Friends Actor Hits Out At Show’s ‘Insane’ Diversity Casting

A well-known character from Friends has recently criticized the show's "insane" diversity casting, years after appearing on the sitcom.

The beloved series, which aired from 1994 to 2004, followed the lives of Monica (Courteney Cox), Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Ross (David Schwimmer), Chandler (Matthew Perry), and Joey (Matt LeBlanc). 

Even today, people remain hooked on the show, and it has truly stood the test of time. 

In fact, cast members, whether they were regulars or just had brief cameos, are still discussing the show even decades later.

One particular character from the second season, who fans likely remember well, has recently spoken out about the series and its diversity issues.

Adam Goldberg, who appeared in three episodes in 1996, played Eddie, Chandler’s roommate after Joey moved out due to his growing success in his acting career on Days of Our Lives.

The show ran for 10 years Reisig & Taylor/NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images

Eddie was a memorable character for being somewhat unpredictable. 

Fans might recall that he accused Chandler of having an affair with his girlfriend Tilly and even brought home a replacement pet fish, which turned out to be a fish-shaped cracker.

In a recent interview with The Independent, the actor was asked about NBC's lack of diversity on the show.

He said, "In terms of diversity, looking back, it seems insane. 

"I've heard Black people speak about this and it's like, you never expected to see yourself, so when you didn't, it was not a surprise, and you ended up identifying to characters, irrespective of their race.

"It was just the norm that there was such a lack of diversity."

This is not the first time that cast or crew members have acknowledged the issue.

Goldberg has spoken out about the lack of diversity NBC

In 2022, the show's creator, Marta Kauffman, expressed her regret over the lack of representation. 

Speaking with the Los Angeles Times, she said, "Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It's painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know better 25 years ago."

David Schwimmer also addressed the topic in 2020 during an interview with The Guardian.

He said, "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."

Goldberg also opened up about how he almost turned down his role in Friends because he was being "a snob" about it.

“It wasn’t super notable to me at the time, because I was a snob," he admitted. 

"...I remember very specifically getting the call from my agent and them saying they were offering me this part, and that it started maybe two days later – everything’s always very fast in that world because you're shooting an episode a week.

"And I was like, 'No way. I'm not doing that show.' And my agent was like, 'Yes, you are.' When you're working with somebody like Matt, who has such great comedy chops, your game just gets elevated. I remember just joking around a lot, having a lot of really quick repartee."