Friends star David Schwimmer clarifies whether Ross and Rachel were really on a break

Now the sitcom star himself David Schwimmer, who played Ross, has revealed his thoughts on the long-standing discussion.

Speaking on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, Schwimmer said: "People are so passionately divided on whether or not [Ross and Rachel] were 'on a break'."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4ZLPo9WYJQ

When asked whether the couple were actually together or not when Ross cheated on Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Schwimmer declared: "Yes, it's not even a question, they were on a break."

The debate arose from season three's 15th episode, during which Rachel broke off her relationship with Ross after he accused her of having an affair with her co-worker Mark. Ross subsequently slept with a woman he met in a bar and, when Rachel found out during their attempted reconciliation, the notorious, "we were on a break" argument commenced.

Whilst appearing remotely on Jimmy Fallon's chat show to promote the US release of his comedy Intelligence, Schwimmer also teased the upcoming Friends reunion special, which was due to arrive on HBO Max in May but faced delays caused by the coronavirus pandemic.

"It's supposed to happen maybe in August, the middle of August, but honestly we're going to wait and see another week or two if we all determine it's really safe enough to do," he said. "And if not, then we'll wait until it's safe."

The special, which is due to be filmed at the Warner Bros Studio in Burbank, California, will see the six Friends stars – Aniston (Rachel), Courteney Cox (Monica), Lisa Kudrow (Phoebe), Schwimmer (Ross), Matt LeBlanc (Joey) and Matthew Perry (Chandler) – reunite to reflect on 26 years of the popular sitcom.

The show's original creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, are also set to appear to reveal behind-the-scenes moments and chat about the cultural juggernaut their show became.

Friends is currently available to watch on Netflix for UK subscribers. Looking for something else to watch? Check out our guide to the best series on Netflix and best movies on Netflix, or visit our TV Guide.