Zoe Kravitz Slams ‘Friends’ For ‘Super Homophobic’ Jokes

Zoe Kravitz is the most recent star to call out “Friends,” criticizing the hit sitcom for jokes she says haven’t aged well in 2025. The “Big Little Lies” actress argued that while the NBC series, which starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry, stays some of the popular shows in TV history, a lot of its “super homophobic” punchlines feel outdated and problematic today. Zoe Kravitz’s remarks come as “Friends” continues to dominate streaming platforms nearly three many years after its 1994 premiere, often sparking renewed debates about whether the show still holds up for contemporary audiences.

In a brand new interview with PEOPLE, Zoe Kravitz admitted that while she has loads of fond memories of the ’90s, “Friends” isn’t certainly one of them. The actress, who’s currently promoting her upcoming crime-thriller “Caught Stealing” alongside co-star Austin Butler, was asked what she would depart behind from that decade. Her answer? Certain jokes on mainstream television, with “Friends” at the highest of the list.

“Super homophobic jokes on mainstream television. For those who watch ‘Friends’ now, you’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s…’” Kravitz explained, noting that lots of the punchlines haven’t aged well. Butler was stunned, asking, “Wow, even in ‘Friends?’”

Kravitz didn’t hesitate. “Oh, a lot in ‘Friends.’ Like, things that aren’t punchlines are punchlines. It’s wild,” she replied. “So possibly that? We will keep that there.” Butler agreed, adding, “That’s crazy. Yeah, keep that within the ’90s!”

The comments got here during a conversation about their recent film, which is about in 1998 Recent York City. Each stars admitted they felt nostalgic while filming, surrounded by props like answering machines, VHS tapes, and even an old Nintendo 64 with “GoldenEye.”

Kravitz laughed about using a bulky Nokia brick phone on set, while Butler gushed in regards to the throwback details. “Even just being within the apartment [on set] and seeing the Nintendo 64 on top of the TV,” he said. “We had the ‘GoldenEye,’ I saw that.”

The “Big Little Lies” actress summed it up with, “I’m really nostalgic for that point. Then also the style, all that stuff’s so cool. Recent York City and the grunge. It’s a superb time.”

But not everyone agrees with the backlash. David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller, defended the series in a 2020 interview with The Guardian. He argued that, for its time, “Friends” actually broke barriers.

“The pilot of the show was my character’s wife left him for a lady and there was a gay wedding, of my ex and her wife, that I attended,” he said. “The reality can also be that show was groundbreaking in its time for the best way during which it handled so casually sex, protected sex, gay marriage and relationships.”

Still, Schwimmer acknowledged that not every moment landed, “I’m the primary person to say that perhaps something was inappropriate or insensitive. But I feel like my barometer was pretty good at the moment. You’ve gotten to take a look at it from the perspective of what the show was attempting to do.”

Kravitz’s remarks come at a time when “Friends” has been back within the headlines. The beloved NBC sitcom, which aired from 1994 to 2004, has seen a resurgence of attention lately due to its continued success on streaming platforms and ongoing debates about whether the humor holds up for contemporary audiences.

The show was also push back into the highlight in October 2023, when Perry, best generally known as Chandler Bing, tragically died from the acute effects of ketamine on the age of 54. His death sparked global tributes, not only from fans but from his castmates, who revealed the toll his longtime battle with addiction had taken on their tight-knit group.

In the times following Perry’s death, Aniston shared a deeply moving tribute to her late co-star on Instagram. Her post included a candid photo of the 2 laughing together on the “Friends” set, in addition to a screenshot of a text Perry had once sent her featuring the identical image. “Making you laugh just made my day. It made my day,” Perry had written within the message, reflecting the bond they shared each on and off screen.

Nearly two years later, in a Vanity Fair cover interview, Aniston admitted that she and the remaining of the forged had been quietly mourning Perry long before his passing. “We did all the things we could once we could,” Aniston said. “But it surely almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a very long time because his battle with that disease was a very hard one for him to fight. As hard because it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a component of me that thinks this is best. I’m glad he’s out of that pain.”