“In terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane,” Adam Goldberg, who played the roommate of Matthew Perry’s Chandler on the iconic TV show
Adam Goldberg is speaking out about his time on Friends — and the lack of diversity seen on the hit TV series.
In an interview with The Independent, Goldberg — who played Eddie, the quirky roommate of Chandler (Matthew Perry) for three episodes in 1996 — criticized the show’s lack of diversity. Jokingly questioning “how the hell” the characters afforded to live in their nice apartments in the city, Goldberg said the show offered an “incredibly unrealistic portrayal” of New York City to viewers.
“In terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane,” he shared. “I’ve heard Black people speak about this and it’s like, you never expected to see yourself, so when you didn’t, it was not a surprise, and you ended up identifying to characters, irrespective of their race.”
He noted that the lack of diversity was the “norm” at the time, adding, “I mean, I spent a lot of my career complaining about how Italians can play Jews,” he added. “You see [Robert] De Niro play[s] Jews but you very rarely see someone who’s a known Jewish actor playing Italian.”
He went to reflect on his own experiences in the entertainment industry.
“I would get feedback about not being all-American enough, which, you know, if you were to say that to somebody now you’d probably be fired,” he shared. “Or maybe not, because all-American has become such a derisive term.”
At the time, he said it wasn’t just Friends that left out inclusive representation of all people. In many cases, “it was just the norm that there was such a lack of diversity.”
“The entire culture was like that, and television was just an amplification of that culture,” he said.
Regardless, the How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days alum said he has always been grateful for his stint on the famous sitcom — even if it was just for three episodes.
“I’m so happy to be part of the show’s legacy. I love it,” he told the outlet. “I think about all those guys, and how incredible someone like Jennifer Aniston is, who’s managed to have this really pretty expansive career. And it’s really remarkable, because I think it must be very, very, very hard to have been part of something that was so insanely popular and not solely be identified by it.”
The Friends showrunners have addressed the show’s lack of diversity in the past, saying many things would have been different about the show if it took place in the current age.
“If we did Friends today, no, I don’t imagine they would probably end up being an all-white cast,” executive producer Kevin Bright told The Hollywood Reporter in 2021.
“We would be so aware,” he said. “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.”
In 2022, creator Marta Kauffman also opened up about the series’ lack of diversity.
“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” Kauffman said in an interview with 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.”
