https://www.justjared.com/2021/06/23/lisa-kudrow-looks-back-on-being-fired-from-frasier-days-before-landing-friends-role/

Kudrow originally played Roz Doyle on Frasier before getting fired three days into filming the pilot. As she recalled to Howard Stern on Wednesday, Fraiser and Friends both involved iconic director James Burrows. According to Just Jared, Kudrow revealed that out of her Friends co-stars, she was “the only one of the six of us who had to go in and audition for Jimmy. I had one extra audition just for James Burrows. I did it and he went, ‘No notes.’ I left going, ‘That either means she’s beyond help and helpless, just like I always knew,’ or ‘Yeah, it’s perfect. I have no notes.'"

To clarify: Lisa Kudrow was originally cast in the role, but during rehearsals, the producers decided (https://youtu.be/K65AT3csERw?t=571) they needed someone who could appear more assertive in her job and take control over Frasier at KACL, and Kudrow did not fit that role. The creators quickly hired Peri Gilpin, their second choice.

In other words, Kudrow came off as too whiny and/or ditzy.

She played the Roz Doyle role? Not the Daphne role?

Yeah, she was to be Roz. Even as late as shooting the Friends pilot, she says she was expecting to be fired again. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uW0G6UDI-mE)

One thing this article doesn't get right is that it claims she was fired from Frasier, and then auditioned for Phoebe on Friends "days later". The pilot of Frasier was in 1993; the pilot of Friends was in 1994. It wasn't "days later", but likely about a year later.

I saw an interview with one of the creators where he said John Mahoney and Jane Leeves were approved by the network people in their very earliest discussions about the show. Niles was envisioned as a lesser character, but someone sent them a picture of David Hyde Pierce and the resemblance to Grammer started them down the road of making it a bigger role.

^^^ David Hyde Pierce looks nothing like Kelsey Grammer. Pierce is shorter, much, much thinner and he had a full head of hair unlike Grammer. Plus, Pierce's facial features do not resemble Grammer's at all. WTH thinks he looks like Kelsey Grammer? That's almost as ridiculous as saying J.J. Evans from Good Times resembles Michael Evans from Good Times. :lol::crazy::confused: