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Lisa Kudrow Responds to Backlash Over Lack of Diversity in ‘Friends’

Actress Lisa Kudrow has reacted to backlash over the lack of diversity in the hit sitcom Friends.

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Kudrow has finally addressed the elephant in the room…

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Scroll on to find out what she said…

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Now, we were first introduced to the Friends gang in 1994.

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Ross, Rachel, Chandler, Monica, Phoebe, and Joey burst onto our screens in September 1994.

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It was an instant hit.

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The comedy followed the friends, who live in the same New York apartment block, as they navigated through their mid-twenties.

We got to know the ins and outs of their everyday life…

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And in a way, they became our own friends… It’s corny, but it’s true.

The show navigated some serious topics…

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Ross and Rachel were not on a break. Period.

There were many iconic moments throughout the show’s ten seasons.

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Rachel’s English trifle, Chandler’s nubbin, the time Joey got a Thanksgiving turkey stuck on his head…

The list could go on.

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Despite the show coming to an end in 2004, it stands as one of the most-watched shows on Netflix, and its fanbase is as strong as ever.

They all embodied their characters completely.

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And none of us can quite see them in anything else.

The gang earned a lot of money during those 10 years…

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Allegedly, the cast was each on an eye-watering $1 million salary per episode in the later seasons of the show — a history-breaking figure.

Although the show still has a huge fan base, not everyone loves the hit sitcom.

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And it turns out Lisa Kudrow’s own son was critical of her performance.

The actress revealed that his comments surprised her.

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And called them “demeaning.”

Even fans were shocked by his comments…

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One Facebook user wrote: “Her son obviously sees his mother and not her character, and so refuses to see art when it’s right there. She was the best.”

Another added: “The entire cast was brilliant and worked very well together. I think each character had seasons where they were really funny. The girls were just as funny as the guys.”

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“I personally thought she was perfect for that role. She played it very well. Demeaning because Phoebe was ‘dingy’ yet she always came out on top and was clever at dinging people right back when they teased her. Good writing,” a third commented.

Kudrow opened up about his comments in an interview with Seth Meyers.

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Sharing that her son wasn’t the biggest fan of her character, who is a masseuse/busker.

According to Kudrow, her 24-year-old son, Julian Murray Stern, told her he was quite surprised that he found the show funny.

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“He was impressed. He goes, ‘It’s actually really funny,'” Kudrow recalled.

But it wasn’t Kudrow that he was impressed with.

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It was her co-stars.

In particular the guys of the group; Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry.

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“He said, ‘It’s actually really funny, and I mean, the guys are so funny.’ And he’s like, ‘’No, I mean, you’re funny, too,'” she recalled.

Adding “Never in my life have I wanted to tell my own kid, like, ‘F*** you!'”

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Kudrow later said that she didn’t expect her son to like the show, but at least show some respect for the sitcom.

“I mean, listen, it’s not required that you’re a fan. You don’t have to like what I do,” she said.

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“But don’t be so demeaning! Wow!”

You can watch her interview here.

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And now, Kudrow has responded to backlash over the lack of diversity in the famous sitcom…

Kudrow starred as one of 6 white actors in leading roles.

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The actress was recently asked about the diversity of the show after the co-creator, Marta Kauffman, said it was an “embarrassment” at having not known better twenty-five years ago…

It was a comment by Kauffman which brought the question of diversity in the show into a problem.

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“It took me a long time to begin to understand how I internalized systemic racism,” she said.

“I’ve been working really hard to become an ally, an anti-racist. And [the fund] seemed to me to be a way that I could participate in the conversation from a white woman’s perspective,” said Kauffman.

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But now, Kudrow’s response to Kauffman’s comment has raised a few eyebrows…

“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. I think at that time, the big problem that I was seeing was, ‘Where’s the apprenticeship?'” she told The Daily Beast.

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What do you think of Kudrow’s comment?