’.
Jack Black
The actor, dubbed ‘the king of comedy’, had his breakout role in the film ‘High Fidelity’. Soon to follow were leading roles in ‘Nacho Libre’, ‘School of Rock’, and more recently, the ‘Jumanji’ film franchise.
Whilst he’s never been in an episode of ‘Friends’, he has made appearances in other American TV shows, including a cameo role in comedy show ‘The Office’. He made his appearance in Season 5 of the show, for an episode called ‘Stress Relief’ in which he starred in a fake movie featured in the episode.
Not surprisingly, the episode was the most-watched episode of the entire series.
In addition to ‘The Office’, Black has had guest roles in ‘Will & Grace’, ‘Community’, and ‘The Simpsons’, but ‘Friends’ is left off the list.
‘Friends’ Celebrity Cameos
You’d have to have been living under a rock to miss the ‘Friends’ hype. The beloved sitcom aired on NBC from September 22, 1994 to May 6, 2004 and fans have been demanding a reunion ever since.
The show’s six main characters, Rachel, Ross, Monica, Joey, Phoebe, and Chandler, were there for all 10 seasons, but some notable stars made guest appearances on the hit show.
As well as stars like Brad Pitt, Reese Witherspoon, and Winona Ryder, Ben Stiller guest starred in an episode titled, ‘The One With the Screamer’. He played the role of Tommy, an extremely angry guy Rachel had begun to date.
Because of this role Ben Stiller, as co-executive producer of ‘Celebrity Escape Room’ with Jack Black, is the missing link between the ‘Friends’ stars and Black.
‘Celebrity Escape Room’
The ‘Celebrity Escape Room’ special saw Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Adam Scott and Ben Stiller try to escape from an 80s high school themed room, complete with their actual school yearbooks. The celebrity gang had to make it out within 60 minutes, with Jack Black presiding as the maniacal game master, fully in character.
Of Jack Black’s role in the special Ben Stiller told TV Insider, “the Game Master has to be someone who’s enjoying the process of torturing these people. Who’s going to be the most fun torturing you? It’d be Jack Black”.
Stiller described Courteney’s approach to the room as “analytical”, much like her ‘Friends’ character, Monica. She did, however, reportedly battle with her fears when she was put into a janitor’s closet.
Jack Black told ET, “we did not know going in that Courteney was going to have issues with claustrophobia, but it did become a part of the thing… But she faced her inner demons and she prevailed”.
As for Lisa, “I don’t remember anything because there were loud noises and it gave me amnesia”, she said in an interview post room.
The special was aired on May 21, 2020 by NBC, and was produced to raise money for Red Nose Day, which Jack Black described as an “organization that raises money and helps kids that are in impoverished living conditions all over the world”.
Watch the Celebrity Escape Room special with the stars of ‘Friends’ in the YouTube video below.