Jennifer Aniston Says 'There's a Whole Generation of People' Who Find 'Friends' Offensive

"Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved. Now it's a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians," the actress said

By Kimberlee Speakman

Published on March 30, 2023 08:44 AM

Jennifer Aniston wearing Versace arrives at the Los Angeles Premiere Of Netflix's 'Murder Mystery 2' — Photo: Image Press Agency/NurPhoto/Shutterstock

Jennifer Aniston is taking a look at Friends through the modern lens.

While promoting her new movie Murder Mystery 2, the actress, 54, admitted to the Agence France-Presse news agency that there were things that could be seen as funny during the iconic show's run in the late 1990s and early 2000s that may not be seen as funny now.

"There's a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive," Aniston said. "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."

She told AFP that things have "evolved" in the comedy world, and there's a shorter list of what can be joked about in recent years.

"Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved," said Aniston. "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."

The Morning Show actress said that in previous comedies, "you could joke about a bigot" and audiences would "have a laugh" and find it "hysterical." "And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we're not allowed to do that," she explained.

Her comments come nearly a year after Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman admitted in an interview with the Los Angeles Times that there were some aspects of her hit sitcom that could have been better, highlighting in particular the lack of diversity in the cast.

"I've learned a lot in the last 20 years," Kauffman told the outlet. "Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It's painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know better 25 years ago."

Kauffman and fellow creator David Crane, as well as director and executive producer Kevin Bright previously acknowledged to The Hollywood Reporter in 2021 that if the series were made today, the racial makeup of its six main stars would be different.

Kevin Bright, Marta Kauffman and David Crane. John Lamparski/Getty

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"If we did Friends today, no, I don't imagine they would probably end up being an all-white cast," Bright, 67, said in the piece, which came on the heels of the Friends reunion special on HBO Max.

"We would be so aware," he added. "So much would change, but to get them to behave realistically within this time, there would be a lot that would change about them. And the racial makeup of them would change because of that."