Friends is a show with a nearly immortal legacy that just about everyone has seen at least once. It was a powerhouse of television, a sitcom that had millions of people across the nation watching both during its original airing an generations after on streaming services.
However, that doesn't make it perfect, as highlighted by the shows own creator who has some regrets about the series.
Marta Kauffman created the show alongside David Crane in the early '90s, and their impact on social media has been both immense and timeless.
However, looking back at the show with a more modern viewpoint, Kauffman admitted she's "embarrassed" by some elements of the show.
Friends hasn't been immune from criticism regarding how it focuses solely on a cast of white characters despite living in the diverse New York City, and this is criticism Kauffman has taken to heart. Well, after some time.
However, she's since changed her mind, namely after the large 2020 Black Lives Matter movement sparked by the murder of George Floyd.
When speaking to the Los Angeles Times, Kauffman said, "[...] I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic 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."
"I've learned a lot in the last 20 years. Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy," she shared, "It's painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know better 25 years ago."
Kauffman pledged $4 million to her alma mater Brandeis University, to fund The Marta F. Kauffman '78 Professorship in African and African American Studies.
The fund aims to support scholars studying Africa and the African diaspora as well as help recruit more experts and professors to teach within the department.
"I want to make sure from now on in every production I do that I am conscious in hiring people of color and actively pursue young writers of color. I want to know I will act differently from now on. And then I will feel unburdened."
h/t: Insider
