Zoë Kravitz criticises ‘wild’ ‘homophobic’ content in Friends: ‘Keep that in the 90s’
Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004, has previously been scrutinised for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and themes
By Callum Wells
Zoë Kravitz has criticised some of the ‘homophobic’ content in Friends and other shows from the 1990s, describing some of their jokes as “wild”.
Actress Kravitz made the comments while promoting her new film, Caught Stealing, set in 1998, New York City. Reflecting on the era’s media landscape, she told People, “If you watch Friends now, you’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s…’”
Her co-star, Austin Butler, expressed surprise, asking, “Wow, even in Friends?” Kravitz responded, “Oh, so much in Friends. Like, things that aren’t punchlines are punchlines. It’s wild. We can keep that there.” Butler agreed, adding, “Yeah, keep that in the ’90s.”
Friends, which aired from 1994 to 2004, has been scrutinised for its portrayal of LGBTQ+ characters and themes. One notable example is the character of Helena, Chandler Bing’s transgender parent, portrayed by Kathleen Turner. Despite Helena being a trans woman, the show repeatedly referred to her as “Chandler’s dad” – a decision that has drawn criticism over the years.
Shortcomings in representing transgender characters
In 2022, Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman acknowledged the show’s shortcomings in representing transgender characters. “We kept referring to her as Chandler’s father, even though Chandler’s father was trans,” she told the BBC. “Pronouns were not yet something that I understood. So we didn’t refer to that character as she. That was a mistake.”
Turner herself has expressed regret over taking the role, stating, “Of course I wouldn’t do it now because there would be real people able to do it.”
Lisa Kudrow, who portrayed Phoebe Buffay on the show, has defended Friends‘ progressive elements for its time. “This show thought it was very progressive,” she said. “There was a guy whose wife discovered she was gay and pregnant, and they raised the child together. We had surrogacy too. It was, at the time, progressive.” However, she acknowledged that if the show were created today, it would be “completely different”.
Gay storylines removed by Chinese censors
In 2022, Chinese censors removed gay-related storylines from a re-release of the iconic US series. The NBC show featured a prominent same-sex couple in the form of Ross’s ex-wife Carol and her partner Susan.
However, fans noticed scenes featuring the characters – played by Jane Sibbett and Jessica Hecht, respectively – were absent when the show became available for streaming on various entertainment platforms including Bilibili, Youku, Sohu, Tencent and iQiyi.
In the pilot, conversations between Ross and Joey about Carol’s sexuality had also been tweaked. Also cut was a scene where Joey and Chandler share a New Year’s Eve kiss.
The show had previously aired uncensored in China.