The much anticipated “Friends” reunion special aired Thursday, May 27, on HBO Max, and by all accounts was a hit.
The special featured the show’s six original stars: Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer, who appeared on the sitcom’s original soundstage, Stage 24, on the Warner Bros. Studio lot in Burbank.
As for the scuttlebutt after the show, one name dominated the chatter online, that being Matt LeBlanc, who played the beloved character Joey Tribbiani. Now 53 years old, an image of LeBlanc sitting with his arms crossed while rocking a striped shirt was all the rage on the web, with frequent references to an old Irish uncle.
“Every Irish family has at least one of those uncles or great uncles — extreme salt of the Earth characters, full of dry wit and just a drop of cynicism,” a social media user tweeted.
“Matt looks like a typical Irish uncle in the photos from the reunion,” they added, from the way his arms are folded to his facial expressions.
Every Irish family has at least one of those uncles or great uncles -extreme salt of the Earth characters, full of dry wit and just a drop of cynicism. Matt looks like a typical Irish uncle in the photos from the reunion from his his arms are folded, to his facial expressions
— Claire ♉️ (@noclarity74) May 30, 2021
According to Variety, “Friends: The Reunion” was “almost superhero-big” when it comes to ratings, with the magazine comparing numbers to DC’s “Wonder Woman 1984.”
More from Variety:
“Friends: The Reunion” was watched by an estimated 29% of U.S. streaming households on May 27, the first day of its release, as measured by TVision, a connected-TV analytics provider. Viewers of the special on HBO Max were 55.4% female, and more than 50% were in the 35-54 age demo. […]
The one-hour, 43-minute special features celeb appearances including Lady Gaga singing “Smelly Cat,” K-pop phenoms BTS, Tom Selleck, Reese Witherspoon and Justin Bieber. “Friends: The Reunion” currently has a 68% critic’s score on Rotten Tomatoes and an 83% audience score.
But the infatuation with the way LeBlanc was sitting, arms crossed while curiously looking on, captured people’s imaginations.
For what it’s worth, despite the comparisons, LeBlanc is not Irish. He’s Italian and French.
Not that it mattered. Here’s a good sampling of some of the hilarious responses to the story from Twitter:
Can’t get enough of these “Matt LeBlanc looks like an Irish da” memes and I think I found a winner pic.twitter.com/5ZusUmTkEY
— ✨ Dean Tāne ✨ (@Maccadaynu) May 29, 2021
Who wore it best, #mattleblanc or my Dad??!! 😂😂 pic.twitter.com/KAzHyA1waH
— Triona Wynne (@TeeCunningham) May 29, 2021
The kind of of auld lad you’d have a fair job of explaining to your not an Artist after getting an Arts degree #mattleblanc pic.twitter.com/nJOvyqlmfU
— Tom McLoughlin (@tommclo) May 29, 2021
He looks like the Irish Uncle with a heart of gold. He’s behind the times, rough round the edges, loves life, his family, his cattle and you, hugs like a bear, drinks like a fish, talks the hind legs off a donkey and punched that guy in the gob who slagged off your gay partner
— Keith Brennan (@HawHillFarm) May 30, 2021
matt le blanc looks like a fella you’d end up having a deep conversation with in the residents bar after a wedding. ten pints deep and he’s giving you the best advice you’ll ever get. you’ll never meet him again but his sage wisdom sticks with you forever. a gentleman pic.twitter.com/KfXpHjFdsA
— Ian (@imgrandsure) May 29, 2021
Matt LeBlanc is Irish, I don’t want to see any other nation trying to claim him, he’s from Tullamore, he drinks milk with his dinner
— Nicola Coughlan (@nicolacoughlan) May 30, 2021
Never has a childhood of growing up in rural Ireland better prepared me for something more than it’s prepared me for this Matt LeBlanc being your uncle meme
— spochadóir (@spochadoir) May 29, 2021
Matt LeBlanc is 5 seconds away from slapping his knees and going “well we ought to make a move who’s ready to rock and roll” pic.twitter.com/WmAgtjjugX
— Saz (@sarahlostctrl) May 30, 2021
It’s like he’s the classic slightly ~behind the times but ultimately wholesome and well intentioned older country man you get stuck chatting to at a family wedding. He’s a bit cheeky but like…..in a nice dad way https://t.co/DN9Q8cX8Fv
— Dervla Mcneice (@dervlamcneice) May 30, 2021
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The longest-tenured writer at BizPac Review, Tom grew up in Maryland before moving to Central Florida as a young teen. It is in the Sunshine State that he honed both his passion for politics and his writing skills.
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