Jennifer Aniston has said there is “an entire generation” of people who will look back on episodes of Friends and find them “offensive”.
anistone he said the culture had changed dramatically from the days of the hit sitcom in the 1990s to the early 2000s.
Speaking to AFP in Paris, he said it became “difficult” because “you have to be very careful, which makes it really difficult for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make a fool of ourselves, we make a fool of life.” .
The 54-year-old star said in the past people could joke ‘about a bigot and laugh – it was hysterical’.
Reflecting on the show, Aniston added, “There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now returning to episodes of Friends and finding them offensive.
“There were things that were never intentional and others… well, we should have thought about that, but I don’t think there was a sensibility like there is now.”
The actress, who is promoting her new comedy film, Murder Mystery 2, with Adam Sandler He said, “We can’t take ourselves too seriously.
“Everyone needs fun! The world needs humor!”
Over the years, the show has come under a lot of scrutiny for its lack of diversity and for no longer featuring Black and Asian characters.
The hit show followed the lives of six twentysomething friends living in Manhattan, New York and was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
In 2020, co-creator Kauffman admitted she “hasn’t done enough” to encourage diversity in the hit TV comedy.
It featured stars Courtney Cox, anistone, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perri AND David Schwimmer – that they are all white.
Speaking at a television festival that year, Kauffman said: “I wish I knew then what I know today. Sorry, I just wish I knew then what I know now. I would have made very different decisions.
“I mean, we’ve always encouraged diversity people in our company, but I haven’t done enough and now all I can think about is, what can I do?”
Cast of Friends at the Emmy Awards in Los Angeles in 2002. Photo: AP
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Kudrow, who played Phoebe Buffay, defended the show and said he was “very progressive”.
He told The Sunday Times in 2020 that fans should look at the show as a “time capsule”, saying it would now be “completely different”.
She said, “Well, it wouldn’t be an all-white cast, for sure. I’m not sure what else, but, to me, it should be seen as a time capsule, not what they’ve done wrong.”
The popular sitcom ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004 and won several awards, including the Golden Globe for Best Performance and the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series.
