Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman is 'embarrassed' about the show's lack of diversity; read on

Marta Kauffman, who co-created Friends, claims it was challenging for her to accept the criticism the series received for its lack of diversity. The all-white cast of the sitcom, which had its New York-based episodes from 1994 to 2004, included Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, although it hardly ever featured characters of colour.

Following the George Floyd incident, Kauffman, who had previously remarked that it was tough and frustrating to comprehend why people were so critical of the show, says she finally saw the need for on-screen representation.

The Los Angeles Times quoted her as saying that recognising and acknowledging one's guilt is difficult. Looking in the mirror at herself hurts, and she regrets not having known better 25 years ago. Kauffman devised Friends along with David Crane.

She added that after what happened to George Floyd, she started to question how much she had actually contributed to systematic racism. That's when she truly started to consider her participation in the situation. Kauffman then realised she needed to change her course.

In an effort to make amends, Kauffman claimed that she had committed USD 4 million to Brandeis University, where she attended college, to endow a chair in the department of African and African American studies, which is one of the oldest in the country.

The writer-creator stated that she will include a diverse crew in her upcoming projects. Kauffman said that from now on, she wants to make sure that she actively seeks out young authors of colour and she is aware of hiring individuals of diversity in every production she produces. Kauffman wanted assurance that going forward, she would behave differently and she would then feel relieved.

Friends aired from 1994 to 2004 and ran for 10 seasons. It's still a pompous part of pop culture and has a major fan following across the globe.