Lisa Kudrow Defends ‘Friends’ From ‘All-White Cast’ Criticisms Ahead Of Reunion Special

Lisa Kudrow shared her thoughts on why “Friends” opted for “all-white cast.”

The NBC sitcom “Friends” was a big hit throughout its run from 1994 to 2004. However, just recently, with its reunion special coming up, “Friends” was met by cancel culture criticisms. Some described it as transphobic, sexist, fat-shaming, racist and even homophobic. Many also questioned why the show had an all-white cast.

Kudrow, one of the six main leads on the show, shared her thoughts on the series. She said that if the show were produced today, it would be entirely different from how it ran almost two decades ago especially in terms of casting.

“Oh, it’d be completely different,” Kudrow told The Times.

“Well, it would not be an all-white cast, for sure. I’m not sure what else, but, to me, it should be looked at as a time capsule, not for what they did wrong. Also, this show thought it was very progressive. There was a guy whose wife discovered she was gay and pregnant, and they raised the child together? We had surrogacy too. It was, at the time, progressive.”

Despite the changes she had in mind, she believe that “Friends” would remain a comedy. She also pointed out that the series was about connecting people. In fact, it still appeals to many people today because the younger generation still have this unconscious nostalgia for personal connection especially during the pandemic and even before that.

Aside from Kudrow, “Friends” also starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer. All six are set to appear in an unscripted reunion special. Initially, it was set to happen this month but was postponed due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Kudrow shared that after the show, no audience had seen them together. Thus, many are looking forward to seeing the reunion.

In reality, all six stars remained close friends after their 10-year sitcom. Kudrow teased fans on what they could expect from the reunion.

“We will reminisce, talk about what was going on behind the scenes. It’s not us playing our characters. It’s not an episode. It’s not scripted,” she said.

“It’s six of us coming together for the first time in I don’t know how long. I am really looking forward to it, because I think that I remember things, but then I talk to Matt [LeBlanc] or Jennifer, and they remember everything. It’s really fun.”

Meanwhile, Bob Greenblatt, Warner Media Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer chairman, gave an update on the anticipated reunion that has been pushed back due to the coronavirus crisis. According to him, it “may go more to a virtual route, if it is delayed too long.”