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'That Black girl from 'Friends'': Aisha Tyler reflects on role that shaped her career after almost 20 yrs

Aisha Tyler was also the first Black person to bag a regular role on Friends since it was first aired in 1994

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Actress Aisha Tyler shares that fans still recognize her from ‘Friends’ even after 20 years. Talking with Entertainment Tonight, she told, "It was a massive show, a global hit. To this day, people come up to me and go, 'Charlie, Charlie,' or they just go, 'Black girl from Friends.'" The 52-year-old star played the character of Charlie Wheeler, a love interest for both David Schwimmer's Ross and Matt LeBlanc's Joey. She was also the first Black person to bag a regular role on Friends since it was first aired in 1994.

"I literally yelled at somebody in the car the other day, 'We were on a break!'" referring to a phrase first Ross amid a wild phase in his on-and-off relationship with Rachel Greene (Jennifer Aniston). During the 2021 interview,' Friends' creators Marta Kauffman and David Crane, and director and executive producer Kevin Bright talked about the sitcom’s lack of diversity. "If we did Friends today, no, I don't imagine they would probably end up being an all-white cast," observed Bright, 68. He told The Hollywood Reporter, "We would be so aware. 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."

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Bringing in the entire white cast, comprising Aniston, Schwimmer, LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, Courteney Cox, and Lisa Kudrow as the leads, many criticized the creator, reports People. However, both Kauffman and Bright defended, "We didn't intend to have an all-white cast. That was not the goal, either," Bright explained.

'Incredibly kind, incredibly welcoming'

"Back then, there was no conscious decision," claimed Kauffman. "We saw people of every race, religion, and color. These were the six people we cast. So, it was certainly not conscious. And it wasn't because it was literally based on people, because it wasn't literal. You get inspiration for someone, you write what you think their voice is going to be, but it wasn't literal" Tyler added. While talking about her co-actors, Tyler remarked, "Incredibly kind, incredibly welcoming."