Lisa Kudrow Shares Her Thoughts on Playing Valerie in “The Comeback” and How It Compares to Phoebe
As Lisa Kudrow prepares to make one final appearance as Valerie Cherish, she looks back on the two-decade journey of her HBO series, The Comeback, as it enters its third season.
“Yes, I have played Valerie longer than I’ve played Phoebe,” Kudrow remarked. “But Valerie’s always there; she’s very right there, close by. She’s the one doing commentary throughout my life.”
Kudrow developed the character of Valerie Cherish during her time at LA’s Groundlings and co-created The Comeback with Michael Patrick King in 2005. The show portrays Valerie as she allows reality show cameras to chronicle her attempts to rejuvenate her career on a new sitcom titled Room and Bored.
Launching from her fictional ’90s sitcom, I’m It, Valerie’s journey parallels Kudrow’s own career, having starred in the immensely popular series Friends from 1994 to 2004.
After a lengthy hiatus, The Comeback returned for a second season in 2014. The third season is set to premiere this Sunday at 10:30 PM ET on HBO and will also be available for streaming on HBO Max.
In this final season, Valerie takes the lead role in a new sitcom, How’s That?, which is penned by an AI program. As cameras once again follow her for this latest career phase, she faces the myriad cultural challenges of Hollywood in 2026.
