It’s been a growing topic of conversation
Another Friends’ guest star has broke their silence on the lack of diversity in the iconic 90s sitcom.
Friends is timeless – it’s one of the few sitcoms we can have on repeat and not get sick of.
Starring Jennifer Aniston, Courtney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, David Schwimmer and the late Matthew Perry, the show opened its doors to a plethora of celebrities during it’s 10-year run.
However, the diversity amongst those famous faces has come into question decades after the show aired it’s final episode.
The cast of Friends (Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images)
One of those guest stars who has had her say on the matter is Criminal Minds’ Aisha Tyler, who played Joey and Ross’ girlfriend, Charlie Wheeler, in Season 9 and 10.
Tyler was one of the few Black women to feature in the show that ran for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004. Other notable Black women who have featured on the show are Gabrielle Union, Fresh Prince of Bel Air’s original Aunt Viv, Janet Hubert and Black-ish star Jenifer Lewis.
It’s not that there was no diversity in Friends, but for a show set in the heart of Manhattan, a cultural hub, let’s just say if we were being realistic the numbers would have been much higher.
Plus you’re not doing great when listicles have been made tallying the number of Black actors who’ve made it onto the show.
Tyler recently spoke out in an interview with The Independent about the topic and said: “It wasn’t like it was just something that people looked back at later and said, ‘Wait a minute.’ No, at the time, people talked quite a bit about the fact that, for a show that was set in the heart of Manhattan, it really lacked diversity.
Charlie dated Ross on the show before leaving him for her crazy ex. (NBC)
“But we didn’t have social media back then, so it wasn’t the large-scale conversation that it became later.”
As much as being a part of Friends may have seemed like a dream, Tyler remembers being called ‘Black girl from friends’ on the street by fans and adds it was ‘such a common refrain at the time’ – yikes.
Tyler, however, doesn’t have anything bad to say about the show, and simply acknowledges it was a reflection of the industry at the time, pointing out that ‘only white stories sold’.
She said: “They’d say people won’t watch a show with these characters, and now we all know that’s not true.
“But that perspective still persists and there are still people who will say, well, that movie won’t sell overseas if it has a Black lead, and that movie won’t sell in these markets if it has a gay lead.”
She revealed David Schwimmer ‘really pushed’ for more diversity. (Leon Bennett / Stringer / Getty Images)
One thing all Friends’ fans can rejoice in is the fact that, according to Tyler, Schwimmer actually ‘really pushed’ for more diversity, with the actor adding that he was ‘wonderful’.
Tyler is not the only guest star to reflect on the lack of diversity in the show recently, with Adam Goldberg – who played everyone’s favourite crazy roommate, Eddie – also telling The Independent: “In terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane.
“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.
“It was just the norm that there was such a lack of diversity.”
Featured Image Credit: Momodu Mansaray/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images / NBC
