Friends cast still earns $20 million annually — who will inherit Matthew Perry’s royalties?

Even though Friends ended in 2004, the cast never really left the public eye or the wallets.

Over a decade after its last episode, each of the core six continues to earn a whooping $20 million per year from syndication and streaming arrangements.

Friends is a billion-dollar engine for Warner Bros., and the performers earn a 2% share of the syndication revenue, according to Marketplace.

Netflix had Friends scheduled to air until 2019, but fans were alarmed when the platform hinted it might cancel the show.

But Netflix paid a cool $100 million to retain it, a significant increase from the prior $30 million price. And that wasn’t the end of it—AT&T, which purchased Warner, devised a scheme to stream Friends on their service as well.

The agreement would allow Friends to live in numerous locations, perhaps lowering the cost when Friends ultimately departed Netflix for AT&T’s new platform in 2019.

Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer all became household names as Friends soared to popularity, inspiring everything from hairstyles to catchphrases.

The show became their most important legacy, changing each actor’s career in ways they certainly didn’t expect. Even after more than two decades, the fan base and celebrity of Friends continue to sustain their income.

However, Matthew Perry’s untimely death has raised the question of who will receive his friend’s profits. Perry, better known as Chandler Bing, died abruptly on October 28 at his Los Angeles home.

He never married or had children; therefore, his beneficiaries remain unknown. According to estate planning expert Charlie Douglas, this might happen in many ways.

Perry may have specified a beneficiary in his SAG-AFTRA contract, similar to a 401(k) designation, to determine who receives residuals if the actor dies.

He might have set up a trust to control the distribution of his residuals. California’s inheritance rules would take precedence if he did not specify a beneficiary, most likely paying benefits to his parents, who could then pass Perry’s profits on to his half-siblings if they so desired.

Perry left an impact that extended beyond the famous TV show. He freely discussed his difficulties with addiction, particularly in his biography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. His hope? His hope was to be remembered for his encouragement of others in recovery. Therefore, there is a possibility that he donated some of his assets to charity, leaving a legacy that extends beyond his days as Chandler Bing.