Original Twins Who Played Emma on 'Friends' Finally Reveal Why They Were Replaced

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Original Twins Who Played Emma on 'Friends' Finally Reveal Why They Were Replaced originally appeared on Parade.

The twin girls originally cast as Ross and Rachel's daughter Emma on Friends recently opened up about their brief experience on the show in an interview with People.

AthenaConley, who, along with her sister Alexandra, was one of the first young actresses to play Emma Geller-Greene, recently dropped the bomb of their subtle history in Hollywood while participating in a viral TikTok trend, shocking even their closest friends with the news.

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"It's just like a fact that we don't really bring up all that often," Athena admitted. "Or I just assume people know it by now, but they all freak out when they find out."

Related: 'Friends' Actress Tapped for Explosive Memoir Series, Fans Expect a 'Stellar Performance' Given Uncanny Real-Life Parallel

Their tenure on the hit sitcom was not long-lasting, though, as they played the character in just 10 of the 24 episodes she appeared in. As six-month-olds, it wasn't their talents that got them—nor cost them—the role, with Alexandra admitting, "Funny story, actually: they ended up replacing us because I did cry too much."

Unfortunately, that meant Athena was out, too. "They couldn't use just one baby the whole time due to child labor laws, so they had to replace us after season 9 with a new pair of twins," she said.

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The two would go on to graduate from California Polytechnic State University in 2024. Now, Athena lives in Denver, where she's a part-time cheerleader for the Denver Broncos and works as an investment control reconciler for a financial services company, while Alexandra lives in LA and works in social media and marketing for a beauty brand.

Noelle and Cali Sheldon went on to play the role for the rest of the series.

Related: 'Friends' Actress Maggie Wheeler Looks Stunning as She Embraces Gray Hair in Rare Red Carpet Appearance With Another Sitcom 'Legend'

Original Twins Who Played Emma on 'Friends' Finally Reveal Why They Were Replaced first appeared on Parade on Jul 1, 2025

This story was originally reported by Parade on Jul 1, 2025, where it first appeared.