When Chris Hemsworth, the Australian heartthrob known for playing Thor, received his star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, his wife Elsa Pataky was in the spotlight for the wrong reasons.

Before *Friends*, Courteney’s career was already taking off. She was featured in a famous music video years earlier.

So, how did Courteney feel about playing Monica? And what is she up to these days? Here’s everything you need to know about her.

Courteney Cox Reveals Heartfelt Pain Over Not Getting an Emmy Nomination for Friends!

Courteney Cox became a global superstar overnight when she landed the role of Monica Geller on *Friends*. Her life changed completely—she became very famous and very wealthy.

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Before *Friends*, Courteney’s career was already taking off. She was featured in a famous music video years earlier.

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So, how did Courteney feel about playing Monica? And what is she up to these days? Here’s everything you need to know about her.

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Getting a big break in acting must be thrilling, knowing you’re on your way to something great. For some actors, this happens when they’re young, while others work hard for years before getting their chance in their 30s or 40s.

Once that big break comes, things usually start to take off. For Courteney Cox, that was definitely the case.

The Alabama native first appeared in Bruce Springsteen’s music video for “Dancing in the Dark,” which kicked off her Hollywood career. Soon after, she landed the role of Monica Geller on the hit show *Friends*, and her life changed forever.

These days, Courteney Cox is busy with various projects, has built a wonderful family, and welcomed her children.

She has also been open about plastic surgery and facelifts, and has recently changed her views on the topic.

Here’s everything you need to know about Courteney “Monica Geller” Cox!

Courteney Cox was born on June 15, 1964, in Birmingham, Alabama, as the youngest of four children to Courteney and Richard Lewis Cox. When she was young, she was teased at school because of her last name.

She said, “I hated my last name, but when my dad passed away, I decided to embrace it and keep it going since there was no one else in the family to do so.”

When Courteney was 10, her parents divorced. She lived with her mother and later her stepfather, and the divorce had a lasting impact on her. She mentioned that one of her earliest memories is of her parents’ divorce. She said, “My mum wasn’t a go-getter, so I’m grateful I could see that and become the opposite.”

Courteney didn’t always dream of acting. She initially wanted to be an architect and studied architecture at Mount Vernon College. However, she dropped out and moved to New York City, where she started modeling and worked at a music agency.

Her modeling career was short-lived, but she soon transitioned into acting. In 1985, at age 21, Courteney got her big break, not in a film but in a music video. Director Brian De Palma cast her in Bruce Springsteen’s video for the hit song “Dancing in the Dark.” The video was filmed during a Springsteen concert, and Courteney played an enthusiastic fan in the front row.

At the end of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” music video, Springsteen brought Courteney Cox up on stage. They danced together to a saxophone solo by Clarence Clemons.

Looking back, Courteney wasn’t thrilled with her dancing in the video. She said, “That wasn’t good dancing on my part. I’d only recreate it as a joke.”

The video was a big hit on MTV, and even though Courteney was only in it for about 20 seconds, it helped her career take off. That same year, she appeared in the film *Misfits of Science*, and two years later, she landed her first major role.

She starred in the popular sitcom *Family Ties* and had smaller roles in films like *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* with Jim Carrey.

But in 1995, something unexpected happened. Marta Kauffman and David Crane created a new show about six friends living in New York. Courteney Cox was cast as Monica Geller, and it changed her career forever.

In 1993, Kauffman and Crane started working on a new show. It premiered on September 22, and right from the start, it was clear it was going to be a hit.

Today, *Friends* is one of the most famous sitcoms ever, running for 10 seasons and 236 episodes. The final episode was watched by over 50 million people in the U.S. Courteney Cox, along with Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, became a global star.

Marta Kauffman said in 1995, “She’s adorable and smart and really together. She is Monica.”

Courteney Cox said, “I love Monica because she’s a grown-up, and I can bring more of my personality to her. She’s goofy, angry, sarcastic, and a bit naughty. People might see her as the goody-goody, but I think she has more sex appeal than the others.”

Courteney found a lot of herself in Monica. In real life, she’s also what she calls a “neat freak,” just like her character on *Friends*.

Courteney Cox shared that she doesn’t use a lint brush or iron her clothes, but she’s great at picking lint off others. She once noticed she was acting just like Monica while helping John Stewart on his show and thought, “I’m just like Monica. This is kind of scary.”

*Friends* became a huge hit worldwide, and the cast earned a lot of money. In the final seasons, they each made $1 million per episode. Even now, 17 years after the show ended, they make about $20 million a year from reruns because they get a share of the show’s syndication revenue. Netflix paid up to $100 million to keep *Friends* on their platform through 2019.

Today, Courteney Cox has a net worth of about $150 million.

Despite the success and money, Courteney was hurt that she never got an Emmy nomination while all her co-stars did. “It always hurt my feelings,” she told Howard Stern. “When every single cast member was nominated but me, it definitely hurt. I was happy for everyone, but it was tough being the only one left out.”

