Friends co-creator Marta Kauffman has once again expressed her regret over the representation of Chandler Bing’s transgender parent on the show.
The writer, 65, who created the long-running American sitcom with David Crane, said it was a ‘mistake’ to use male pronouns and the word ‘father’ to refer to the transgender woman.
Chandler’s parent, also known by her stage name Helena Handbasket, was played by Kathleen Turner, who has since admitted she would not take on the role today.
‘It was a mistake’: Marta Kauffman has expressed her regret over the representation of Chandler Bing’s transgender parent (right, with Chandler and Nora Tyler Bing) in Friends
Addressing the controversy around Chandler’s trans parent being referred to by a male name throughout the show, Marta admitted it was a ‘mistake’.
In an interview with The Conversation, to air on BBC World Service on July 11, she said: ‘We kept referring to her [Chandler’s transgender parent] as “Chandler’s father”, even though Chandler’s father was trans.
‘Pronouns were not yet something that I understood so we didn’t refer to that character as “she”, that was a mistake.’
It wasn’t until years after the show aired that show creators confessed to Chandler’s parent being transgender and going through a transition from a man to a woman.
Jokes surrounding the character focused on her choice to wear dresses and other characters having difficulty using correct pronouns.
Marta said she now tries to create an inclusive and diverse workplace, saying she wants her colleagues to feel ‘safe’.
Regret: The writer (pictured in 2019), 65, who created the long-running American sitcom with David Crane, said it was a ‘mistake’ to use male pronouns to refer to the transgender woman
‘I fired a guy on the spot for making a joke about a trans cameraperson, that just can’t happen,’ she added.
Kathleen Turner has previously addressed the criticism around playing Chandler’s parent, saying she wouldn’t agree to the role if she was asked today.
Speaking on UK TV show Sunday Brunch in 2018, Kathleen said of deciding to take on the job at the time: ‘I thought: “OK, a woman playing a man playing a woman. I haven’t done that”, so I said: “yes”.’
She added: ‘Of course I wouldn’t do it now because there would be real people able to do it.’
It comes days after Marta once again apologized for the lack of black leads on the legendary New York-based sitcom.
Backlash: Kathleen Turner (pictured in April) has previously addressed the criticism around playing Chandler’s parent, saying she wouldn’t take on the role if she was asked today
In response to the lack of diversity on the show, Marta has pledged $4million to her alma mater, the Boston area’s Brandeis University, to create an endowed professorship in the university’s African and African American studies department.
Marta said she felt ’embarrassed’ that ‘Friends’ featured a predominantly white cast.
‘I’ve learned a lot in the last 20 years,’ Kauffman told the LA Times. ‘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.’
While Friends is arguably one of the most successful sitcoms of all-time, running for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004, the show’s lack of diversity was always something it was criticized for.
It took the show until 2002 to cast Aisha Tyler, the first black actress to become a series regular on the show, playing Dr. Charlie Wheeler, a paleontology professor who ended up dating Ross Geller (David Schwimmer) in season nine. But she only lasted nine episodes.
Kauffman said she regrets making the six main characters all white, but is still happy that Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and Matthew Perry were all part of the series.
Diversity: It comes days after Marta (pictured in September 2019) once again apologized for the lack of black leads on the legendary New…
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