‘Friends’ creator admits she ‘didn’t do enough’ for diversity

It’s not exactly “The One With the Apology,” but Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman is finally admitting something that fans of the long-running series have been critical of for years: the show didn’t do enough for diversity. In light of the recent Black Lives Matter movement, in which many white allies are now listening and learning in a serious effort to do better, Kauffman tearfully admitted that she should have done more.The 63-year-old writer, who is also behind Grace and Frankie, addressed a virtual ATX TV…from the Couch audience over the weekend and said that she wishes she knew then what she knows now. “I would’ve made very different decisions,” she said, apologizing. “I mean we’ve always encouraged people of diversity in our company, but I didn’t do enough and now all I can think about is what can I do? What can I do differently? How can I run my show in a new way? And that’s something I not only wish I knew when I started showrunning, but I wish I knew all the way up through last year.”[video_embed id='6000930312001']RELATED: Mahershala Ali sick of being asked about diversity[/video_embed]For those keeping track, this isn’t the first time the issue of race has come up in regards to the series. All six of the main cast members were white, but there was also a major lack of diversity when it came to supporting characters and guest stars. “I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of colour. One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part,” star David Schwimmer told The Guardian earlier this year, referencing guest stars Lauren Tom (Julie) and Aisha Tyler (Charlie).Even more recently Lisa Kudrow spoke out about the show’s lack of representation, telling the Sunday Times just last month that if Friends were to ever be remade it definitely would not feature an all-white cast. “I’m not sure what else, but, to me, it should be looked at as a time capsule, not for what they did wrong,” Kudrow added of the series, which ran from 1994 to 2004.The Vampire Diaries showrunner Julie Plec was also on the ATX panel with Kauffman, and she too admitted that she is also a part of the problem, something she’s even more aware of these days as people seek out shows with predominantly white casts like Diaries, Gossip Girl, Dawson’s Creek and Gilmore Girls for comfort during the current coronavirus pandemic. “That has been the hardest pill for me to swallow, is that I’m part of that group,” she added.

 

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Important to note two things: one, silence doesn’t mean complacency. Continue to amplify the messaging from voices who know more than you do. Also, repeating what I just learned on twitter (thank you @franklinjleonard) don’t use the BLM hashtag because we’re literally accidentally clogging up the phone line of the revolution. ?? ?‍♀️

A post shared by julieplec (@julieplec) on Jun 2, 2020 at 1:16am PDT

Robin Thede, the creator of HBO’s A Black Lady Sketch Show, responded to Kauffman’s comments and apology, according to Page Six, revealing that the way Friends was set up was a part of the larger, systemic problem. “You guys are just as much a part of systemic racism as well because it’s a system. That’s what I keep telling people. It’s not one person being racist ruining everything, it’s a system that was set up by racists to encourage and teach racism and disguise it,” she said. “No one was supposed to know it was wrong, that was the point. We were supposed to look like we were yelling for no reason. We were supposed to look like kneeling was an offense to the flag and not a cry to stop killing us. We’re supposed to be made to look bad and now people know better and when you know better, you do better and that’s all that people are asking for.”[video_embed id='1967866']BEFORE YOU GO: Baby stops her complaining to say hello to a stranger[/video_embed]