Huge pop star's mum makes surprise appearance in Friends in unearthed clip

Daily Mirror

14-07-2025

The actress - and now mum to one of the biggest popstars of her generation - appeared in an old episode of Friends, performing alongside Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani
Long before her daughter was selling out arenas around the world, Maggie Baird was an in-demand actress with roles on shows including The X Files, Curb Your Enthusiasm, Charmed and Friends.
Now 66, Maggie is also known as mum to What Was I Made For? singer Billie Eilish, 23, and her singer-songwriter brother Finneas, 27.
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Colorado-born Maggie made her TV debut in 1981 in American soap opera Another World, before stepping onto the Broadway stage and becoming a member and teacher of an improv comedy troupe in Los Angeles, working alongside stars such as Will Ferrell and Melissa McCarthy.
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In 1999 she appeared in Friends, playing casting director number two in an episode called The One Where Joey Loses His Insurance.
The season six episode features Joey auditioning for a dog food advert while trying to hide his pain caused by an untreated hernia.
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When a clip featuring Maggie and Matt LeBlanc resurfaced on social media recently, some people accused Billie of being a 'nepo baby' - and it didn't go down well with Billie's brother Finneas.
Following comments such as "Another celebrity helped by Hollywood's roots lol" and "She's been part of Hollywood since her youth", Finneas addressed the topic from his own official Instagram account.
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He wrote: "Ah yes, the classic, 1 day of work on 1 episode of friends to make someone rich and famous- the whole gag of this video is none of you had any idea at all who she was."
As well as releasing her own country music album and having larger roles in Bones and Six Feet Under, Maggie has also worked as a voice actress in computer games such as the EverQuest II series, Final Fantasy XIII, and the Saints Row series.
Billie and Finneas' dad Patrick O'Connell, 67, was also an actor, with credits on Broadway as well as on TV series The West Wing and NYPD Blue.
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Addressing what it was like witnessing her parents try to succeed in such a fiercely competitive industry, Birds of a Feather singer Billie once said : "For years, I saw my parents beat up over the fact that they didn't have it better."
She continued: "My dad is the best actor I've ever seen. And my mom can do all these voices and characters – she's incredible. So I wish they'd had more recognition."
As well as working, Maggie and Patrick also homeschooled Billie and Finneas, and Billie has since said how beneficial it was to her growing up. "I learned how to do math by cooking with my mom,' she said. 'I learned, like, how to build sh*t from my dad."