Jennifer Aniston says 'whole generation' finds Friends offensive today

Jennifer Aniston says a ‘whole generation’ finds the American sitcom Friends offensive today.

Friends aired from 1994 to 2004 and over a decade which spawned 234 episodes, brought fans to tears of laughter and despair. It is without question, one of the most popular and beloved TV shows of all time.

However, when it first aired in the 1990s and during the early-to-mid 2000s, things were very different. Humour which was considered acceptable at the time could now be considered offensive today. In truth, as much as I loved the 90s and 2000s, looking back, it was a really weird time.

I was only watching Friends last night and I couldn't help but cringe at one of its segments. It involved Ross Gellar and his divorced wife, now in a gay relationship with another woman.

The mere mention of the two women getting married brought the audience to laughter and a look of total disbelief from Ross, who had long departed with his ex-wife and no longer has romantic feelings towards her.

Back when this episode aired, a lot of viewers (admittedly, including my younger self) would have thought nothing of it, but today during a time when thankfully, we’re more educated and empathetic, I couldn't help but cringe a little inside at what was once considered to be a segment of humour.

As reported by our friends at UNILAD, Jennifer Aniston who played Rachel Green in Friends, was talking to French outlet AFP promoting her new movie, Murder Mystery 2.

“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 went on to explain how today’s sensitivity can make things difficult for comedians. “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,” added the popular actress.

I believe that Friends as a series should be preserved as it is, but at the same time, I’m also glad that comedy has evolved in certain aspects. Friends is available to stream on Netflix.