MovieChat Forums > Friends (1994) Discussion > Quinta Brunson blasts Friends for having...

Quinta Brunson blasts Friends for having no black characters

posted a year ago by leader (1959)
44 replies | jump to latest

Saturday Night Live host Quinta Brunson decided to call out the lack of black characters in Friends during her opening monologue on the show.

During her opening monologue the Abbott Elementary creator explained what her show was like, drawing some parallels with that famous sitcom Friends, only with one rather clear difference.

She said: "It's a network sitcom like, say, Friends, except instead of being about a group of friends, it's about a group of teachers.

"Instead of New York, it's in Philadelphia, and instead of not having black people, it does!"

---

Do you find her criticism valid?

[–] sut6432 (2908) a year ago

Do you find her criticism valid?

No, and the whole argument is getting really old and stale at this point.

How long can people in 2023 bitch about a show from the 90’s not having a black main cast member…because there were black characters on the show during its run. It’s become the cool thing to do from a bunch of morons who have nothing better to do.

I’m almost starting to get happy that it’s pissing off these self righteous know it all virtue signaling assholes this much almost 20 years after the show ended. 😂

[–] ILJtheFirst (2104) a year ago

Truth. Whiney cry babies are gonna be whiney cry babies. They do it to try and bring people to their cause.

I've been known to do this to people in their faces, especially parents.
🙄🙄🙄🙄🙄

[–] blue1981 (7740) a year ago

She worked for Buzzfeed so no her criticism is not valid and no one cared when the show was made. Black people could just watch Living Single or Martin instead.

[–] Stratego (30498) a year ago

Oh boy, she's so original!

[–] blue1981 (7740) a year ago

It's as if she thinks white people can't write stories about the experiences they live. Seems pretty racist to me.

[–] leader (1959) a year ago

They can - but only if they black people front and center in them while also putting them on a pedestal.

[–] SomewhereElse24 (44) a year ago

Sometimes — oftentimes, in fact — a bunch of white people get together and form friendships, relationships, get into conflicts, build professional relations, and so on. And sometimes, this aspect of life will be reflected in art and entertainment. Other groups will be black, others Hispanic, and others multiracial.

If you only have a problem with the first one but not with the last three, then it sounds that you just have a problem with white people. And if you have such a problem with white people as to seek to deny them group representation on television or elsewhere, then no, there's not much validity to your argument.

PS: The whitest of the Friends has just passed away. So there's that. I'm sure there'll be plenty of threads about this.

[–] BKB (9881) a year ago

I do find it fascinating that this show took place in the heart of NYC in a coffee shop that I can recall only 1 episode where Ross briefly dated a black professor, but as far as the group sitting in the coffee shop doing their thing and the amount of people walking in & out and not 1 black person was part of that is sort of odd in the largest diverse city in the world, but again, the creator of the show was called out on it, she apologized, but didn't apologize for her idea of it and that this was her vision at the time.. So now we're going to bag on a show that hasn't been on the air in God knows how long??

[–] BeaSouth (3284) a year ago

I just watched an episode where the obstetrician delivering Ross’s child was a black woman. The very next episode had Monica working as a chef and her fellow chef was a black woman who had a couple of back-to-back great lines that might have been the best on the episode

[–] MaceFreley (16) a year ago

@BKB Incorrect. There are black patrons in the coffee shop all. the. time.

[–] Ticketsplease (4024) a year ago

Black people hang out with blacks and whites hang out with whites. Just how it is.

[–] 123Guy (7259) a year ago

Staaaaaahp!
Reality and fact is not welcome on the internet.

[–] emori (3661) a year ago

I really wish she would call out Fresh Prince for not having Asian characters. That was truly offensive

Why do those crazy woke are obsessed into turning every movie and show into zoo is beyond me. I have no problems with show will all black cast, all asian cast, all latino cast, all white cast. I never saw trailer for all black movie and thought: "Hm, what an offensive. Where is random Asian character who would be someones friend?"

I understand that those projects are being made for specific group of people. Its not made for me. And Im not offended by it. I will watch something that was made for me.

And when I see well made product I will watch it. I watched Fresh Prince because it was funny. And I never was offended not seeing random asian or white character. It was a show about black family. I saw korean movie Parasite and Train to Busan. And not once I though: "Wait, why everyone are asians? Where are blacks, whites and latinos?"

I saw Black Panther and had no problem with movie about African country be full of african looking people. It would look ridiculous if there would be random asian character walking around

This woman is racist. No one owes you "black characters", idiot.

[–] StrongRex (1319) a year ago

These people want less white characters. That's really what it's all about. And they need to be called out for it and told to knock off this bullshit.