Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer reveal their real-life romance during Friends

The highly-anticipated Friends reunion special has finally arrived on HBO Max today, and though fans are disappointed that they didn’t get a brand-new episode of the show but rather an unscripted interview, the cast did share some wild reveals about their time on the long-running series. One bombshell that fans are talking about already has to do with Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer.

Of course, fans of the show know Aniston and Schwimmer best for playing Ross and Rachel, the on-again, off-again couple who famously have their “We were on a break!” fight. In the Friends finale, the two do end up together after Rachel decides not to go on the plane to Paris. Their relationship has its ups and downs throughout the show, but the chemistry between the two actors is so strong, fans have always wondered if there was something real there.

Well, there was! As revealed by Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer during Friends: The Reunion, the two actors did have a real-life romance, but it ultimately didn’t turn into much. As reported by US Weekly, during part of the special host James Corden asked the cast if anyone dated in real life. Aniston called to Schwimmer to answer that question, to which he dropped the big reveal: “The first season, I had a major crush on Jen.” Aniston responded, “It was reciprocated.”

As for why the two actors never actually became boyfriend-girlfriend? Schwimmer explained:

"“I think at some point we were both crushing hard on each other, but it was like two ships passing because one of us was always in a relationship, and we never crossed that boundary. We respected that.”"

And it looks like, unfortunately, Jennifer Aniston and David Schwimmer never even hooked up. Aniston went on to recall:

"“I remember saying one time to David, ‘It’s gonna be such a bummer if the first time you and I actually kiss is going to be on national television.’ Sure enough, the first time we kissed was in that coffee shop. We just channeled all of our adoration and love for each other into Ross and Rachel.”"

So it looks like the two Friends actors had a real-life romance going on, though they kept it under wraps and tried not to act on it. Considering they both starred on the show throughout its 10 seasons, they likely didn’t want to ruin the great friendship they had. Imagine how hard a breakup would’ve been if they had to play boyfriend-girlfriend on TV for years to come!

To check out Friends: The Reunion, be sure to head to HBO Max today to tune in! And if you’re not from the United States and need a way to watch, here’s our list of where to stream internationally.