Courteney Cox said she always wanted her fellow cast members to win awards, but she also wanted to be included sometimes. She never wanted to take anything away from anyone else, just to be part of it.

Even though she didn’t get an Emmy for *Friends*, she did receive awards for her work on other projects. After *Friends*, Courteney starred in the sitcom *Cougar Town* as Jules Cobb, and she was recognized for her role there. In 2010, she got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Series.

Over the years, Courteney Cox became a global star, as well as a wife and mother. She married actor David Arquette in 1999, and they had a daughter, Coco, in 2004. They divorced in 2013.

Since then, Courteney has been in a relationship with musician Johnny McDaid from the band Snow Patrol.

There have been rumors about Courteney getting plastic surgery and Botox. In 2017, she confirmed that she had used fillers but also mentioned that the world of cosmetic procedures can be quite intense.

Courteney Cox talked about how easy it is to get caught up in cosmetic procedures. She said that doctors often suggest small tweaks that seem harmless at first. Over time, these changes can add up, and you might not notice until it looks different in photos or someone points it out.

Eventually, Courteney decided to stop using fillers and embrace her natural self. She now promotes being yourself and often shares makeup-free photos on Instagram, which can inspire others to do the same.

“I’m as natural as I can be. I feel better because I look like myself. I think that I now look more like the person that I was, I hope I do,” Cox said.

“Things are going to change. Everything’s going to drop. I was trying to make it not drop, but that made me look fake. You need movement in your face, especially if you have thin skin like I do. Those aren’t wrinkles—they’re smile lines. I’ve had to learn to embrace movement and realize that fillers are not my friend. “

In 2022, Courteney Cox used an app to see how she might look ten years older, and many of her followers were surprised by the results. She mentioned in the caption that she probably wouldn’t style her hair that way.

Courteney has also been open about her experience with cosmetic procedures. In 2019, she admitted to using lip fillers because she wasn’t happy with her appearance. However, she stopped using them when she realized she didn’t look like herself.

Courteney Cox now feels great about herself. She says she embraces getting older and is happy with how she looks naturally, without trying to change it. She’s focused on growing and improving in other areas of her life.

Courteney Cox was fantastic as Monica Geller on Friends, and people still love watching the show today.

What do you think about Courteney Cox’s views on fillers and cosmetic procedures? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to share this article on Facebook with your friends and family!

I Brought My Fiancé to Meet My Parents — He Fled in the Middle of the Night, Shouting ‘I Can’t Believe It!’

I’ve been with my fiancé for six years, and we were supposed to get married next month. But during a visit to my parents, he discovered their secret lifestyle, causing him to question our relationship too.

I’ve been with my fiancé for six years, but we’ve known each other for nine. We were supposed to get married next month, but then everything changed the course of our wedding journey.

We went to visit my parents to introduce him to more of my extended family before the wedding. My parents offered to host us, and we’ve been staying in my old room for the sake of nostalgia.

My fiancé, Adam, wanted to stay at a hotel, but I thought it would be fun to just have him share my old room with me.

“I don’t see why staying in your childhood home is going to change anything,” Adam told me when we were packing for the trip.

“Because it’s going to be my last time with my parents under their roof before I become a married woman. It’s going to be a sentimental moment,” I replied.

“If it gets uncomfortable, I’m just going to check myself into a hotel,” he said casually.

Of course, I didn’t expect what would happen next.

We got to my parents’ home, and everyone was excited to see us. My mother and aunt had cooked up an elaborate meal for us, ready to just sit down at the table and get to know Adam better.

All through dinner, everything went as well as expected, and Adam happily enjoyed having the attention centered around him.

“This is new for me,” he said as we did the dishes in between the mains and dessert. “I’m not used to having people pay attention to me like this.”

“It’s a good thing,” I said, handing him a plate. “You’re supposed to feel welcome and at home with my family, too.”

As the night died down and we all went to bed, ready for a good night’s sleep before the following day’s family outing to the local theme park, Adam kept disturbing my sleep.

“What’s going on?” I asked, turning to face him.

“I just can’t sleep, Sasha,” he snapped. “It’s not my bed, and I’m not used to sleeping in beds that aren’t my own. And your bed is lumpy and uncomfortable.”

“Just go and take a walk outside,” I grumbled. “The fresh air should make a difference, and you’ll come back and fall asleep.”

“Fine,” he said, getting out of bed and leaving the room.

I was just about to fall asleep again when Adam’s scream pierced the air. I bolted upright in bed with my heart racing.

What on earth was going on? Was there someone in the house? Were we in danger?

While my brain was moving a mile a minute, trying to decide what to do next, Adam stormed back into the room.

“What happened?” I blurted out, uneasy.

My fiancé’s face contorted in a mix of horror and anger, and he paused for a minute before he started yelling.

“I cannot believe it,” he yelled. “Your mom! Sasha! Your mother! She’s kissing another man in the foyer!”

