‘For a show that was set in the heart of Manhattan, it really lacked diversity’
Friends star Aisha Tyler has criticised the show for its lack of diversity.
Tyler became known across the world for her role as Charlie Wheeler in the ninth and tenth seasons of the iconic sitcom.
Along with being one of the few black cast members in Friends, Tyler’s role was notable as she became the only Black actress to have a recurring part, appearing in 10 episodes.
After initially being introduced as someone who Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) dates, Charlie ends up going out with Ross (David Schwimmer).
In recent years, Friends’ lack of diversity has been criticised by younger generations, and back in 2022, series co-creator Marta Kauffman apologised for the lack of people of colour in the show.
Now, Tyler has opened up about what it was like to star in a series with such a predominantly white cast.
Speaking to the Independent, she revealed the show’s diversity issue hadn’t gone unnoticed at the time, and it was spoken about.
She told the publication: “It wasn’t like it was just something that people looked back at later and said, ‘Wait a minute.’ No, at the time, people talked quite a bit about the fact that, for a show that was set in the heart of Manhattan, it really lacked diversity.
“But we didn’t have social media back then, so it wasn’t the large-scale conversation that it became later.”
Tyler recalled how she used to hear people in the street call her the “black girl from Friends,” saying it was “such a common refrain at the time.”
The actor said that her co-star Schwimmer “really pushed” for more diversity, which she said was “wonderful.”
But Tyler said Friends was simply a reflection of the wider industry belief at the time that “only white stories sold.”
She continued: “I mean, that’s just been the attitude in Hollywood for a long time.
“They’d say people won’t watch a show with these characters, and now we all know that’s not true. But that perspective still persists and there are still people who will say, well, that movie won’t sell overseas if it has a Black lead, and that movie won’t sell in these markets if it has a gay lead.”
