Marta Kauffman, who co-created Friends, has again expressed regret at the show’s dearth of black stars.
Kauffman has given $4 million to her alma mater Brandeis University in the Boston region to establish an endowed chair in the school’s department of African and African American studies in reaction to the lack of diversity on the show.
The 65-year-old co-creator of the NBC comedy Friends, David Crane, said she was “embarrassed” by the show’s predominately white ensemble.
In the last 20 years, I’ve learned a lot, Kauffman told the LA Times. “Accepting guilt is difficult to do. Looking in the mirror at oneself hurts.
I regret not having known better 25 years ago.
Friends ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, making it perhaps one of the most successful sitcoms of all time, but its lack of diversity was a constant point of contention.
It took the program until 2002 to cast Aisha Tyler as Dr. Charlie Wheeler, a paleontology professor who eventually fell in love with Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) in season nine. Tyler was the first black actress to be a series regular on the show.
However, she was only in nine episodes.
Although Kauffman has expressed sorrow over the show’s six white lead characters, she is nevertheless appreciative that Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry all played roles in the show.
“To not recruit those six actors would have been insane,” I said. How shall I put it? Lisa should be black, please? The Hollywood Reporter was informed by Kauffman before the Friends Reunion show aired.
However, Kauffman has just promised Brandeis University $4 million in order to support the study of African American studies.
A outstanding academic with a focus on the study of the peoples and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora will be supported by the Marta F. Kauffman ’78 Professorship in African and African American Studies.
According to the university, the grant will also assist the department hire more knowledgeable professors and researchers, define long-term academic and research priorities, and offer new chances for students to participate in interdisciplinary scholarship.
Kauffman said to Brandeis, “It took me a long time to even start to see how I internalized systemic racism.”
I’ve been putting a lot of effort into becoming an anti-racist and an ally. And this struck me as a chance to contribute to the discussion from a white woman’s perspective.
I’ve only received love since the donation announcement, Kauffman told the LA Times. It’s been incredible. I was rather taken aback because I hadn’t anticipated the news spreading that widely.
I’ve received a deluge of encouraging emails, texts, and social media posts. It’s about time is a phrase I frequently hear. not maliciously. People are simply admitting that it has been overdue.
Kauffman’s viewpoint on diversity had begun to change around the time of the publication of “Friends: The Reunion,” which received criticism for avoiding the subject of the dearth of different characters.
After what occurred to George Floyd, Kauffman said to the LA Times, “I started to battle with the fact that I had brought systematic racism into my life in ways I was never aware of.”
That’s when I truly started to consider my participation in various activities. I immediately realized I had to change my course.
It follows an interview in which Ross on the popular show’s star, David Schwimmer, said that he actively promoted diversity on “Friends” in 2019.
Schwimmer claimed, “I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I fought for Ross to date women of color for years.”
He continued, “I later dated African American ladies, and one of my first girlfriends on the program was an Asian American woman. That was a push I made with great awareness.
It took the show until 2002 to hire Aisha Tyler as Dr. Charlie Wheeler, a paleontology professor who eventually started dating Ross in season nine. Tyler was the first black actress to be a series regular on the show.
It can be difficult to accept that there aren’t many black characters on the program; Kauffman broke down in tears in 2020 when she acknowledged that her popular NBC sitcom didn’t do enough to promote diversity.
During the virtual 2020 ATX TV Festival, Kauffma was questioned about the things she “wished she known” before beginning her television career.
I wish I had known then what I know now, the writer/producer sobbed and got emotional as she made her statement.
I desire this relationship I didn’t have, and that’s what makes this really emotional for me,” she said. I genuinely desire this connection with the Black community that I was unable to establish. Because of “Friends,” I was unable to do it.
I apologize, but I wish I had known then what I know now. Regarding the lack of diversity that was a frequent target of criticism for the program, Kauffman continued, “I would’ve made very different choices.”
We have always supported diverse employees, but I didn’t do enough, so all I can think about now is what can I do? Added she.
What can I do to improve? How may my show be run differently? And that’s something I wish I had known not only when I first started operating the show, but also up until last year,’ Kauffman said.
The department of African and African American studies at Brandeis University was one of the first in the nation to be founded in 1969.
The university’s Samuel J. and Augusta Spector Professor of History and African and African American Studies, Chad Williams, said Brandeis will assume a leadership position in the larger academic community and public sphere as a result of the new professorship.
“Students are looking for opportunities to broaden their intellectual and political horizons, and they are looking for places where they can articulate what it means to be a young person in a time of incredible change and upheaval, particularly as it relates to race,” he said.
“We are at a time in this country’s history where students are looking for opportunities to expand their intellectual and political horizons.”
“Brandeis needs to accept that and understand there is a chance to lead with our department in the forefront.”
Additionally, Kauffman affirmed that any upcoming projects will feature a cast that was more diverse.
Kauffman told the LA Times, “I feel I was finally able to make some difference in the discourse.”
‘I have to confess, it didn’t unburden me, but it lifted me up once I agreed to this and after I stopped sweating. However, it isn’t over until I can finish it properly in my next production.
“I want to ensure that I am cognizant of hiring people of color and actively target young writers of color in every production I produce going forward.”