‘Abbott Elementary’ Star & Creator Quinta Brunson Criticized ‘Friends’ For ‘Not Having Black People’ In The Show

Apr 04, 2023

Ever since the rise of streaming in the last two decades, television has had an influx of exciting and boundary-breaking new shows. Known as the new "golden era of television," there's no limit on the kind of series being made today, from comedies and dramas to reality and competition shows. 

One such show that's made an impact in the last couple of years is ABC's "Abbott Elementary." Although it's a traditional network sitcom rather than a streaming one, the show has made a huge impression on audiences and critics alike and has won numerous awards since it premiered in 2021. This includes three Emmy Award wins out of seven nominations in its first season.

Created by Quinta Brunson, who also stars in the show, "Abbott Elementary" is about the lives of a group of teachers at a predominantly Black elementary school in Philadelphia. Brunson, a native of the city, was inspired to make the show since her mother was a teacher. The show was renewed for a third season in January 2023.

On April 1, 2023, Brunson hosted the revered sketch comedy series "Saturday Night Live," and during the opening monologue, she poked fun at another popular network sitcom, "Friends." Conversations in recent years have criticized the lack of representation on "Friends," especially considering the show was set in New York City, as well as its offensive jokes aimed at minorities and the LGBTQ+ community.

Earlier in March 2023, Jennifer Aniston also weighed in with her opinion on the matter. While she admitted there were jokes that weren't "intentional," she doubled down on her thoughts that there's a culture of "sensitivity" today that didn't use to be there.  

Hosting "Saturday Night Live" is a coveted gig, and Brunson's debut on the sketch comedy show put her in the leagues of notable actors like Alec Baldwin, Betty White, Kristin Stewart and many more. She even mentioned how competitive it is to be cast on the show in her opening monologue.

"I wanted to be on SNL back in the day but the audition process seemed long — so instead, I just created my own TV show, made sure it became really popular, won a bunch of Emmys and then got asked to host. So much easier, so much easier," she joked.

She elaborated on the premise of "Abbot Elementary" while making fun of the dismal representation of Black people on "Friends."

"It's a network sitcom like, say, 'Friends.' Except, instead of being about a group of friends, it's about a group of teachers. Instead of New York, it's in Philadelphia and instead of not having Black people, it does."

The audience cheered at the playful dig as Brunson continued her address to the audience. Although "Friends" was one of the most popular shows of the '90s, it hasn't aged particularly well, especially in the way it portrayed non-white and LGBTQ+ characters.

Marta Kauffman, one of the show's creators, even admitted to the Los Angeles Times in 2022 that she is so "embarrassed" at the lack of representation in the show that she donated $4 million to Brandeis University to help fund the African and African American studies departments.

"I've learned a lot in the last 20 years," Kauffman told the Los Angeles Times. "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 continued:

"It took me a long time to begin to understand how I internalized systemic racism. I've been working really hard to become an ally, an anti-racist. And this seemed to me to be a way that I could participate in the conversation from a white woman's perspective." The producer said her comments had been well-received, even though it "surprised" her "to some extent." She also received "supportive" emails that said, "'It's about time.' Not in a mean way. It's just people acknowledging it was long overdue."

However, "Friends" star Aniston doesn't seem to feel the same way. While on the press circuit for her movie "Murder Mystery 2," Aniston weighed in on the changing state of comedy.

"Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved," Aniston told AFP, as reported by Yahoo. "Now it's a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life."

The star lamented about off-limit jokes and how that's stifling the craft of comedy. 

"(Before) you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were," she said. "And now we're not allowed to do that."

Aniston spoke directly about the criticism leveled at "Friends": 

"There's a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of 'Friends' and find them offensive. 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 added:

"Everybody needs funny! The world needs humour! We can't take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided," she said.   

The actress isn't the first entertainer to comment on the divisiveness of comedy today. British comic Rowan Atkinson, famous for his character "Mr. Bean," weighed in on cancel culture. 

"It's important that we're exposed to a wide spectrum of opinion, but what we have now is the digital equivalent of the medieval mob roaming the streets looking for someone to burn," Atkinson said. "So it is scary for anyone who's a victim of that mob, and it fills me with fear about the future."

Atkinson denounced social media algorithms for "creating a simplistic, binary view of society," and elaborated: "It becomes a case of either you're with us or against us. And if you're against us, you deserve to be canceled."

In an interview from 2012, he said that people must have the "right to insult or offend."   

However, Seth Rogen has a different opinion. He told Good Morning Britain:

"There are certain jokes that for sure have not aged well, but I think that's the nature of comedy. ... I think there's a reason (my old movies) lasted as far as people still watching and enjoying them today. Jokes are not things that necessarily are built to last." 

Rogen even had words of advice for those who complain about the changing nature of comedy.  

"To me when I see comedians complaining about this kind of thing, I don't understand what they're complaining about. If you've made a joke that's aged terribly, accept it. And if you don't think it's aged terribly, then say that," he said. 

Rogen added, "To me, it's not worth complaining about to the degree I see other comedians complaining about."    

What do you think about Quinta Brunson's playful dig about the lack of representation on "Friends?" What are your thoughts on the matter? Do you think comedians should accept when their old jokes have aged terribly? Let us know, then pass this on to the funny people in your life so they can weigh in!