The actress starred as Nora Tyler Bing, the free-spirited novelist mother to Perry’s Chandler Bing, across five episodes of the sitcom classic.

Morgan Fairchild details sweet first chat with Matthew Perry before playing his *Friends *mom: ‘A big gangly puppy’

The actress starred as Nora Tyler Bing, the free-spirited novelist mother to Perry's Chandler Bing, across five episodes of the sitcom classic.

By Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman

Ryan Coleman is a news writer for with previous work in MUBI Notebook, Slant, and the LA Review of Books.

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February 16, 2026 1:30 p.m. ET

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Morgan Fairchild and Matthew Perry on 'Friends'. Credit:

- Morgan Fairchild is looking back on her first sweet conversation with Matthew Perry before portraying his mom on *Friends*.

- "Matthew comes running over to me, a big gangly puppy dog," she recalls to EW.

- Fairchild played the free-spirited Nora Bing to Perry's Chandler on five episodes of the classic NBC sitcom.

Morgan Fairchild has starred in more than 100 films and TV series since beginning her career in the late 1960s, but her memories of one particular role remain especially vivid: portraying Matthew Perry's mom on *Friends*.

Fairchild played the free-wheeling bon vivant Nora Tyler Bing on five episodes of the sitcom classic, unwittingly embarrassing Perry's Chandler Bing to the delight of his pals. Though it's been 15 years since her final appearance on the show and three years since Perry's unexpected death at 54, recollections of her first interaction with Perry come rushing back to her.

"The first day on the set, Matthew comes running over to me, a big gangly puppy dog," Fairchild tells EW in a conversation ahead of her grand return to the soap opera *The Bold and the Beautiful*. "He comes running over and he says, 'Oh, you won't remember me, but I used to hang out on the set of *Flamingo Road* and *Falcon Crest* with you.'"

Matthew Perry and Morgan Fairchild on the set of 'Friends'. NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Fairchild says she was taken aback by Perry's revelation, and struggled to understand how an actor 20 years her junior could have costarred with her on a pair of series 20 years before. Perry then explained that it wasn't him on the call sheet for the prime-time soaps, but rather his dad.

"I said, 'Oh, really? Who's your dad?' And he said, 'Joan Bennett Perry.' And I was like, 'Oh, my God.' John had a recurring part on *Flamingo Road* and *Falcon Crest* as a sheriff," Fairchild explains. "I said, 'My God, you were that little kid. Wow!'"

She continues with a laugh, "And then I'm thinking, 'Well, I guess I am old enough to play this kid's mother.'"

Morgan Fairchild almost didn't play Matthew Perry's mom on 'Friends'

'Friends' pays tribute to Matthew Perry after actor's death

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Chandler tries with all his might to shut down conversations about his family on *Friends*. His other parent, Charles Bing, is a trans woman who performs in nightclubs under the moniker Helena Handbasket. Played by cisgender actress Kathleen Turner, Charles proved to be one of the more divisive characters from *Friends, *tainting its cultural legacy for some critics.

But Nora remains a beloved, droll addition to the series. "I am a fabulous mom. I bought my son his first condom," Nora announces on the season 1 episode "The One With Mrs. Bing." Chandler privately fires back later, "And then he burst into flames!"****

Morgan Fairchild and Matthew Perry on 'Friends'.

Fairchild has looked back fondly on her stint on *Friends *in the years since Perry's death. In 2023, she revealed that before she took the part, several of her own friends told her, "'You're too young to play that guy's mother, and you shouldn't do that.'" But she had a good instinct about the new NBC sitcom about six twentysomething strivers in New York City.

"I said, 'I gotta make that transition at some point, you know? I might as well,'" she recalls. "'And I think the show has potential.'"

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