Style Living Self Celebrity Geeky News and Views
In the Paper BrandedUp Hello! Create with us Privacy Policy

Jennifer Aniston says a 'whole generation' of kids finds 'Friends' offensive today

By Ratziel San Juan Published Mar 30, 2023 10:48 am

Jennifer Aniston said that today's generation, including children, no longer finds her hit sitcom Friends funny.

"There's a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive. 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," the award-winning actress told Agence France-Presse of the show that began airing in 1994.

She added that comedies are no longer the same as people nowadays tend to take things too seriously.

"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," Aniston said.

The Friends star, who played the role of Rachel Green, said popular culture has changed much since the '90s.

"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," Aniston said.

The Oscar-nominated actress said it's a tragedy that the high standards set on comedy are possibly limited to the number of Hollywood comedic productions in recent years.

"Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can't take ourselves too seriously, especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided," Aniston said.

Friends is a ten-season show that aired from 1994 to 2004, featuring a group of six friends (played by an ensemble cast including Jennifer) in their 20s and 30s living in Manhattan, New York.

The show won the Emmy for Outstanding Comedy Series and Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series for Jennifer in 2002. The latter also won the Golden Globe for Best Actress—Television Series Musical or Comedy in 2003.