'The world needs humor': Jennifer Aniston on 'a whole generation of people' who finds ‘Friends’ offensive
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Every time the Rembrandts' started singing: "So no one told you life was going to be this way?" followed by three claps made most people around the world giddy. Let's be real, 'Friends' is iconic, you can choose to love it or hate it but you sure can't ignore it. The kind of cultural impact it had on people was unbelievable, be it Jennifer Aniston's hairstyle that was nicknamed "The Rachel" was being copied by women and teenagers around the world. That is not all, how can one forget Matt LeBlanc's Joey's catchphrase, "How you doin'?", it undoubtedly became one of the most used and popular pick-up lines. Aniston recently said that "there is a whole generation of people" who don't like 'Friends,' and perhaps people of the newer generation cannot relate or find it offensive. Needless to say, except for Aniston and LeBlanc there were four more members in this reel and real-life 'Friends' group which included Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer,
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Sensitivity surrounding comedy
The 'Friends' alum reflected on how the entertainment landscape has changed since the era of the sitcom, which debuted on NBC in 1994, acknowledging that a new generation of viewers now finds the series "offensive." While promoting her upcoming film 'Murder Mystery 2,' Aniston explained that comedy is more complicated today than it used to be. "Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved," she said to the AFP podcast in Paris. "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." The actress then switched her focus to 'Friends' specifically, pointing out that when the show was airing in the 1990s, it was funny and people looked past some of the potentially more controversial takes the sitcom had. “There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of 'Friends' and find them offensive,” she said. “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.” Aniston also told the news agency it was a tragedy that the sensitivity surrounding comedy may be why there are fewer comedies in recent years than there used to be. “Everybody needs funny,” the Rachel Green actress said. “The world needs humor! We can’t take ourselves too seriously, especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided.”
I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too
In 2021, there was a 'Friends: The Reunion' where the OG cast reunited along with, the OG show creators, Marta Kauffman and David Crane, Kevin S. Bright. The special showcased the main cast revisiting the sets of the original show (such as the 'Friends' apartments, the Central Perk coffee shop, and the signature water fountain), meeting with guests who appeared on the show as well as celebrity guests (like Justin Bieber, and Lady Gaga), they also did table reads and re-enactments of some of the iconic episodes. As we know the special aired 17 years after the final episode of 'Friends' episode, however, the special drove more subscriptions to HBO Max in its opening weekend in the country than any of Warner Bros.' new movies in 2021.