Lisa Kudrow returns to Emmys red carpet after 7 years

Lisa Kudrow made her first Emmys red carpet appearance in seven years on Monday, bringing her 28-year-old son, Julian Stern, as her date to the 78th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Peacock Theater. 

Kudrow, nominated this year for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Valerie Cherish in the final season of HBO's The Comeback, wore a sleek all-black gown paired with a matching blazer, while Stern coordinated in a classic black suit.

It was Kudrow's first Emmys appearance since 2019, though she's no stranger to the Television Academy's recognition, she previously won an Emmy in 1998 for playing Phoebe Buffay on Friends, and has earned 16 Emmy nominations across her career, including two prior nods for The Comeback's first two seasons. 

Kudrow faced stiff competition in her category this year, going up against Quinta Brunson for Abbott Elementary, Ayo Edebiri for The Bear, Elle Fanning for Margo's Got Money Troubles, and previous winner Jean Smart for Hacks.

Stern, Kudrow's only child with husband Michel Stern, made his own television debut in Season 3 of The Comeback, playing an AI trainer named Evan alongside his mother, a role he's described as a "genuine dream come true." 

He's previously joked that as a child, he saw his mom's Friends Emmy less as a prestigious award and more as "the coolest action figure I had ever seen," recalling how he used to stage elaborate battles with her Friends bobbleheads.