Courteney Cox became a global superstar overnight when she landed the role of Monica Geller on *Friends*. Her life changed completely—she became very famous and very wealthy.

Before *Friends*, Courteney’s career was already taking off. She was featured in a famous music video years earlier.

So, how did Courteney feel about playing Monica? And what is she up to these days? Here’s everything you need to know about her.

Courteney Cox Reveals Heartfelt Pain Over Not Getting an Emmy Nomination for Friends!

Courteney Cox became a global superstar overnight when she landed the role of Monica Geller on *Friends*. Her life changed completely—she became very famous and very wealthy.

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Before *Friends*, Courteney’s career was already taking off. She was featured in a famous music video years earlier.

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So, how did Courteney feel about playing Monica? And what is she up to these days? Here’s everything you need to know about her.

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Getting a big break in acting must be thrilling, knowing you’re on your way to something great. For some actors, this happens when they’re young, while others work hard for years before getting their chance in their 30s or 40s.

Once that big break comes, things usually start to take off. For Courteney Cox, that was definitely the case.

The Alabama native first appeared in Bruce Springsteen’s music video for “Dancing in the Dark,” which kicked off her Hollywood career. Soon after, she landed the role of Monica Geller on the hit show *Friends*, and her life changed forever.

These days, Courteney Cox is busy with various projects, has built a wonderful family, and welcomed her children.

She has also been open about plastic surgery and facelifts, and has recently changed her views on the topic.

Here’s everything you need to know about Courteney “Monica Geller” Cox!

Courteney Cox was born on June 15, 1964, in Birmingham, Alabama, as the youngest of four children to Courteney and Richard Lewis Cox. When she was young, she was teased at school because of her last name.

She said, “I hated my last name, but when my dad passed away, I decided to embrace it and keep it going since there was no one else in the family to do so.”

When Courteney was 10, her parents divorced. She lived with her mother and later her stepfather, and the divorce had a lasting impact on her. She mentioned that one of her earliest memories is of her parents’ divorce. She said, “My mum wasn’t a go-getter, so I’m grateful I could see that and become the opposite.”

Courteney didn’t always dream of acting. She initially wanted to be an architect and studied architecture at Mount Vernon College. However, she dropped out and moved to New York City, where she started modeling and worked at a music agency.

Her modeling career was short-lived, but she soon transitioned into acting. In 1985, at age 21, Courteney got her big break, not in a film but in a music video. Director Brian De Palma cast her in Bruce Springsteen’s video for the hit song “Dancing in the Dark.” The video was filmed during a Springsteen concert, and Courteney played an enthusiastic fan in the front row.

At the end of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark” music video, Springsteen brought Courteney Cox up on stage. They danced together to a saxophone solo by Clarence Clemons.

Looking back, Courteney wasn’t thrilled with her dancing in the video. She said, “That wasn’t good dancing on my part. I’d only recreate it as a joke.”

The video was a big hit on MTV, and even though Courteney was only in it for about 20 seconds, it helped her career take off. That same year, she appeared in the film *Misfits of Science*, and two years later, she landed her first major role.

She starred in the popular sitcom *Family Ties* and had smaller roles in films like *Ace Ventura: Pet Detective* with Jim Carrey.

But in 1995, something unexpected happened. Marta Kauffman and David Crane created a new show about six friends living in New York. Courteney Cox was cast as Monica Geller, and it changed her career forever.

In 1993, Kauffman and Crane started working on a new show. It premiered on September 22, and right from the start, it was clear it was going to be a hit.

Today, *Friends* is one of the most famous sitcoms ever, running for 10 seasons and 236 episodes. The final episode was watched by over 50 million people in the U.S. Courteney Cox, along with Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, became a global star.

Marta Kauffman said in 1995, “She’s adorable and smart and really together. She is Monica.”

Courteney Cox said, “I love Monica because she’s a grown-up, and I can bring more of my personality to her. She’s goofy, angry, sarcastic, and a bit naughty. People might see her as the goody-goody, but I think she has more sex appeal than the others.”

Courteney found a lot of herself in Monica. In real life, she’s also what she calls a “neat freak,” just like her character on *Friends*.

Courteney Cox shared that she doesn’t use a lint brush or iron her clothes, but she’s great at picking lint off others. She once noticed she was acting just like Monica while helping John Stewart on his show and thought, “I’m just like Monica. This is kind of scary.”

*Friends* became a huge hit worldwide, and the cast earned a lot of money. In the final seasons, they each made $1 million per episode. Even now, 17 years after the show ended, they make about $20 million a year from reruns because they get a share of the show’s syndication revenue. Netflix paid up to $100 million to keep *Friends* on their platform through 2019.

Today, Courteney Cox has a net worth of about $150 million.

