Jennifer Aniston Reacts to ‘Friends’ Criticism

Jennifer Aniston is opening up about the criticism surrounding Friends. Ahead of the release of her latest Netflix movie Murder Mystery 2, Aniston discussed the evolution of comedy in TV and movies, acknowledging that “comedy has evolved” and views surrounding Friends have changed over the years.

Speaking with AFP in Paris, the actress said, “there’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive.” The Emmy winner, who starred as Rachel Green in the hit NBC comedy, added that “there were things that were never intentional and others … Well, we should have thought it through, but I don’t think there was a sensitivity like there is now.”

Friends is among the most popular sitcoms, running for 10 seasons from 1994 until 2004 and starring Matthew Perry, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc. While the show still remains popular, it has faced some criticism, namely for its lack of diversity. Throughout the show’s entire run, Friends only introduced two recurring characters who were people of color. The show has also been called out for dialogue and storylines that some viewers deem sexist, homophobic, and fat-shaming.While those topics may have gone under the radar when the show first premiered, or at least didn’t stir up widespread controversy, Aniston things have become “tricky” in the comedy world.

“Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life,” she said. “[In the past] you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh – that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we’re not allowed to do that.”

Aniston is not the first person connected to Friends to address the show’s criticism. Speaking to The Hollywood Reporter in May 2021, executive producer and director Kevin Bright said, “If we did Friends today, no, I don’t imagine they would probably end up being an all-white cast.” Co-creator Marta Kauffman, meanwhile, apologized for the lack of Black actors on the show and pledged $4 million to the African and African American Studies program at Brandeis University last June.