Jennifer Aniston has said there is a “whole generation” of people who are going to look back at Friends episodes and find them “offensive”.
Aniston said the culture has changed dramatically since the days of the hit sitcom in the 1990s to early 2000s.
Speaking to AFP in Paris she said it has become “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”.
The 54-year-old star said in the past people could joke “about a bigot and have a laugh – that was hysterical”.
Reflecting on the show, Aniston added: “There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive.
“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.”
The actress, who is in the middle of promoting her new comedy movie, Murder Mystery 2, with Adam Sandler said, “we can’t take ourselves too seriously.
“Everybody needs funny! The world needs humour!”
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Over the years, the show has come under much scrutiny for its lack of diversity and for not featuring more black and Asian characters.
The hit show followed the lives of six friends in their 20s living in Manhattan, New York and was created by David Crane and Marta Kauffman.
In 2020, co-creator Kauffman admitted she “didn’t do enough” to encourage diversity on the hit TV comedy.
It featured stars Courteney Cox, Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer – who are all white.
Speaking at a TV 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’ve made very different decisions.
“I mean, we’ve always encouraged people of diversity in our company, but I didn’t do enough and now all I can think about is, what can I do?”
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Kudrow who played Phoebe Buffay defended the show and said it was “very progressive”.
She told The Sunday Times in 2020 that fans should look at the show as a “time capsule”, saying it would be “completely different” now.
She said: “Well, it would not be an all-white cast, for sure. I’m not sure what else, but, to me, it should be looked at as a time capsule, not for what they did wrong.”
The popular sitcom went on for 10 seasons between 1994-2004 and won many awards, including the Golden Globe for best performance and Emmy for outstanding comedy series.
