Friends Reunion director Ben Winston hits back at claims show 'lacked diversity'

Director Ben Winston has hit back at criticism that last month’s Friends: The Reunion lacked diversity.

The 39-year-old responsible for the long-awaited one-off special – that reunited the sitcom’s six stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer – argued that he featured contributors from across the world in the show.

He also stated that ‘the cast is the cast’ with regards to the principal cast all being white, pointing out this was not something he could change. 

During a sit-down with The Times, Winston reeled off some of those who were interviewed about their love for the HBO Max show.

He said: ‘We have Malala, Mindy Kaling, BTS. There are three women from Ghana, one who talks about how Friends saved her life. Two boys from Kenya. Three kids in India.’

‘What more diversity do they want in this reunion?’

Addressing the original sitcom – which ran from 1994-2004 – he said: ‘The cast is the cast. It was made in 1994. I think it’s remarkable how well it does stand the test of time.’

Winston noted that ‘not everyone could join’ when he was asked why none of the show’s few Black actors participated in the reunion.

‘I’m really pleased with the show we were able to put together,’ he added. 

Friends: The Reunion recruited certain BAME stars to contribute, including Korean boyband BTS, who credited the show with teaching them English.

Sitcom star Mindy Kaling – who is of Indian heritage – gushed about the series, as did Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.

Non-celebrities from across the world were also interviewed, with more than one crediting the show for bringing them back from the brink of suicide.

LGTBQ people were also featured, with one gay woman talking about how she ‘found her Monica’ thanks to the show. 

In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Friends co-creators Kevin Bright and Marta Kauffman discussed the show’s diversity issues.

‘There are different priorities today and so much has changed,’ Bright said. ‘It’s important for today’s shows to be reflective of the ways society truly is.’

‘We didn’t intend to have an all-white cast,’ he went on. ‘That was not the goal, either. Obviously, the chemistry between these six actors speaks for itself.’ 

‘What can I say?’ he added. ‘I wish Lisa was Black? I’ve loved this cast. I loved the show and I loved the experience.’

Kauffman noted there were ‘probably a hundred things’ she would change about the show if she had the opportunity.

‘There are many things that I could say if I only knew then what I know now. Back then, there was no conscious decision,’ Kauffman said. ‘We saw people of every race, religion, color. These were the six people we cast. So, it was certainly not conscious.’