David Schwimmer Reveals He Once Hated the Friends Theme Song

David Schwimmer, widely recognized for his portrayal of Ross Geller on the beloved sitcom Friends, recently shared an unexpected confession: he used to hate the show’s iconic theme song, “I’ll Be There for You” by The Rembrandts.

Speaking on the Making a Scene podcast hosted by Matt Lucas and David Walliams, Schwimmer opened up about the challenges of overnight fame and how constant exposure to the show’s theme left him feeling frustrated.

Overwhelmed by Fame and Familiarity

“I’ll be really honest – there was a time for quite a while that just hearing the theme song would really… uggh,” Schwimmer, 58, admitted.

The actor explained that hearing the catchy track repeatedly during the peak of the show's success created a sense of misery rather than nostalgia. He cited loss of anonymity and the psychological toll of intense fame as factors that worsened his experience.

A Moment of Foreshadowing in Vegas

Schwimmer recounted a moment just before Friends aired, when the cast was taken to Las Vegas by director Jim Burroughs. He recalled:

“We were walking through the casino at one point, and he said, ‘Remember this moment, it’s the last time you’re going to be able to walk through a casino like this.’”

That premonition turned out to be true. Schwimmer described a frightening moment at LAX, where a group of fans unexpectedly surrounded and grabbed him.

“I was genuinely frightened… they won’t let me go.”

How His Daughter Changed His Perspective

For years, Schwimmer avoided rewatching the show, but that changed when his daughter, at around age nine, discovered Friends on her own.

“I’d be making breakfast or whatever, and I’d hear my kid’s laughter,” he said.

This experience reconnected Schwimmer to the show and its theme song in a positive way. Rather than a symbol of stress, it became a bridge between generations and a shared moment with his daughter.