Who Is Lisa Kudrow's Husband? All About Michel Stern

Lisa Kudrow might be best known for playing Phoebe Buffay in the popular '90s sitcom Friends, but she has admitted that she finds it difficult to rewatch herself in the series today. However, her husband of nearly three decades, Michel Stern, loves watching Kudrow in the series.

"He enjoys them more than I do," the actress revealed during the Friends reunion special in 2021. "Because I'm mortified with myself."

The pair met in the '80s in France but didn't immediately start dating. They eventually married in 1995 and welcomed son Julian Murray Stern in 1998.

Here's everything to know about Lisa Kudrow's husband, Michel Stern.

He works as an advertising executive

Stern was born and raised in France, according to The New York Times. He moved to the United States to pursue a career in advertising and has enjoyed success in the industry. Little is known about Stern's work history, as he has managed to keep his life completely private, despite being married to Kudrow.

He reportedly met Kudrow when he was dating her roommate

Kudrow was living with a roommate when the actress was first introduced to Stern — who was her roommate's boyfriend.

"I was living with [a] French girl and he had just moved here and they were dating when we first met. But I'm freakishly polite, so I saw him and went, 'Well, he's the perfect man and it's all ruined because now they're together and I can't (make a play for him),' " said Kudrow, as reported by The Daily Mail.

"I thought that that's not nice to flirt. But the minute I saw him I went, 'Well, that's it, there he is,' " she recalled. Stern and Kudrow's roommate eventually ended their relationship, and the actress and the ad executive later reconnected. The couple tied the knot in 1995.

He shares one child with Kudrow

Kudrow and Stern found out that they were expecting a baby while Kudrow was still working on Friends. The actress's pregnancy was written into the show — Phoebe was a surrogate for her brother Frank and his wife. In an interview with PEOPLE in 2018, Kudrow recalled being pregnant on set.

"The six of us would do a huddle backstage and just say, 'All right, have a good show, love you love you love you love you.' And when I was pregnant, then they would say, 'Have a great show, love you love you — love you, little Julian!' 'Cause we knew it was a boy and that was his name," she said, adding that it was "so sweet" that her baby was included.

Their son graduated from USC

The couple's son, Julian Murray, is all grown up. In 2021, he graduated from the University of Southern California. Kudrow shared a picture on Instagram from Julian's commencement ceremony and captioned it: "Happy proud HAPPY. And a little crying. By me not him … @juls_magewls."

Kudrow rarely shares family photos on Instagram but has made exceptions for special occasions, such as graduation — or a birthday. On May 7, 2020, Kudrow shared a photo of her son's makeshift birthday celebration. "Happy birthday my lovely son! @juls_magewls Thank you @bakeditmyself," she captioned the image, which showed all attendees socially distancing and wearing face masks.

He and Kudrow were apart for weeks at a time during the pandemic

In a remote interview on Jimmy Kimmel Live in May 2020, Kudrow revealed that she hadn't been spending a ton of time with her husband during the pandemic. When host Jimmy Kimmel asked Kudrow who she was quarantining with, she said she was "sometimes" with her son and her husband. The Comeback star explained, "We were all together in the desert because we have a house there. And then there was the lock-in, so we just stayed put."

She continued, "But that house needed work ... And then what happened was, it got to be hotter, as it does in the Palm Springs area, right? So, it was too hot for me."

During the time apart, Kudrow and Stern celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary.

"We are so used to not actually being able to be together on our anniversary that we were like, 'Oh, well. Does it matter? I love you. You still love me? Yeah. Great. We're good,' " she told Kimmel.

He's walked multiple red carpets with Kudrow

Although Kudrow and Stern tend to keep their relationship private, they have been known to step out together at various events over the years. In 2005, Stern and Kudrow were photographed together at the premiere of HBO's series The Comeback. The year before, the two looked lovely together as they walked the red carpet at the 10th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards.

Kudrow says they are "committed to our marriage"

In 2014, Kudrow spoke with Glamour to share some of her best relationship advice.

"When [Michel and I] decided to get married, we understood: We're not promising to love each other forever, because you can't do that, but we are promising to work on whatever problems come up. We're committed to our marriage working. It turns out, after you have a history, there's such a bond, and love takes another shape. But, oh, I don't want to jinx it — I'm superstitious!" she told the outlet.

"[Michel and I] respect each other's independence, and I don't mean that as a euphemism," Kudrow added. "I don't mean relationship-wise outside the marriage. Clear? But I don't like to travel. So if he wants to go on a golf trip, he goes. I think people get in trouble [when they assume they're] supposed to be one unit, in sync about everything. [Marriage] is like being on a team. Each teammate is different, but you have the same goal."