Jennifer Aniston: A ‘whole generation’ finds ‘Friends’ ‘offensive’ today

nypost.com:

“Murder Mystery 2” star admitted in an interview with the international AFP news agency while promoting her new film in Paris“Friends” aired from 1994 to 2004 and has been criticized in recent years for its absence of diversity in casting and storylines.Throughout the 10-year run of the show, the sitcom continued to whitewash New York City and rarely featured a character of color. “Friends” only introduced two recurring characters of color, both of whom were brought on as short-lived love interests for Ross.“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,” Aniston, 54, said about some of the show’s more controversial plot lines that would likely fall prey to “cancel culture” in 2023.“Comedy has evolved — movies have evolved,” the Emmy-winning “Morning Show” star added. “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 went on to recall how comedians “could joke about a bigot and have a laugh” back in the day. “That was hysterical,” she said, ” and it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were, and now we’re not allowed to do that.”Aniston also believes that the world would be a much sadder place without humor. “Everybody needs funny,” she pointed out. “We can’t take ourselves too seriously.

Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided.”As for the lack of diversity present in “Friends,” star Lisa Kudrow got candid about how the show’s writers struggled with including characters of color during the 10-season run.“The Comeback” Emmy winner, 59,.