David Schwimmer Supports an All-Black or All-Asian Friends Reboot

All these years after its initial debut, Friends continues to have a unique hold on our pop [...]

By Jenna Anderson

All these years after its initial debut, Friends continues to have a unique hold on our pop culture. The sitcom has become a sort of meme-worthy TV comfort food for generations of viewers, even as the era the show was released in gets more and more dated. As with nearly any popular show, some have suggested a potential reboot or revival of the series, especially something that would give it a more modern context. If a recent interview is any indication, Friends star David Schwimmer has a particular concept in mind. In a recent interview with The Guardian, Schwimmer addressed the lack of diversity in Friends' original run, and suggested a reboot entirely made up of people of color.

"Maybe there should be an all-black Friends or an all-Asian Friends," Schwimmer proposed. "But I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of color. One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part."

"I'm very aware of my own privilege as a heterosexual white male whose parents were able to pay for a private education for me," Schwimmer added. "I've always felt a sense of responsibility to give back and to call things out if I see an abuse of power."

While Schwimmer's comments are certainly admirable - especially his self-awareness of his own privilege - some have found a hole in his thinking. Namely, many have argued that Living Single, which had a diverse ensemble including Queen Latifah, was essentially an "all-black Friends" before the series even debuted. Erika Alexander, who also starred in the series, addressed Schwimmer's comments on Tuesday, saying that they "invented the template" for Friends.

This lead Schwimmer to post a lengthy response on Twitter, arguing that his initial quotes were taken out of context.

"I didn't mean to imply Living Single hadn't existed or indeed hadn't come before Friends, which I knew it had," Schwimmer's response says in part.

What do you think of Schwimmer's comments about a diverse reboot of Friends? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!

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