“Friends” co-creator Marta Kauffman explains why the series lacked diversity



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On the CNN special History of the sitcom Sunday, back on the rise of the successful series Friends spoke about what has become a common sentiment in recent years: the show’s lack of diversity. In this special, the subject was broached by former Conceiving Women actress, Sheryl Lee Ralph.

“I have never watched Friends because they couldn’t find a way to add someone of color, ”she said.

Marta Kauffman, co-creator and executive producer of Friends, also appeared on the special. And while she has apologized for the show’s diversity issue in the past, she explained in more detail how it went on Sunday.

“It was, to a certain extent, a product of the time. And my own ignorance, ”admitted Kauffman. “There were black shows and there were white shows. There weren’t a lot of interracial shows.

Friends ran from 1994 to 2004 and featured six White Friends living in New York City, as well as recurring guest stars who were mostly white. With the exception of two of Ross’s girlfriends (David Schwimmer) during the 10-year period. And that’s something Schwimmer admitted to pushing in an interview with The Guardian last year.

But for Kauffman, who said last year that if she had known then what she knows now she would have made “very different decisions,” the show was simply based on the life experiences of her and her. longtime friend, and the other Friends co-creator, David Crane.

“I guess at the time I was thinking, ‘This is what I know. That’s what I know, ”Kauffman said.

History of the sitcom currently aired on Sunday evening at 9:00 p.m. on CNN.

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