Despite the success and money, Courteney was hurt that she never got an Emmy nomination while all her co-stars did. “It always hurt my feelings,” she told Howard Stern. “When every single cast member was nominated but me, it definitely hurt. I was happy for everyone, but it was tough being the only one left out.”

Courteney Cox said she always wanted her fellow cast members to win awards, but she also wanted to be included sometimes. She never wanted to take anything away from anyone else, just to be part of it.

Even though she didn’t get an Emmy for *Friends*, she did receive awards for her work on other projects. After *Friends*, Courteney starred in the sitcom *Cougar Town* as Jules Cobb, and she was recognized for her role there. In 2010, she got a Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress in a Comedy or Musical Series.

In 2021, she and the *Friends* cast were nominated for an award for their reunion special. Courteney Cox is still active in TV and is currently working on a new show called *Shining Vale*, which is in post-production.

Over the years, Courteney Cox became a global star, as well as a wife and mother. She married actor David Arquette in 1999, and they had a daughter, Coco, in 2004. They divorced in 2013.

Since then, Courteney has been in a relationship with musician Johnny McDaid from the band Snow Patrol.

There have been rumors about Courteney getting plastic surgery and Botox. In 2017, she confirmed that she had used fillers but also mentioned that the world of cosmetic procedures can be quite intense.

Courteney Cox talked about how easy it is to get caught up in cosmetic procedures. She said that doctors often suggest small tweaks that seem harmless at first. Over time, these changes can add up, and you might not notice until it looks different in photos or someone points it out.

Eventually, Courteney decided to stop using fillers and embrace her natural self. She now promotes being yourself and often shares makeup-free photos on Instagram, which can inspire others to do the same.

“I’m as natural as I can be. I feel better because I look like myself. I think that I now look more like the person that I was, I hope I do,” Cox said.

“Things are going to change. Everything’s going to drop. I was trying to make it not drop, but that made me look fake. You need movement in your face, especially if you have thin skin like I do. Those aren’t wrinkles—they’re smile lines. I’ve had to learn to embrace movement and realize that fillers are not my friend. “

In 2022, Courteney Cox used an app to see how she might look ten years older, and many of her followers were surprised by the results. She mentioned in the caption that she probably wouldn’t style her hair that way.

Courteney has also been open about her experience with cosmetic procedures. In 2019, she admitted to using lip fillers because she wasn’t happy with her appearance. However, she stopped using them when she realized she didn’t look like herself.

Courteney Cox now feels great about herself. She says she embraces getting older and is happy with how she looks naturally, without trying to change it. She’s focused on growing and improving in other areas of her life.

Courteney Cox was fantastic as Monica Geller on Friends, and people still love watching the show today.

What do you think about Courteney Cox’s views on fillers and cosmetic procedures? Let us know in the comments! And don’t forget to share this article on Facebook with your friends and family!

The former owner of my car called, desperately asking to recover something he had left under the seat — when I found it, I turned pale

When Samira buys a secondhand car at a dealership, she thinks it a victory because it was something she had done all by herself. But the next morning, the mysterious previous owner of the car calls her, claiming that he left something “alive” under the seat of the car. Will Samira meet him or uncover the secret package by herself?

When I first bought my car, it was supposed to be a small victory. I had left my corporate job to take time off to write my collection of short stories. So, I didn’t want to splurge my savings until something big came my way financially.

It was nothing fancy, just a used Toyota Corolla from the local dealership. The thrill of owning it was enough to make me overlook any thoughts about its previous owner. Whoever they were, they were in my past, and I was cruising straight into my future.

Or so I thought.

But then came that random phone call which changed everything.

It was early, around 7 a.m., and I was in the middle of making my morning coffee when my phone buzzed with an unknown number.

Normally, I’d ignore it, but something about early morning and late-night unknown calls made me answer. I didn’t know if someone needed me.

“Hello?” I said, yawning.

“Hi, is this the new owner of the Toyota Corolla?” a man asked, anxiety in his voice.

“Yes, this is her. Who’s speaking?” I asked, suddenly feeling uneasy.

He took a deep breath.

“Oh, thank goodness! I’m so sorry to bother you, but I need your help. I was the previous owner of the car, and I left something under the seat of the car when I gave it in yesterday morning. You picked it up yesterday, yes?”

“Yes,” I replied, confused about what he was getting at.

“Okay. Good,” he paused. “I need to get my hands on what I left behind. It’s really important. It’s urgent, really.”

What on earth could be so important that he would track me down like this? Was the dealership even allowed to give out personal information?

“What did you leave?” I asked, trying to stay calm.

“It’s something… alive,” he stammered. “Please, ma’am, I need to come and get it as soon as possible. I promise you, I’ll explain when I see you.”

I remained silent for a moment.

