Jennifer Aniston noted that comedy has evolved significantly, making it more challenging to be funny in today’s world.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston is one of Hollywood’s most beloved actresses, best known for her role as Rachel Green in the iconic sitcom Friends. Aniston began her acting career in the late 1980s, but Friends catapulted her to global stardom.

Her portrayal of Rachel, a fashion-loving, slightly spoiled yet endearing character, resonated with audiences worldwide. With her impeccable comic timing, relatable struggles, and undeniable charm, she became one of the show’s standout stars.

Premiering in 1994, Friends became one of the most influential sitcoms of all time, shaping the landscape of television comedy.

The show followed a group of six friends navigating life, love, and careers in New York City, and its humour, heartwarming moments, and quotable dialogues made it a generational favourite. However, Aniston once claimed that the new generation finds the sitcom offensive.

Jennifer Aniston aka Rachel Green claimed comedy is tricky

Jennifer AnistonJennifer Aniston
During a conversation with AFP, Jennifer Aniston noted that comedy has evolved significantly, making it more challenging to be funny in today’s world.

“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.

[In the past] you could joke about a bigot and have a laugh — that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we’re not allowed to do that,” she said.

Jennifer added, “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.”

Jennifer Aniston concluded, “Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can’t take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided.”

Matthew Perry - Lisa KudrowMatthew Perry – Lisa Kudrow
Speaking to Daily Beast, Lisa Kudrow addressed the show’s lack of diversity. She argued “Friends” creators David Crane and Marta Kauffman had “no business” telling stories about people of color given their backgrounds.

Kudrow said, “Well, I feel like it was a show created by two people who went to Brandeis and wrote about their lives after college.

And for shows especially, when it’s going to be a comedy that’s character-driven, you write what you know. They have no business writing stories about the experiences of being a person of color.”