As Friends celebrates its 30th anniversary, the iconic sitcom finds itself in the crosshairs again—not for its humor or cultural relevance, but for a long-standing issue that has never fully left the public sphere.
The much-loved show, which we enjoyed from 1994 to 2004, is still one of the most watched shows in the world, holding a special place in the hearts of millions of people.
But amidst the celebration of its heritage, one of its veteran cast members, Aisha Tyler, chimed in, bringing to light a discussion that has hung over the show for decades: its stunning lack of diversity.
Starting from its Manhattan base, which is more than 67% African American, Hispanic, Latino, or Asian, as per Insight Vacations, Friends had a predominantly all-white leading cast.
Even on the initial broadcast, the audience protested the homogeneous casting of the series and questioned how it was broadcasting such a cosmopolitan city with so little representation.
“I always side-eyed that show. They were in New York and everyone was white,” an online viewer said.
Another wrote, “Friends literally took place in NYC, one of the most diverse places in the world,” while a third called the show “very outdated” and “problematic.”
Tyler, who was introduced in the ninth season of the cast as Dr. Charlie Wheeler, a professor of paleontology and the girlfriend of Ross Geller, was the show’s first—and sole—Black recurring cast member.
Although she made only nine appearances, her employment was a historic landmark for a show that had been criticized for decades for lack of diversity.
In an Entertainment Tonight interview, Tyler recalled feeling nervous when she joined the high-profile show. “My knees were knocking. I was shocked you couldn’t hear my teeth chattering the entire time I was on set,” she said.
She remembered a pleasant memory with late Matthew Perry, who had told her backstage, “Get ready for your life to change.”
As friendly as the welcome was to Tyler from the cast, she was acutely aware of the limitations of the show. Speaking to The Independent, she remembered how everyone used to refer to her as the “Black girl from Friends.“
“It wasn’t something people noticed only in hindsight,” she said. “At the time, people talked quite a bit about the fact that, for a show set in Manhattan, it really lacked diversity.”
Tyler also noted that Friends reflected a then-broad assumption among the industry that “only white stories sold,” one that only recently started reversing in Hollywood.
Other actors have weighed in as well. Adam Goldberg, who appeared in a cameo role as Chandler’s offbeat roommate Eddie, described the show’s lack of diversity as “insane” in an interview with The Independent.
Even co-creator Marta Kauffman has herself freely admitted to her sense of regret. “I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” she told The Los Angeles Times. “It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”
Kauffman has since pledged a generous $4 million to Brandeis University, with the hope of strengthening its African and African American Studies Department in an effort to make amends for the past.
David Schwimmer, the actor who played Ross, was praised by Tyler for “really pushing” for more diversity in casting behind the scenes—a noble cause in an era when one-dimensional storytelling was the norm.
While nostalgia for Friends persists, its legacy is being contested today from a more critical and divergent point of view.
As the show continues to captivate new generations of viewers, Aisha Tyler’s voice serves as a moving reminder that representation is not simply about dialogue; it is actually a serious responsibility.
