Jennifer Aniston says it’s getting harder to make comedies, with the series “Friends” still being criticized by today’s young audiences.
“There’s a whole new generation — young people — who are rewatching Friends and are offended. Some of it was unintentional and some of it could have been more thoughtful. But I think it’s because it wasn’t as sensitive as it is now,” Aniston told AP in an interview on March 29 to promote her new film
The actor says it’s becoming more challenging for comedians. “You have to be very careful. It’s hard because comedy is essentially satirizing people and life. In the past, you could make fun of conservatives. It was just about showing people how weird they are. Now, you’re not allowed to do that,” Aniston added.
Friends first aired on NBC on September 22, 1994 and ended on May 6, 2004, and is considered a monument of the sitcom genre . The content tells the story of the lives of a group of six friends in New York. The series still has a strong appeal to a large audience around the world, and is the most famous program on the Netflix system despite being released more than 25 years ago.
According to Insider , the show has recently received criticism for its lack of ethnic diversity and offensive plot points. In 2020, Lisa Kudrow – who plays Phoebe – made headlines when she said that Friends would not be able to cast all white stars if it were produced in today’s context. Many actors of color were invited to play supporting roles such as Lauren Tom, Gabrielle Union, Mark Consuelos, Aisha Tyler and Craig Robinson. Of which, Aisha Tyler – who plays Charlie Wheeler – had the most screen time with nine out of 236 episodes
After the success of the Friends series , Jennifer Aniston quickly became an A-list star in Hollywood and moved to acting in movies. She was successful with romantic comedies such as The Break-up (2006), Marley & Me (2008), Just Go With It (2011). In 2019, she returned to acting in television after 15 years with the series The Morning Show , winning a SAG award for leading actress in a drama series.
