Jennifer Aniston recently shared how comedy has evolved and how a lot of people today find the iconic sitcom “Friends” quite offensive and body-shaming. Read on to learn more!
Jennifer Aniston has been one of the biggest Hollywood celebrities for decades. She is known for playing versatile roles and characters in every project she works on. The Murder Mystery lead actress has worked for over three decades in the comedy genre.
However, the iconic character of “Rachel Green,” played by her in one of the most popular sitcoms ever made, Friends, is something that is still very much attached to her perceived persona. Jennifer Aniston’s friend’s haircut and even what she ate as her character are immensely popular even today. Wherever she goes, some fans still acknowledge her as Rachel and talk about the show and how much they love her character.
Recently, while promoting her new upcoming Netflix movie, “Murder Mystery 2,” she spoke candidly about how comedy has changed and how it has become immensely tricky for comedians today to do what they are supposed to do without hurting the sentiments of the viewers.
What Exactly Did Jennifer Aniston Say Latest On Friends?
She spoke about how, back in the day, they didn’t have to think much about the jokes and punches they made during the show because people were not overtly sensitive and could make fun of themselves. But now that times have evolved, so have the movies, and one needs to be very careful about making fun of certain things and topics, as it can be easily perceived as intentional shaming and hurting, Aniston said (non-verbatim).
The debut of the NBC comedy series “Friends”, was made in 1994 and ran until 2004. There were a total of eleven seasons. The core cast also included Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc, in addition to Jennifer. Many people have decried the show in recent years and labeled it sexist and homophobic. They even criticized it for supposedly fat-shaming people.
To which the Cake lead actress said something along these lines:
An entire generation of young people is now revisiting episodes of “Friends” and finding them offensive. Certain things weren’t done on purpose. We should have given it more attention, but I don’t believe there was the same level of sensitivity then as there is now.
She further said something non-verbatim:
“In the past, it was possible to “joke about a bigot” on television and have viewers laugh, but that is not the case anymore. And it was about showing people how silly individuals were. We are no longer permitted to do that.”
The Break-Up film actor added that “she believes the world is currently too divided and that humor is especially needed in these circumstances because we cannot take ourselves too seriously, especially in the United States.”
It was not only Aniston who spoke about how things have changed drastically as far as comedy and levity are concerned. Many people in the Friends cast have spoken about the same and how today the show can be easily perceived as something offensive.
Over the years, there have been a lot of incidences that sparked controversies around the popular sitcom. For instance, Lisa Kudrow, a fellow cast member of Friends, sparked debate when she declared that if the program ever returned, it would not have an all-white cast.
When discussing how the show was quite progressive for its time, Kudrow, who portrayed Phoebe on the show, said, “There was a guy whose wife learned she was lesbian and pregnant, and they raised the child together. We also used surrogacy. It was progressive at the time.”
Besides, Marta Kauffman, who was one of the co-creators of the NCB sitcom Friends, made amends and acknowledged how there was a lack of representation of different races and ethnicities in the casting of the popular TV show. She said to the Los Angeles Times:
“During the past 20 years, I’ve learned a lot. Recognizing and admitting your guilt is difficult. Looking in the mirror at oneself hurts. I regret not having known better 25 years ago. There was no conscious choice made back then. These six individuals made up our cast. Hence, it was undoubtedly unconscious. And since it wasn’t literal, it wasn’t because it was based on real individuals.”
She further expanded her thoughts and said something along these lines to the Hollywood Reporter:
“If the pilot had been written today, to get them to behave genuinely during this time, however, a great deal about them would need to change. And as a result, their racial makeup would alter. No, I don’t think Friends would end up with an all-white cast if we made it today.”
What’s In The Pipeline For Jennifer Aniston On The Acting Front?
Jennifer Aniston’s new movie, “Murder Mysteries 2,” has recently released on Netflix on March 31, 2023; it also stars Adam Sandler and is directed by Jeremy Garelick. Later, she will also apparently be seen in Hail Mary and an untitled Sophie Goodhart project.
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Written By Anam Khan~
Anam is a huge movie fan and has a diploma in journalism and mass communication. She is continually immersed in entertainment, Bollywood, Hollywood, Korean pop culture, health, and other creative, non-technical niches. She reads, watches, listens, and writes about these topics all the time. As an avid OTT platform viewer, her go-to activity is watching movies. She is in awe of Rajeev Masand and Anupama Chopra as much as she is of personalities like Shah Rukh Khan or Leonardo DiCaprio since, in her opinion, they bring out the finest in movies for the general public. Watch her decode each and every move of your favorite celebrities offline and online in a full-filmy way whenever you read from her! Connect with her on LinkedIn!
