After Jennifer Aniston promoted her new Netflix film, ‘Murder Mystery 2’, costarring Adam Sandler, she was asked how she felt about her role in ‘Friends.’ She revealed that comedy and movies have evolved over time, and it is now, ‘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.’
Jennifer Aniston believes that there is a lot of cultural change since the release of ‘Friends’ in 1994. She said, ‘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.’
‘Friends’ had a lack of diversity, which has been a hot topic for years. Series co-creator, Marta Kauffman, expressed remorse about not being more diverse with the characters in the show. She said in the Los Angeles Times, ‘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.’
Although ‘Friends’ is cult beloved by millions worldwide, it’s not immune to negative perceptions. What was commonplace in the ‘90s is unacceptable in the 21st century. However, it’s important to hold these shows accountable for the lack of diversity and representation they contributed to, and it’s admirable that stars like Jennifer Aniston aren’t afraid to speak out about them.
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