Jennifer Aniston Says "There’s A Whole Generation Of People" That Finds "Friends" Offensive Because Comedy Has Evolved

Jennifer Aniston Says "There’s A Whole Generation Of People" That Finds "Friends" Offensive Because Comedy Has Evolved
Skip To ContentBuzzFeed HomepageQuizzesTV & MoviesShoppingVideosNewsTastySign InSearch BuzzFeedSearch BuzzFeedlol Badge Feedwin Badge Feedtrending Badge Feed

Browse links

Pop Culture

TV & MoviesCelebrityBest of the InternetAnimalsMusicRewindBooksLGBTQ

Quizzes

LatestTrendingFoodLoveTriviaQuiz Party

Shopping

LatestHomeFashionTechBeauty & Personal CarePetsSports & FitnessBuzzFeed Merch

Video

LatestCocoa ButterNEW!Mom In ProgressWorth ItUnsolved True CrimeUnsolved SupernaturalMultiplayerPero LikeCocoa Butter

Lifestyle

As/Is: StyleBringMe: TravelGoodful: WellnessNifty: DIYParentsFoodWeddingsSex And LoveTasty HomeNEW!

Community

What is Community?Join Community!Featured PostsLeaderboard

From Our Partners

Spring Picks for ParentsComing HomeBlack is You, Black is MeTwisted TraditionsNew Years Revolution

About

About UsAdvertiseInvestor RelationsJobsNewslettersEditionUSUKAustraliaBrasilCanadaDeutschlandIndiaJapanLatamUS residents can opt out of "sales" of personal data.Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information © 2023 BuzzFeed, Inc PressRSSPrivacyConsent PreferencesUser TermsAccessibility StatementAd ChoicesHelpContactSitemap

BuzzFeed News

Reporting on what you care about. We hold major institutions accountable and expose wrongdoing.

BuzzFeed Tasty

Search, watch, and cook every single Tasty recipe and video ever - all in one place!

BuzzFeed Goodful

Self care and ideas to help you live a healthier, happier life.

BuzzFeed Bring Me

Obsessed with travel? Discover unique things to do, places to eat, and sights to see in the best destinations around the world with Bring Me!

BuzzFeed As Is

Something for everyone interested in hair, makeup, style, and body positivity.Celebrity·Posted 19 minutes ago

Jennifer Aniston Says "There’s A Whole Generation Of People" That Finds "Friends" Offensive Because Comedy Has Evolved

"There were things that were never intentional and others... well, we should have thought it through."

briangalindo-v2-4223-1561296880-0_large.jpg?downsize=120:*&output-format=jpg&output-quality=autoby Brian Galindo

BuzzFeed Staff

FacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink

Friends is an absolutely iconic '90s TV show, and is also considered a now all-time classic sitcom.

sub-buzz-415-1680122929-1.jpg?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto

/ ©NBC/Courtesy Everett Collection

And if you're an older millennial or Gen X'er, then you probably remember just how huge of a cultural impact the series had and that it was truly must-see TV.

sub-buzz-2110-1680123132-1.jpg?crop=1665%3A1520%3B0%2C0&downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto

Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

While the show has continued to be wildly popular since it went off the air in 2004, it has in recent years faced lots criticism for its lack of diversity, and for relying on things like homophobia and body shaming (among other things) as a source of punchlines .

sub-buzz-4772-1680126998-1.jpg?downsize=700%3A%2A&output-quality=auto&output-format=auto

Warner Bros / ©Warner Bros/Courtesy Everett Collection

Recently, while promoting Netflix's Murder Mystery 2 in Paris, Jennifer Aniston spoke to AF4 (via Yahoo News!) about how comedy has changed since her days on Friends, saying, "Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved. Now it’s a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life."

sub-buzz-4682-1680128269-1.jpg

Emma Mcintyre / WireImage / Getty Images

She went on to add, "[In the past] you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we're not allowed to do that."

sub-buzz-4696-1680127747-1.jpg

Amy Sussman / FilmMagic / Getty Images

Jennifer went on to say how that evolution in comedy has caused some of the jokes and storylines on Friends to become problematic, saying, "There's a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive."

sub-buzz-4714-1680128566-1.jpg?crop=835:717;0,146

Nbc / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

And while Friends is now an almost 30-year-old TV show and a product of its time, Jennifer did admit that there were probably some things that at the time they probably didn't need to make into a joke: "There were things that were never intentional and others... well, we should have thought it through — but I don't think there was a sensitivity like there is now."

sub-buzz-2252-1680128961-2.jpg?crop=813:565;0,115

Nbc / NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Even though humor has changed, Jennifer thinks there should be more comedy movies and TV shows out there, adding, "Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can't take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided."

sub-buzz-4845-1680130095-1.jpg

Emma Mcintyre / WireImage

You can read the entire interview over at Yahoo! News.

Share This Article

FacebookPinterestTwitterMailLink