In 1996, Brooke Shields guest starred on Friends in what became the most-watched episode of the series thanks to its post-Super Bowl time slot. On top of that, her performance as an obsessive fan of Joey's led to Shields getting her own sitcom, Suddenly Susan. But, while the episode was a hit with fans and life-changing for Shields, it led to a dramatic moment involving Shields' then-partner, tennis player Andre Agassi. The pair, who first got together in 1993, went on to marry in 1997 before divorcing in 1999.
In a new interview with The New Yorker, Shields claimed that Agassi became enraged and "stormed off" the set after watching her film a particular scene with Matt LeBlanch. She also said that he destroyed his own tennis trophies because he was so upset. Read on to find out why.
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Shields played a soap opera fan stalking Joey.
On Friends, Shields played Erika, a fan of Joey's soap opera character Dr. Drake Ramoray. In fact, Erika believes that Joey actually is Drake Ramoray and begins stalking him.
During one scene, Erika and Joey go on a date. She believes him to be a surgeon, so she starts talking about his "miracle, magical, life-giving hands" and then dramatically licks one of them.
"In the scene, I’m supposed to lick Joey’s fingers, because they’re the hands of a genius, and I want to devour them, and I’m a nut," Shields said in the new interview with The New Yorker. "[LeBlanc] was cute—he was, like, 'I’ve washed my hands and they’re all clean.' I was, like, 'I had a mint!'"
Shields said Agassi was upset by the scene.
Warner Bros. TelevisionShields said that Agassi "was in the audience supporting [her], and he stormed out" after she filmed the hand-licking scene.
"He said, 'Everybody’s making fun of me. You made a fool of me by that behavior,'" Shields told The New Yorker. "I’m, like, 'It’s comedy! What is the matter with you?'" She said that Agassi went home and "smashed all his trophies. Who wins for that? That’s just—don’t!"
Shields noted in the interview that Agassi's use of crystal meth probably played a role in what she called his "petulant behavior." Agassi opened up about being on the drug in his 2009 memoir, Open.
"I learned later that he was addicted to crystal meth at that point, so that irrational behavior I’m sure had something to do with that," Shields said.
Best Life has reached out to a representative for Agassi for comment.
Agassi didn't disclose his drug use until after they married.
Featureflash Photo Agency / ShutterstockIn her 2014 autobiography, There Was a Little Girl, Shields wrote that Agassi left the Friends set and drove home to Las Vegas.
"Upon arrival he systematically smashed and destroyed every single trophy he had won, including Wimbledon and the U.S. Open, never mind all the others," Shields wrote (via the Los Angeles Times).
Shields also claimed in the book that her ex-husband opened up to her about his drug use over the phone once they were married. "He explained to me that for the first whole part of our relationship, he had been addicted to crystal meth," the actor wrote.
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Agassi shared his own story.
Featureflash Photo Agency / ShutterstockIn his own memoir, Agassi wrote that he was introduced to crystal meth in 1997—a year after the Friends episode—and that he lied when it was found in his system during a drug test.
"There is a moment of regret, followed by vast sadness," the player said of using crystal meth for the first time (via CBS News). "Then comes a tidal wave of euphoria that sweeps away every negative thought in my head. I've never felt so alive, so hopeful—and I've never felt such energy."
He told People around the time of the book's release, "I can’t speak to addiction, but a lot of people would say that if you’re using anything as an escape, you have a problem."
