Adam Goldberg, known for his role as Chandler Bing’s eccentric temporary roommate Eddie in Friends, has spoken out about the hit sitcom’s failure to represent the diversity of New York City.
Created by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, Friends quickly became one of television’s most iconic sitcoms following its 1994 premiere. Chronicling the lives of six close-knit friends navigating love, careers, and friendships in Manhattan, the show became a cultural phenomenon, remaining immensely popular even years after its 2004 finale.
However, as beloved as the series remains, it has long been the subject of criticism for its noticeable lack of diversity. Now, Goldberg joins a growing list of voices acknowledging that the show’s portrayal of New York was far from reflective of the city’s actual population.
A Show Set in One of the Most Diverse Cities, Yet Lacking Diversity
New York City is renowned for its rich cultural mosaic, with people of all backgrounds living and working side by side. According to demographic statistics, the city’s racial composition consists of 31.2% White (Non-Hispanic), 21% Black or African American (Non-Hispanic), 14.4% Asian (Non-Hispanic), 14.2% Other (Hispanic), and 6.3% White (Hispanic).
Despite this, Friends depicted an almost exclusively white world, where the six main characters—Rachel, Ross, Monica, Chandler, Joey, and Phoebe—were all white, and non-white characters were rarely featured in significant roles.
Throughout the series’ ten-season run, Black actors were largely absent from the main storylines. The most prominent exception was Aisha Tyler, who played Dr. Charlie Wheeler, a paleontologist and love interest for Ross Geller (David Schwimmer). However, Tyler only appeared in nine episodes—an extremely brief presence for a show that spanned 236 episodes.
David Schwimmer and Marta Kauffman Have Previously Acknowledged the Issue
While many fans and critics have long pointed out the show’s lack of diversity, co-creator Marta Kauffman and star David Schwimmer have since admitted that the series was not inclusive enough.
In a 2020 interview, Schwimmer stated that he actively pushed for more racial representation in his character’s dating life.
“I really felt like Ross should date women of all races,” he explained, noting that the absence of diversity was something that didn’t sit well with him.
Kauffman, who once found the criticism “frustrating”, has since reversed her stance, admitting that her own unconscious biases played a role in how the show was originally conceived.
“It was after what happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having bought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of,” Kauffman said.
She went on to say that “accepting guilt is not easy”, adding that she now realizes how unaware she was of the importance of representation back when Friends was being developed.
To actively address the issue, Kauffman pledged $4 million to Brandeis University for a professorship in African and African American studies—an initiative aimed at fostering education on racial and cultural history.
Adam Goldberg Adds His Voice to the Discussion
Adam Goldberg, despite only appearing in three episodes of Friends, remains one of the show’s most memorable guest stars due to his portrayal of Eddie, Chandler’s increasingly unstable and bizarre temporary roommate.
Looking back, Goldberg admits that he thoroughly enjoyed his time on the show but acknowledges that it failed to realistically portray life in New York.
“One criticism was how the hell do these people afford to even live in New York?” Goldberg questioned in a recent interview. “Their apartment is massive, and it’s an incredibly unrealistic portrayal of New York.”
However, affordability wasn’t the only issue—Goldberg also reflected on the lack of diversity in the series, calling it “insane” in retrospect.
“Looking back, it seems insane. I’ve heard Black people talk about this, and they’ve said they never expected to see themselves on screen. So, when they didn’t, it wasn’t a surprise. They just had to identify with characters who didn’t look like them.”
Goldberg went on to say that during the time Friends aired, the absence of diverse representation was simply “the norm” in Hollywood.
“At the time, it was just accepted that there was a lack of diversity in TV shows,” he said. “That’s just how the industry was, and Friends was simply a reflection of that culture.”
The Struggles of Jewish Representation in Hollywood
Goldberg, who is Jewish, also spoke about his own experiences in Hollywood and how Jewish actors have often been underrepresented or misrepresented.
“I spent a lot of my career complaining about how Italians can play Jews, but you very rarely see a known Jewish actor playing an Italian,” he remarked.
Reflecting on his time auditioning in Hollywood, Goldberg said that he often received feedback that he “wasn’t all-American enough”, which, in retrospect, he finds problematic.
“If someone were to say that now, they’d probably be fired. But back then, it was just how the business worked,” he added.
Television’s Diversity Problem: Then vs. Now
Goldberg’s comments add to a broader conversation about the historical lack of diversity in television and how the industry is finally making strides toward inclusivity.
While Friends was far from the only show at the time with an all-white main cast, it has remained a focal point in discussions about diversity because of its massive cultural impact.
Many modern sitcoms, such as Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Insecure, Black-ish, and Jane the Virgin, have prioritized casting actors of different racial and ethnic backgrounds to better reflect the world we live in. However, the conversation around representation in media continues to evolve.
As Goldberg put it:
“The entire culture was like that, and television was just an amplification of that culture.”