The sitcom F.R.I.E.N.D.S has been the definition of a cult classic for as long as we have known. With a huge fan following that still loves the show even after decades of its ending, it has always been seen in a positive light. Jennifer Aniston, who played the role of Rachel Green on the show, brought a different kind of attention to the show in a recent interview.
Jennifer Aniston says people find Friends problematic
In a recent interview while promoting her new Netflix movie “Murder Mystery 2,” Jennifer pointed out that, “There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of ‘Friends’ and find them offensive.”
She mentioned that a lot of offensive things in the show were not intentional, and the others could have just been approached and thought out better. She also added that the kind of sensitivity that exists today did not exist back then. Taking into consideration that the show first aired in 1994, Jennifer makes a valid point.
Here’s how Twitterati reacts after Jennifer’s comment
A Twitter thread quoting what Jennifer said went viral, and fans had a lot of opinions about the show. People pointed out how the show lacked racial diversity. Some people alleged that the show portrayed the LGBTQ community negatively. Not only was there an absence of a whole lot of LGBTQ characters but whenever the characters Carol and Susan were featured in an episode they were often treated as the “punchline” of the joke.
A few also pointed out the questionable outlooks of the male characters and called them out for being sexist. Before Jennifer Aniston’s comment went viral, the male characters’ opinions being problematic was a topic of discussion among several TikTok users. A user made a compilation of moments that were controversial. Some of them were Chandler saying that there has to be something wrong with a woman if she is eating alone and Ross saying that it is weird for a man to be a nanny.
A lot of people from Gen Z also came forward to remind people to keep in mind that the show aired in 1994 and should be viewed in the context of its time.