These 10 Friends Moments Didnt Age Well
Friends is one of the most beloved TV shows of all time. When it originally aired in 1994, Friends became a near-instant favorite through its hilarious bits, outrageous situations and endearing characters. Roughly 30 years later, fans lovingly remember the show as a lighthearted comedy series with a treasure trove of quotable moments.
However, revisiting Friends in the 2020s can be an eye-opening and uncomfortable experience. A product of its time, some of the show’s classic jokes relied on outdated ideas and misconceptions. Jokes that once seemed harmless now feel blatantly sexist, homophobic, transphobic, fatphobic etc. Especially when compared to some of the brilliant writing that the show was known for, these retroactively problematic moments feel like lazy attempts to get a cheap laugh. Despite the show’s overall longevity, some of its biggest jokes and plot points have aged like cheese. Keep reading to see 10 classic Friends jokes that have aged poorly.
11 The One With The Hot Cousin
When Ross and Monica’s cousin Cassie (Denise Richards) visited New York, she had to move from apartment to apartment because each friend became uncontrollably attracted to her. In what has often been considered Ross Geller’s (David Schwimmer) worst moment on Friends, he too found himself attracted to Cassie and attempted to make a move on his cousin. The incestuous moment of objectification and borderline sexual harassment feels incredibly distasteful in this day and age.
10 The One With Ross And Joey’s Nap
When Ross and Joey Tribbiani (Matt LeBlanc) took a cuddly nap together, it became a major dilemma for the characters. The two were embarrassed by the accidental nap but secretly wanted to do it again. When they did, the other friends caught and shamed them. While seemingly harmless, the joke relied on the out-of-date and homophobic idea that physical affection between two men is inherently gay and therefore embarrassing.
9 The One With Monica's Hair
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When the friends went to Barbados to hear Ross speak at a paleontology conference, Monica’s hair texture changed significantly due to the high humidity. To Chandler’s dismay, Monica (Courteney Cox) had cornrows— a traditional Black hairstyle —done to tame the frizz. Chandler (Matthew Perry) was so disgusted by the look that he could not kiss his wife. This classic Friends moment is now clearly both culturally appropriative and racist.
7 The One With Chandler’s Dad
Chandler Bing's transgender parent, Helena Handbasket (Mary Kathleen Turner), was given no narrative attention outside her use as a cheap joke. Throughout the show, Handbasket was deadnamed, addressed with the incorrect pronouns and referred to as Chandler’s dad. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the show’s insensitive depiction of Chandler’s parent displayed blatant transphobia. Kathleen Turner told Gay Times that she would not accept the role today, feeling that the character aged poorly.
6 The One With High School Monica
The Monica fat joke is some of the most infamous running gags from Friends. Particularly in a show where every character looked more or less the same, the cheap jokes cultivated an atmosphere of fatphobia that permeated the show and made it difficult to watch back. Beyond the show, fat jokes were an unfortunate staple of late nineties and early two-thousands comedies.
5 The One With Rachel's Assistant
Rachel Green (Jennifer Aniston) had a few flings on her way to an inevitable relationship with Ross. Of these flings, her romp with her personal assistant, Tag Jones (Edmund Cahill), was certainly the most problematic. The two became involved after Rachel hired him due to her attraction to him. In an age that is much more aware of sexual harassment and unhealthy power dynamics, the relationship now reads as one big red flag.
4 The One With The Male Nanny
When Ross and Rachel searched for a nanny to watch their daughter, Rachel tried to hire a man named Sandy (Freddie Prinze Jr.), but Ross refused. He argued that Sandy was weird for doing “a woman’s job.” It is now clear that this joke was built on sexist misconceptions. The idea that it is degrading for a man to do a traditionally feminine job implies that it is degrading to be compared to a woman.
3 The One Where Joey Wears Makeup
In the season one Thanksgiving episode, Joey showed up wearing makeup and told the gang, “I am officially, ‘Joey Tribbiani, actor/model.’” To this, Chandler quipped, “That’s so funny because I was thinking you look more like, ‘Joey Tribbiani man/woman.’ At the time, the off-handed line played for a lot of laughs. Now, it is blatantly transphobic and would most certainly
not be aired today.
2 The One Where Rachel Shaves Bonnie's Head
When Phoebe Buffay (Lisa Kudrow) set up her “formerly-bald friend” Bonnie (Christine Taylor) with Ross, Rachel grew uncontrollably jealous. In an attempt to lessen Ross's attraction to her, Rachel convinced Bonnie to shave her head again. Rachel’s mean-hearted actions toward another woman demonstrated some frustrating internalized misogyny, which does not play well among modern audiences. The gag also relied on the erroneous idea that bald women are ugly—which is simply false.
1 The One Where Ross Dates His Student
Ross seemed to be at the center of a lot of the show’s most problematic moments. One of his most infamous moments was his relationship with his 20-year-old student, Elizabeth Stevens (Alexandra Holden). The relationship was filled with unsafe power dynamics and an abundance of red flags that make it extremely uncomfortable to watch now. The decision to paint Ross as the good guy even after this predatory relationship seems unfathomable these days.
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