Jennifer Aniston Says People Now Find 'Friends' Offensive And "The Beauty Of Comedy" Is Lost On The Younger Generation
Hollywood staple Jennifer Aniston says the younger generation now thinks the show "Friends" is offensive, explaining how comedy has changed a lot over the years.
The hit NBC show "Friends" ran from 1994 to 2004, and it starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, and Matt LeBlanc. Six friends lived together in New York City and frequented a local coffee shop called Central Perk, and the 10 seasons cover their romances and the ups and downs of life. For millennials, it has been hailed as one of the best sitcoms of the late '90s and early naughts. But most of Gen Z has either never watched it or simply doesn't find it funny. Jennifer Aniston said in a recent interview that the younger generation often finds "Friends" to be offensive.
Jennifer Aniston Says People Now Find "Friends" Offensive
Comedy isn't what it used to be. At least, that's what Jennifer Aniston thinks. To promote her upcoming Netflix film with Adam Sandler, Murder Mystery 2, she sat down with AFP in Paris and talked about how the industry has changed. "Comedy has evolved," she said. "Movies have evolved."
The rise of streaming services, which have all but replaced people going to movie theaters, has transformed the way people consume TV and movies. It's not really about the box office on opening weekend anymore. The success of shows and films hinges on how many people will watch from their living room, and what used to be considered entertaining or funny may not pass the cultural litmus test today. Jennifer even pointed out that "Friends," the show that propelled her into stardom, isn't considered very funny anymore. In fact, it could be construed as something completely different.
"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."
Jennifer says things are "a little tricky," and you have to tread lightly as an actor, producer, or writer. This makes it "really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life." She said you used to be able to "joke about a bigot and have a laugh," but those days are gone. "Now we're not allowed to do that," she said.
She also added that this downgrade of comedy isn't a positive thing. "Everybody needs funny!" she said. "The world needs humor! We can't take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided."
On Twitter, the responses were critical of "Friends," primarily about the fact that the cast was all-white even though it took place in New York City, a city that is known for its racial diversity. In retrospect, most shows that were created in the '90s or early 2000s could be deemed offensive in some way or another. NBC's hit show "The Office" was littered with inappropriate jokes related to gender, race, and sexuality (who could forget the infamous episode of season one called "Diversity Day"?).
Murder Mystery 2 is the sequel to the 2019 Netflix film Murder Mystery in which Adam Sandler's detective character takes his wife on vacation, only to find themselves smack dab in the middle of a wealthy man's murder investigation. Jennifer and Adam return to the sequel together.