Zoë Kravitz slams the homophobia in Friends and other ’90s TV shows

Sep 01
Written by Chantelle Billson

Zoë Kravitz has called out the homophobia present in ‘Friends’. (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

Zoë Kravitz has called out the homophobia present in 'Friends'. (John Nacion/Variety via Getty Images)

Actress Zoë Kravitz has said she isn’t a fan of the homophobia in Friends and other ‘shows on TV in the ’90s.

The LGBTQ+ advocate was speaking to People about her latest film, Caught Stealing, which is set in 1998. “If you watch Friends now, you’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s…’, she said, surprising co-star and Yves St Laurent model Austin Butler, who asked: Wow, even in Friends?”

Kravitz responded: “Oh, so much in Friends. Like, things that aren’t punchlines are punchlines. It’s wild. We can keep that there.”

Elvis star Butler agreed, saying: “Yeah, keep that in the ‘90s.”

Friends cast — Some of the punchlines in *Friends* have come in for criticism. (Ron Davis/Getty)

Executives behind Friends, which aired for 20 years from 1994, have previously addressed how certain storylines and jokes hadn’t aged well.

In 2019, series creator Marta Kauffman said that Chandler Bing’s parent, Helena, played by Kathleen Turner, was a trans woman, despite repeatedly being referred to her as “Chandler’s dad” in the script.

“We didn’t have the knowledge about transgender people back then, so I’m not sure if we used the appropriate terms,” Kauffmann said.

Meanwhile, Romancing the Stone star Turner would turn down the role if offered it today, saying” “Of course I wouldn’t do it now because there would be real people able to do it.”

Five years ago, Lisa Kudrow, who played Phoebe, defended the sitcom’s depictions of gender and sexuality, telling The Sunday Times: “This show thought it was very progressive. There was a guy whose wife discovered she was gay and pregnant, and they raised the child together. We had surrogacy too. It was, at the time, progressive.”