The long-awaited %u2018Friends%u2019 cast reunion will be broadcast on May 27 and will see the reunion of all six of the original cast- Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer. HBO Max will start streaming the reunion special starting May 27 and will also feature a slew of celebrity guests including Justin Bieber, Lady Gaga, and K-Pop band BTS.
The show became a classic hit with youth of the 90’s started relating with besties Ross and Monica Geller, Rachel Green, Chandler Bing, Joey Tribbiani and Phoebe Buffay.
Also Read: Jennifer Aniston’s mystery boyfriend is not a fan of %u2018Friends%u2019
But even this sitcom had its flaws. Recently, the show was added to Netflix in the UK, and millennials were astounded by the problematic elements that persisted for 10 seasons.
Below are highlights of the troublesome themes, moments and jokes that happened during the show%u2019s decade-long run as listed by Yahoo:
When Ross voices his disapproval of Ben playing with a doll: Ross sees his son Ben playing with a Barbie doll. He exclaims, %u201CWhy is my boy playing with a Barbie?%u201D
Lesson learned: Don%u2019t be homophobic, and let your kid be themselves!
When Rachel hires Tag because he%u2019s attractive: Rachel hired hot and simple 24-year-old Tag for an assistant job he wasn%u2019t qualified for purely because she wanted to date him. This was instead of hiring Hilda who met all of the requirements to be her assistant.
Lesson learned: Don%u2019t hire someone because you think you%u2019ll want to date them!
When Ross couldn%u2019t handle having a male nanny: Rachel finds an extremely qualified male nanny, and they hire him. Ross takes every opportunity he can to mock the nanny, played by Freddie Prinze Jr, who is portrayed as extremely sensitive.
Lesson learned: Avoid stereotypes and sexism!
When Monica was fat shamed: One of the most consistent themes running through all 10 seasons of the show was fat shaming Monica with relentless punchlines. Joey memorably yells, %u201CSome girl ate Monica%u201D in a video of Monica in her prom dress eating a sandwich while prepping for the event.
Lesson learned: Don%u2019t body shame others!
When Ross became an obsessive and controlling boyfriend: Ross and Rachel%u2019s relationship is 50 shades of toxic, but that%u2019s mostly because of Ross. His behaviour is borderline emotionally abusive when you look back on it. He essentially stalks Rachel while she%u2019s getting lunch with her friend Mark because he doesn%u2019t trust that they%u2019re just friends.
Lesson learned: Trust your partner!
When Chandler was paranoid of people thinking he%u2019s gay: Throughout the series, Chandler is always hypersensitive to people thinking he%u2019s too feminine or of being perceived as gay. People mistaken Chandler for being gay and it%u2019s lauded as something to be ashamed of in the show.
Lesson learned: Don%u2019t be homophobic!
