Friends’ co-creator on sitcom’s lack of diversity: ‘I am embarrassed’

Friends’ co-creator Marta Kauffman recently addressed the longstanding criticism for its lack of diversity on the well-known sitcom.

According to LA Times, Kauffman pledged $4 million to the African and  American Studies department of Brandeis University as an apology for not showing characters of colour on the show.

While speaking at the occasion, the 65-year-old, who co-created the hit series from 1994 to 2004 with David Crane, stated, “I felt embarrassed that Friends had all white cast.”

“I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,” she said, adding, “Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It’s painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I’m embarrassed that I didn’t know better 25 years ago.”

Kauffman said that previously she didn’t understand the backlash from the fans “for not showing people of colour on the show”, but now she did.

The writer/producer mentioned that her perspective on diversity changed after witnessing 2020 murder of George Floyd by police, which provoked "Black Lives Matter protests" in the country.

“It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systematic racism in ways I was never aware of. That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct,” she told outlet.