Jennifer Aniston says cast should’ve ‘thought through offensive Friends jokes’

Jennifer Aniston has claimed “a whole new generation” finds  Friends  offensive. The 54-year-old, who starred as Rachel Green in the much-loved series, believes some content should have been contemplated more carefully, almost 20 years on from the show coming to an end. Jennifer said kids who are watching old episodes of the sitcom have a whole new reaction to the jokes that were once deemed funny. “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,” she spilled. The actress starred on the series alongside main characters; Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay, David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, and Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani. Friends aired for 10 years and featured many jokes which could now be deemed offensive (Image: NBC) Amongst many jokes throughout the series are running gags about Chandler’s transgender parent, jokes about Monica’s weight, Ross insisting on Ben playing with masculine toys, and siblings Monica and Ross accidentally kissing. Jennifer has said it was now “tricky” to create humorous content such as making “a joke about a bigot”. She added: “That was hysterical. It was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we’re not allowed to do that.’ The actress went on to say how important comedy was to culture, adding: “We can’t take ourselves too seriously. “Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided.” Jennifer Aniston said the team ‘should’ve thought through’ some of the jokes on the series (Image: NBC) Friends creator Marta Kauffman and executive producer Kevin Bright previously responded to backlash about having an all-white cast back in 2021, when the stars got back together for a reunion special. Speaking to the Hollywood Reporter, Kevin claimed casting was based on chemistry the characters had together. He said: “We didn’t intend to have an all-white cast. That was not the goal, either. “Obviously, the chemistry between these six actors speaks for itself.” Marta added: “There are many things that I could say if I only knew then what I know now. Back then, there was no conscious decision. “We saw people of every race, religion, color. These were the six people we cast.” Kevin went on to say that he doesn’t have any regrets about the way the series turned out. “I would have been insane not to hire those six actors. What can I say? I wish Lisa was Black? I’ve loved this cast. I loved the show and I loved the experience.” Marta however said there were “a hundred things” she would now change about the show if she could. “I do have very strong feelings about my participation in a system, but it comes down to I didn’t know what I didn’t know,” she added.