Jennifer Aniston tears up discussing 'Friends' 30th anniversary: 'Don't make me cry'

Jennifer Aniston is opening up about 30 years of "Friends."

The actress, alongside "Abbott Elementary" creator and star Quinta Brunson, got emotional during an appearance on Variety's Actors on Actors series when asked what it's like to watch the hit NBC sitcom today.

"Oh, God, don't make me cry," Aniston, 55, said while tearing up.

"I won't," Brunson, 34, said. "We won't make each other cry." Brunson then offered to give Aniston "a minute" before adding, "We don't have to talk about it."

Join our Watch Party! Sign up to receive USA TODAY's movie and TV recommendations right in your inbox

Jennifer Aniston got emotional during a conversation with Quinta Brunson about the 30th anniversary of "Friends."
Jennifer Aniston got emotional during a conversation with Quinta Brunson about the 30th anniversary of "Friends."

"Sorry, I just started thinking about … I'm OK, these are happy tears," Aniston said after grabbing a tissue from a producer.

The conversation comes months after her "Friends" co-star Matthew Perry's death in October.

"It's so strange to think that it's even 30 years old. I remember the day it was going to premiere on television on NBC ... the excitement we had, it feels like yesterday," Aniston continued. "The fact that it's had this long, wonderful life and it still means a lot to people is one of the greatest gifts. All six of us. We never could imagine."

Jennifer Aniston recalls last conversation with 'Friends' co-star Matthew Perry: 'He was happy'

The "Friends" cast has continued to pay tribute and reflect on the loss of the late actor.

In a November Instagram post, the actress, who starred as Rachel Green opposite Perry's Chandler Bing, shared a throwback photo of the pair and a clip from the show, in between a screenshot of a text between the two.

"Oh boy this one has cut deep... Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I've never experienced before," she captioned the post. "We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love. Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep."

In a Variety interview with her "The Morning Show" co-star Reese Witherspoon in December, Aniston revealed the late actor was doing well in his personal life before his death.

Death of Matthew Perry from 'effects of ketamine' under investigation by multiple agencies

"He was happy. He was healthy," Aniston said. "He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that's all I know. I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn't struggling."

Perry died from "the acute effects of ketamine," a December autopsy report revealed. Perry was found unresponsive and face-down in the "heated end" of his pool on Oct. 28, according to the report. The Los Angeles Fire Department confirmed to USA TODAY that firefighters responded to Perry's Pacific Palisades home at 4:07 p.m. that day and found "an adult male unconscious in a stand-alone jacuzzi."

The Los Angeles Police Department and other U.S. agencies are investigating the source of the ketamine that led to his death, according to reports from NBC News and ABC News.

Contributing: Edward Segarra

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Jennifer Aniston tears up discussing 'Friends' anniversary