Following Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman’s apology payment of $4 million for the show’s “lack of diversity,” she continues to give in to woke culture.
In the later years of the series, Chandler Bing, one of the six main characters, is reunited with his father, who is transgender. The character, played by Kathleen Turner, a woman, was continually referred to as Chandler’s father, which Kauffman now says was a misrepresentation of the pronouns people prefer when they transition.
“We kept referring to her as Chandler’s father, even though Chandler’s father was trans,” Kauffman said. “Pronouns were not yet something that I understood. So, we didn’t refer to that character as she. That was a mistake.”
Turner said in a 2018 interview that if offered the role now she would decline, leaving it to someone who actually identifies as a trans woman. She also said it was confusing because the character was referred to as Helena Handbasket in a Las Vegas show. So, it was unclear whether the character was transgender or a drag queen.
“I don’t think it’s aged well. It was a 30-minute sitcom. It became a phenomenon, but no one ever took it seriously as a social comment,” Turner said.
Turner said it herself that the show was never to be taken seriously. The comical factor of this character is that Chandler continues to call him “dad.” Turner said the actor who plays Chandler, Matthew Perry, still calls her “dad.”
“Her character was the butt of jokes,” the BBC reported.
Along with what Kauffman characterized as the show’s blatant discrimination against the transgender community by referring to Chandler’s father as his father, Friends also “did not have enough representation of black people,” Kauffman said, which was “clearly part of systemic racism in our business.”
Spare us the virtue-signaling, please. Apologizing to appease woke culture for a 20-year-old mind-numbing sitcom is a surefire way to eradicate all comedy in the future. There is a distinct difference between intentional discrimination and a silly little sitcom show from the 1990s that misses some pronouns.
“If I knew then what I know now, there are certain things I would have changed,” Kauffman continues. “But I didn’t know them and I have since learned.”
Comedians are known for pushing limits and exploring where no one else dares to go, all for the sake of a laugh. The more sensitive and conditioned Americans become to woke culture, the more the entertainment industry will suffer. Who knows? The next victim could be Ron Swanson from Parks and Rec for his patriotic spirit and comedically distasteful comments. If shows continue to implement this woke mindset, all forms of comedic relief could be lost.
Esther Wickham is a summer 2022 Washington Examiner fellow.
