Jennifer Aniston reunites with ‘Friends’ co-stars on ‘Ellen’

Jennifer Aniston joined Ellen DeGeneres as guest co-host Wednesday on “The Ellen DeGeneres Show.” To prepare for the gig, she went to the house of former co-star Matthew Perry with cameras in tow to ask for advice. What she got was a mini “Friends” reunion.

Yes, it was an obviously staged bit. One of those faux-awkward inside-Hollywood encounters that stars love to indulge in from time to time. But at least it resulted in getting three of the stars of “Friends” -- Aniston, Perry and Courteney Cox -- back on screen together for the first time in years.

In the context of the bit, Perry wasn’t happy to see Aniston at his house at 8 in the morning, but Aniston tried to recall their happy past together.

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“What are you talking about?” she says. “We used to walk into each other’s apartments all the time!”

“That was a TV show,” Perry counters. “We haven’t actually seen each other in a really long time. Like eight years.”

We go on to learn that Perry has been sleeping with Cox, and also apparently Ellen and Mrs. DeGeneres herself, Portia Di Rossi.

To add to the inside-”Friends” hijinx, Cox initially mistakes Aniston for fellow co-star Lisa Kudrow.

Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc were not present for the bit, but LeBlanc is ostensibly inside Perry’s house, hanging out in the fountain.

Aniston and Cox have appeared together twice since “Friends” ended in 2004. She guest-starred on Cox’s series “Cougar Town” and “Dirt.” Cox, meanwhile, guest-starred on Perry’s recently canceled NBC comedy “Go On.”

The light-hearted appearance by Aniston on DeGeneres’ show no doubt helped the actress’ image after she took a beating in the media when former husband Brad Pitt revealed in an Esquire magazine interview that he’d been wasting his life and was on drugs during the time of his marriage to Aniston.

Not the greatest thing to hear from your ex-husband, but at least Aniston still has her “Friends.”

Although rumors of a full-blown “Friends” reunion for Thanksgiving 2014 circulated online in April, those reports were quickly shot down by Warner Bros.

Until that changes, this “Ellen DeGeneres Show” clip is the best you’re going to get, “Friends” fans.

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