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30th Mar 2023

Jennifer Aniston hits back at claims Friends is offensive

Kat O'Connor

It may be one of the most iconic sitcoms of all time, but has Friends aged well?

Many viewers believe the comedy is incredibly offensive, but Jennifer Aniston has spoken out in defense of the show that made her a household name.

The actress said things were different when the show first aired in 1994.

Jennifer Aniston

The actress, who played Rachel Green on the show, said times have changed and people are offended by jokes that were once acceptable.

“There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive,” she said in an interview with AFP.

“We can’t take ourselves too seriously”

“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 claimed that comedy is now suffering because of how careful creators have to be nowadays.

“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.”

 

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“[In the past] 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 we need humour, but it is so restricted.

“We can’t take ourselves too seriously,” she stressed.

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