Friends Co-Creator Regrets Jokes About Chandler’s Trans Dad
May 7, 2019In an interview with USA Today, Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman has admitted that she regrets some of the jokes the show made about Chandler’s trans father.
Kathleen Turner played Chandler’s dad, appearing in two episodes. In the episodes Chandler refuses to acknowledge his dad’s gender identity or her new name.
When asked about what she would change about the series now, Kaufman said it would be the jokes around Chandler’s dad.
“I think we didn’t have the knowledge about transgender people back then, so I’m not sure if we used the appropriate terms,” Kauffman said.
“I don’t know if I would have known those terms back then. I think that’s the biggest one.”
“Every time I watch an episode, there’s something I wish I could have changed,” she added, pointing to the episode where Brad Pitt guest starred as a high school friend of Ross’ who spread a rumour that Rachel has a hermaphrodite.
“I might have not done the hermaphrodite stuff today if I had that to do over in the one with Brad Pitt.
“It really is a period piece.”
Kathleen Turner has also admitted that her appearance in the show hasn’t “aged well”
“I don’t think it’s aged well. It was a 30 minute sitcom. It became a phenomenon, but no one ever took it seriously as a social comment,” she said in a 2018 interview with Gay Times magazine.
“How they approached with me with it was, ‘Would you like to be the first woman playing a man playing a woman?’ I said yes, because there weren’t many drag/trans people on television at the time.”
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