George Stephanopoulos may be best known now as an early morning fixture on Good Morning America, but many may remember first hearing of him through an unlikely source.
The journalist first came to national prominence in the early 1990s as a key part of the Bill Clinton administration – as White House Communications Director – and was even considered a sex symbol at the time.
© Getty ImagesIt was this fact that was a driving point of one of the plot lines in an early first season episode of Friends back in 1994, their fourth ever.
The episode was even titled "The One with George Stephanopoulos," featuring the female leads drowning out their respective sorrows at a sleepover.
MORE: GMA's George Stephanopoulos and co-star Lara Spencer to face same bittersweet change in family
MORE: George Stephanopoulos' wife Ali Wentworth makes unexpected comment about 'toxic relationships'
After a pizza delivery intended for George accidentally arrives at their apartment instead, Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), and Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow) spy on a never-seen George across the window, and bond over their shared admiration and attraction.
One of the funniest moments was when the ladies see George — who is, again, never seen on camera — wearing just a towel, imploring him to "drop the towel" and then marveling once it happened.
Because the show was still in its debut season at the time, it would've been difficult to secure a cameo from someone as prominent as George, although chances are they would've been more successful had this episode appeared in one of the later seasons, when Friends was a global sensation.
While George remains a favorite on TV to this day, unlike in the episode, he's now spoken for, having been married to Ali Wentworth since 2001 and parents to daughters Elliott, 20, and Harper, 17.
MORE: George Stephanopoulos celebrates exciting career news with Ali Wentworth
MORE: Ali Wentworth discusses how George Stephanopoulos' fame worked against them
The GMA anchor recently took a week off from the morning news show to spend spring break with his daughters while they were in town.
Ali shared an update on family plans over the weekend, posting a photograph of the celebrity couple at a party, illuminated by the strobe lights, dancing the night away with their close friend, Law & Order's Mariska Hargitay.
Read more HELLO! US stories here!
Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox.