Alive? The word echoed loudly in my mind. Was this man serious? What alive thing could possibly be in the car? My mind raced between a baby to a dog to even a package of narcotics that he was brushing off as something alive.

But I knew that I would have noticed something like that.

“Do you want to meet me somewhere or give me your address?” he continued.

I should have probably said no to all of the above. But there was something about him and the panic in his voice that made me hesitate to say no.

“Okay,” I finally said, my voice more firm than I felt. “Come over to my neighborhood. There’s a park not too far away from where I live. I’ll meet you there. I’ll send the address to this number.”

“That’s perfect,” he said, sighing in relief. “Don’t worry, it’s contained for now.”

I hung up and stared at my phone.

“What are you doing, Samira?” I asked myself. “Are you really going to meet a random person?”

But, what would be alive under my seat? My thoughts darted to worse-case scenarios again. What if it was a dangerous animal?

I had no idea what to expect, and that’s what made me nervous.

Twenty minutes later, I was standing next to the Corolla in the cool morning air, waiting for the mysterious stranger to show up.

The neighborhood was still quiet, and I imagined everyone in their homes slowly waking up or making breakfast for their families.

Finally, a man pulled up in an old pickup truck, just as he had texted me to say he would. His eyes scanned the area nervously before landing on me.

“I’m Ben,” he said. “Thank you for letting me come.”

He was younger than I imagined, and probably in his late twenties like myself, with dark hair that looked like he’d run his hands through it one too many times.

There was something endearing about his disheveled appearance, though I could tell he was genuinely worried.

Stop it, Samira, I told myself. This isn’t one of your romantic comedy stories. This isn’t a meet-cute.

“No problem,” I replied. “I’m Samira. So, what exactly did you leave under the seat?”

He didn’t answer immediately. Instead, he opened the driver’s door and dropped to his knees beside the car and reached under the seat. For a moment, nothing happened.

Then, Ben pulled out a small, sealed box with tiny air holes punched into the top. My stomach did a flip as I imagined a tarantula inside the box.

“I’m really sorry to bother you like this,” he said, standing up and holding the box.

“What’s in there?” I asked, almost amused.

“I have a pet gecko at home, and I feed it live insects every day. Yesterday, I stopped at the pet store to pick up some food, including mealworms and roaches, but I must have left the box under the seat when I was unloading the car.”

It took a moment for his words to register with me.

“You left a box of live insects under the seat?” I asked.

“Not by choice,” he replied sheepishly. “I was late to hand over the car as well. So the moment I unloaded everything else at home, I rushed over to the dealership to leave the car… for you.”

“You’re lucky that they didn’t escape,” I said.

Suddenly, a laugh bubbled up inside me before I could stop it, and once it started, it was hard to stop.

He looked at me, confused for a second, before a grin spread across his face.

“I know, it’s ridiculous, right?” he said. “I was so freaked out that I couldn’t even sleep. I kept imagining them crawling around your car, and I just…”

“My goodness,” I exclaimed. “That would have been quite the surprise.”

The thought of driving around with a box full of escaped bugs lurking somewhere under the seat was both horrifying and hilarious.

“I’m really sorry, Samira,” he said, his grin fading into something more genuine. “I didn’t mean to scare you. I just didn’t know what else to do. The gecko, Samson, is actually my little brother’s pet. And as wacky as it is, that kid loves it.”

“No judgment here,” I replied. “I had a pet frog for a solid two weeks as a kid until my mother found it bouncing around my room.”

That was enough to set us both off again. We laughed until tears ran down our faces.

“Let me make it up to you,” he blurted out suddenly. “How about I take you out for a coffee? As an apology for the… bug thing?”

I stared at him, caught off guard by the sudden offer. I hadn’t expected any of this. But at the same time, I felt like I was in one of the romance stories that I wrote.

There was just something about the way he asked, something genuine and a little bit hopeful.

“I… um,” I started to say. “Sure, why not?”

“Great!” he said, his face lighting up. “I know a place not too far away from here. Would you like to go now?”

I laughed at his enthusiasm.

“How about you take me to a car wash to wash away any bugs and my paranoia, and then we can grab a coffee?” I asked, half-joking, half-serious.

“Actually, that’s the least I can do,” he said. “Come on.”

Ben put the box of insects in his truck and locked the door. I threw my keys at him, which he caught perfectly.

As we drove to the car wash, Ben told me all about his little brother, who was living with him.

“There’s a big age gap between us,” he said. “But there’s a really good school two roads away from me. So he’s enrolled there.”

“That’s wonderful,” I said, watching his hands on the steering wheel. “I wish I had a younger sibling to keep me on the straight and narrow.”

When we got to the car wash, Ben ensured that we would take the full package.

“Give her a good wash, guys,” he said.

We went for coffee while the car was being attended to.

And I wondered what was going to happen next…

What would you have done?