Rosario Monachino
Quinta Brunson has called out the hit TV series Friends for having ‘no Black characters’.
The comedian and actress, 33, is best known for starring in the Emmy-nominated series Abbott Elementary.
Brunson recently joined the list of a number of illustrious celebrities to host Saturday Night Live (SNL).
During her appearance, the As of Yet star took the opportunity to aim a dig at the iconic 90s sitcom.
Related Article: Jennifer Aniston Confirms David Schwimmer Rumour Live On-Air
Related Article: Courteney Cox Says Matthew Perry ‘Struggled’ With Pressure Of Friends
During her opening monologue, Brunson recalled how she auditioned to be on the long-running entertainment show but was unsuccessful.
She said: “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.”
Brunson then proceeded to break down what her show Abbott Elementary is about – which is when she took aim at Friends.
She continued: “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.”
Friends has faced criticism in recent times for only featuring non-white actors in smaller roles.
This led to one of the co-creators, Marta Kauffman, addressing the backlash in an interview with the Los Angeles Times, saying: “I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years.
“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.
“It took me a long time to begin to understand how I internalised systemic racism.”
She then proceeded to donate $4m (£3.2m) to fund an endowed chair for the African and African American studies department at the university she studied at.
Related Article: Jennifer Aniston Says Male Actor On Friends Was Unpleasant On-Set
Related Article: Friends Director Shares The Guest Star He Struggled To Work With The Most Because She ‘Wasn’t Funny’
However, Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe in the show, has defended Kauffman and her co-creator David Crane, in an interview with The Daily Beast.
She said: “Well, I feel like it was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college.
“They have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of colour.”
Jennifer Aniston added to this by saying that there is a whole new generation who now find Friends ‘offensive’.
Do you have a story for us? If so, email us at [email protected]. All contact will be treated in confidence.
