David Schwimmer reveals that 'FRIENDS' was 'whitewashed' & lacked diversity; Read

Despite being a beloved sitcom that is adored by millions of fans, FRIENDS is often criticised for its lack of diversity and all-white main cast. In a recent interview with an entertainment portal, David Schwimmer, who played Ross in FRIENDS, admitted that the cast of the show was 'whitewashed'. He added that the lack of people of colour felt 'wrong' to him. 

David Schwimmer admits FRIENDS cast was 'whitewashed' and lacked diversity

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In the interview, David Schwimmer stated that it felt wrong that there was not enough representation on the show. The actor further added that his character, Ross, should have been able to date various women of all colours and races. Ross was the only character on the show who dates two non-white characters. 

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Aisha Taylor as Charlie and Lauren Tom as Julie were the two most prominent women of colour who were given important roles in the show after they started dating David Schwimmer's character, Ross. However, according to Aisha Tyler, her role on the show was ‘colourblind’. In a previous interview, Aisha Taylor told a magazine that her role was not written as a woman of colour. 

Aisha Taylor stated that when she auditioned for the role, she read against women of every ethnic background. She added that the reason the role worked was that they did not make it into a ‘very special episode of FRIENDS,’ where the friends suddenly confront issues of race. They never tried to counterbalance the previous eight seasons’ lack of diversity and Aisha was just another character on the show. 

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Meanwhile, the FRIENDS cast are planning a much-awaited reunion. The filming for the reunion was supposed to start earlier this year, however, it was pushed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same interview, David Schwimmer revealed that the reunion was set to shoot in mid-August. However, he added that they might change plans depending on the safety. Moreover, they hoped to have a live audience for the reunion, which could make the whole shoot a lot more tricky. 

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[Promo from @fanofschwimmer Instagram]