Matthew Perry reportedly ruled out filming a storyline that involved his character Chandler Bing sneaking into a gay bar because he loves the tuna melts it serves.
The actor starred in the hit sitcom from its first episode in 1994 until the final season aired 10 years later.
In a new book, Generation Friends: An Inside Look at the Show that Defined a Television Era, writer Saul Austerlitz recalls the moment Perry was pitched the storyline.
Friends has faced retrospective criticism by viewers who notice that many of the jokes in the show were homophobic in nature.