Why Justin Timberlake was turned down to guest-star on Friends

From major celebrities such as Brad Pitt and Christina Applegate, to some of the smaller cameos you might’ve forgotten about like Craig Robinson and Ellen Pompeo, Friends certainly has no shortage of major guest stars. Throughout its 10-season run, we’ve seen the Central Perk crew interact with a plethora of A-listers, and as it turns out, Grammy winner Justin Timberlake was nearly one of them.

As reported by Insider, Friends showrunners were approached about casting the former NYSNC member in a guest role, but ultimately turned him down. In a 2014 interview to celebrate the series’ 20th anniversary, creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane recalled what went down.

“We got a call that Justin Timberlake wanted to do the show,” Kauffman remembered, with Crane explaining, “We had a meeting with him and he was lovely, but we didn’t have a good part for him.”

Apparently the orange couch wasn’t the right fit for the singer, and no, fans aren’t the only ones upset with the decision. “My kids were furious. They wanted to kill me,” Kauffman added. That’s not surprising!

As you’d expect, most of the actors who did end up guest-starring on Friends loved the experience, however there are a few who actually regretted it. As reported by Screen Rant, Kathleen Turner (who played Charles Bing) and Tate Donovan (who played Joshua) have both expressed complaints about their time on the show.

Though it seemingly just wasn’t meant to be for Timberlake, we can’t help but now imagine the former boy band star going on a few dates with Rachel or Phoebe.

Be sure to rewatch all 10 seasons of Friends, now streaming on HBO Max. And for more Friends news, facts and opinions, keep up with us at Hidden Remote.

This story originally appeared on Floor8 and is written by Natalie Zamora.