My heart sank. I had hoped that we would have gotten through this entire visit without this.

If anything, I had always dreaded this moment, the time when my parents’ unusual and unconventional marriage would come to light.

I tried to explain, to calm him down, but he wouldn’t have it.

“Call your dad, Sasha,” Adam demanded. “Tell him that your mom is cheating right here in your own home.”

It seemed logical, simple even. And I understood why Adam would think that having my father involved would solve everything.

But he couldn’t be further from the truth.

Before I could react and begin navigating the explanation, my mom walked in, still straightening her clothes.

“I can explain,” she started, but my fiancé cut her off.

“Explain? What’s there to explain? You’re cheating on your husband in his own home!”

“It’s not cheating, darling,” she said softly. “Sasha knows, and she’ll explain it all to you. Shaun and my marriage is different. Very different. It’s unconventional compared to your usual marriage. You need to understand that, Adam, before you judge us.”

Adam turned to me, eyes wide.

“You knew? You knew about this, and you didn’t tell me?”

I tried to reach out to him, but he recoiled.

“I didn’t know how to tell you, and I’m not proud of keeping this secret. But it wasn’t mine to tell.”

“Sasha!” he said, his hands in the air. “You should have told me! This isn’t something that you just keep hidden from the person that you’re going to marry. I don’t know if I can trust you now. This was a setup, wasn’t it? You wanted to introduce me to this lifestyle, isn’t it?”

By this point, I was overwhelmed, and I couldn’t understand what Adam was getting at.

I was taken back to a memory from my youth. I was 16, and my friends were planning a sleepover at my home.

“You have the biggest room, Sasha,” my friend Brielle said. “Let’s have it at your place.”

“That’s perfectly fine with me,” I said. “I don’t think my parents will mind at all! And we can watch movies in the living room because my parents have a TV in their room now, so they won’t disturb us.”

“I’ll bring my cotton candy machine,” Brielle said excitedly. “We can have that and popcorn!”

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I remember going home after school and telling my mother all about our plans. She smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

“Sure, honey,” she said. “You girls can take care of yourselves. Dad and I have a dinner that evening.”

Little did I know that later that evening, I would discover the truth about my parents’ marriage.

My friends and I were all sitting on the couch when my parents walked in with another couple. My mother was holding tightly onto a man’s hand as she kicked off her shoes. My father was kissing the other woman.

When they saw me, they were shocked. And they had no choice but to explain the situation to me.

“We are married to each other, and we love each other. We’re committed, honey. But we’re also allowed to see other people if we want to,” my mother explained gently. “There’s nothing wrong with the way we are. And you need to understand that.”

Now, listening to Adam, I was taken back to the same flood of emotions.

“No, it’s nothing like that,” I said. “I am dedicated to you. I don’t want that lifestyle.”

But Adam wasn’t having it. He just wasn’t listening. Instead, he began to speak about his mother’s infidelity which had led to his parents’ divorce. It all made him see betrayal everywhere.

“Everything is a red flag for me, Sasha.”

He packed a bag and left for a hotel, saying that he needed a moment to reevaluate our engagement.

I spent the rest of the night crying, feeling the weight of my parents’ choices crashing down on my own relationship.

“You need to talk to him,” my mother said, giving me a cup of coffee. “Just go to him.”

I joined him at the hotel. We barely spoke, the silence heavy with everything left unsaid. I didn’t know if Adam still wanted to be together or not. I suggested that we move to my grandmother’s house for the rest of our stay so that we could talk about everything while still being comfortable.

“Yeah,” he said. “That’s okay with me because this hotel is too cold anyway.”

There was a coldness between us that hadn’t been there before.

“I’ve never kept secrets from you,” I told him. “I didn’t know how to bring it up. It’s not something that I like talking about because I struggled to understand it myself.”

Adam sighed, rubbing his temples.

“I get it. But this feels too close to home, Sasha,” he said. “I just need some time.”

We spent the rest of the week at my grandmother’s house, trying to finish the family visit in the best spirits we could muster. My parents apologized to Adam, but it didn’t matter anymore.

It wasn’t about them. It was about the fact that their actions had triggered my fiancé. On the drive home, Adam and I decided that we wanted to stay together and see where life took us.

“But I think we need to go to therapy,” I said, handing Adam a drink.

“I think that’s a good idea,” he said, biting his lip. “Because I need to uncover my own trauma before accepting your parents.”

Now, Adam and I have started talking about everything. From his fears, my shame, our future. We could only heal from this.

What would you have done?

If you enjoyed this story, here’s another one for you.

My Entitled Parents Demanded That I Give Them My New House — My In-Laws Suddenly Stood up for Me

When Carina’s parents kick her out after high school, she has no choice but to navigate her way around life. Years later, after making a success of her life, and her wedding is around the corner, she reaches out to them, only for them to storm into her life, trying to take ownership of what she has worked so hard for.