From Plot Twists to Props: 16 Stars Who Worked Through Pregnancy on Hit TV Sets

From Friends to Grey's Anatomy, see how hit shows hid (or highlighted) star pregnancies and meet the children, like Julian Murray Stern and Coco Arquette, today.

By: AXL Media

Published: Mar 21, 2026, 5:55 AM EDT

Source: People

The Friends Era: Lisa Kudrow and Courteney Cox

The Friends set saw two very different approaches to pregnancy. In 1997, Lisa Kudrow’s pregnancy with son Julian Murray Stern was written into the script as a surrogate storyline for Phoebe Buffay. Julian, now 27, recently accompanied his mother to the season 3 premiere of The Comeback on March 19, 2026. Conversely, when Courteney Cox became pregnant with daughter Coco Arquette (now 21) during the final season, the show used oversized coats and scarves to hide her bump, as her character Monica Geller was established as unable to conceive.

Creative Concealment: Sarah Jessica Parker and Ellen Pompeo

Producers often get inventive when a pregnancy doesn't fit the plot.

Sex and the City: For Sarah Jessica Parker's pregnancy with James Wilkie (now 23), season 5 was shortened to just 13 episodes to accommodate her October 2002 due date.

Grey’s Anatomy: In 2009, Ellen Pompeo’s pregnancy with Stella Luna was hidden by a plot where her character, Meredith Grey, donated part of her liver, allowing the actress to film most of her scenes from a hospital bed.