'Friends' reunion? No way, says TV comedy's co-creator

Ross, Rachel, Joey, Chandler, Monica and Phoebe are not gathering together for a "Friends" reunion, the co-creator of the global hit TV show says, quashing rampant rumors that a special was in the works for this year.

Marta Kauffman, who co-created the comedy for NBC about six 20-something singles living in New York, said a reunion was never going to happen despite multiple requests over the years to bring them back together.

"I'm going to clear this up right now. No! Not happening," Kauffman told entertainment outlet E! News when asked about the rumors at a red carpet event on Tuesday.

Kauffman also ruled out a reunion of the show's characters on the big or small screen. "'Friends' was about that time in your life when your friends are your family and once you have a family, there's no need anymore," she said.

"I'd rather people go 'Oh Please, Please!' Than 'Oh, I can't believe you did that. It was horrible'," she told E! News.

"Friends," starring Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer began in 1994 and quickly became a world-wide hit. Some 51.1 million Americans alone tuned in for the May 2004 series finale to see Ross end up with Rachel following the earlier marriages of Monica and Chandler, and Phoebe and Mike.

Re-runs of the 10 "Friends" seasons are still in syndication around the world, and rumors of a possible reunion episode set for November 2014 spread like wild fire across the Internet earlier this week.

Movie studio Warner Bros, whose TV unit produced "Friends," said there were no plans for a "Friends" movie.

All six of the "Friends" actors - now in their mid 40s - have gone on to other projects in television and film, both behind and in front of the camera.