Jennifer Aniston, who played Rachel Green in the popular sitcom Friends, has commented on the show’s controversial content, saying that there is a “whole generation” of people who find it offensive today.
During an interview with AFP while promoting her new film Murder Mystery 2, Aniston noted that comedy has evolved over the years and that audiences can be shocked by what was once deemed appropriate back in the 1990s.
Aniston acknowledged that today’s climate can make it “really hard for comedians” to create content that resonates with modern audiences.
“There were things that were never intentional and others…well, we should have thought it through,” she said. “But I don’t think there was a sensitivity like there is now.”
The actress stated that comedy and movies have “evolved,” and that this can make it challenging for creators to navigate modern social norms.
She explained that, in the past, it was acceptable to “joke about a bigot and have a laugh – that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were.” However, Aniston claimed that this approach is no longer acceptable, saying that “now we’re not allowed to do that.”
Aniston’s comments come amid growing criticism of Friends for its outdated and offensive content. In 2019, Friends writer Marta Kauffman admitted that the show might not have used “the appropriate terms” when referring to transgender people and would handle the subject differently if it were filmed today. Kauffman noted that the show’s writers lacked knowledge about transgender people at the time and that they “didn’t know those terms back then.”
One of the show’s storylines that has received criticism is that of Chandler Bing’s father, who was played by Kathleen Turner. Chandler’s dad, who had a drag show called Viva Las Gaygas in which he went by the name Helena Handbasket, is seen as insensitive by many viewers today.
Turner has also shared her thoughts on the role, saying that it has not aged well. “It was a 30-minute sitcom,” she told Gay Times. “It became a phenomenon, but no-one ever took it seriously as a social comment.”
Aniston acknowledged that some of the show’s content has not aged well, saying that there were things that the writers “should have thought through.” She also noted that Friends was created during a different time, and that it reflected the social norms of that era.
In conclusion, Jennifer Aniston has commented on the growing criticism of Friends, saying that there is a “whole generation” of people who find it offensive today. She acknowledged that some of the show’s content has not aged well and that modern audiences can be shocked by what was once deemed appropriate. Aniston’s comments reflect the evolving social norms of our time and the challenges that creators face when producing content that resonates with modern audiences.
