Jennifer Aniston Says A 'Whole Generation' Finds 'Friends' Offensive & Comedy Has Changed
"I don't think there was a sensitivity like there is now."
Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston and Lisa Kudrow. Right: Jennifer Aniston at the 2020 Golden Globe Awards.
Jennifer Aniston is looking back on her Friends legacy and opening up about how comedy has changed since then.
In an interview with the AFP, the Murder Mystery actress shared how "tricky" it is for comedians these days and how the same "sensitivity" around the genre wasn't around when she filmed Friends over 20 years ago.
The 54-year-old actress starred as Rachel in Friends for 10 years from 1994 to 2004, and while the show remains a streaming hit, it has faced criticism for its lack of diversity.
She says comedy and film have evolved since then.
"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 said.
Aniston also told AFP that back in the day, "you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were," she said, adding that now actors are "not allowed to do that."
Then the actress used Friends to explain how the show is viewed today compared to when it first aired.
"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."
During her interview, Aniston noted that people need comedy in their lives and it should be taken more lightly.
"Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can't take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided."
This isn't the first time Friends has been brought up in terms of changes that would've been made to the show if it aired in recent years.
In 2022, the co-creator of the sitcom Marta Kauffman, discussed the show's criticism over its lack of diversity, as reported by Entertainment Tonight.
"I've learned a lot in the last 20 years. 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," she said.
As for Aniston, she's starred in plenty of comedies since her days on the Friends set.
She's currently been promoting her film Murder Mystery 2 in Europe with her co-star Adam Sandler.
The film, which is a sequel to the 2019 film Murder Mystery, comes out March 31 on Netflix.