A full 18 years after the last episode of “Friends” aired, co-creator Marta Kauffman admitted she used the wrong pronouns in reference to a transgender character in the hit sitcom.
Kauffman reevaluated her references to Chandler’s “father” and candidly expressed she would do things differently if she were working on the show now, according to the BBC.
“We kept referring to her as Chandler’s father, even though Chandler’s father was trans,” Kaufman said, according to the BBC. “Pronouns were not yet something that I understood. So we didn’t refer to that character as she. That was a mistake.”
#Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman now regrets the show’s lack of diversity, and she wanted to offer more than just an apology: “I’m finally, literally putting my money where my mouth is.” https://t.co/zVq77Hr9yu
— /Film (@slashfilm) July 4, 2022
Matthew Perry played character Chandler on the show, and the character in question was played by Kathleen Turner. Turner appeared in three episodes in Season Seven and was the center of a number of jokes launched by the other characters, according to the BBC.
Turner’s character was referenced as being gay and at times was referred to as being a drag queen, according to the BBC.
“Pronouns were not yet something I understood.” https://t.co/3ac3HZBqa6
— BuzzFeed (@BuzzFeed) July 6, 2022
During an interview to be broadcast on BBC World Service’s “The Conversation” July 11, Kauffman said “Yeah, people thought Charles was just dressing up,” and admitted the character was never properly acknowledged or referenced properly, according to BBC.
Kaufmann indicated she now has a new, heightened sense of awareness on the matter. In addition to using the incorrect pronouns, she said the legendary sitcom “did not have enough representation of black people,” and was “clearly part of systemic racism in our business,” the BBC noted. (RELATED: Top Trans Medical Org Used Castration Fetish Site For Research To Develop Guidance For Doctors)
“I was unaware of that, which makes me feel stupid,” Kauffman said. “That was a very valid, extremely difficult criticism which still… I get emotional about.”
Kauffman revealed she was donating $4 million to her alma mater, Brandeis University, to establish an endowment for the African and African American studies department, according to the BBC.