Brad Pitt’s ‘Friends’ Episode Isn’t Everyone’s Favorite — Creator Marta Kauffman Regrets It
Friends garnered a beloved audience throughout its 10-season run. The NBC sitcom gained new life on Netflix, and now lives on HBO Max. Fans in the U.S. and internationally love the series and its beloved cast. The six stars also managed to spark interest in their personal lives, which occasionally bled into the show. Case in point — the episode where Jennifer Aniston’s then-husband, Brad Pitt, guest-starred. While many fans love this episode, one of its writers doesn’t.
Brad Pitt’s appearance on ‘Friends’ won him an Emmy nomination
Multiple guest stars were featured throughout the show’s 10 seasons and 236 episodes. Many left a mark on the show, and some even earned some awards. But few stand out as much as Pitt’s.
In the season 8 Thanksgiving episode, titled “The One With the Rumor,” Pitt plays Will Colbert, an old friend of Ross’ from high school. Will notably gets along with everyone — except for Aniston’s Rachel Green. His performance garnered him an Emmy nomination.
At the time of his episode’s filming, Pitt and Aniston were Hollywood’s “it” couple. Given his movie-star status, getting the actor on the show was a big deal. It turns out that it happened organically. While visiting his wife frequently, shares Screen Rant, the writers found a way to incorporate him into the action. It didn’t hurt that he could use the screen time to promote his latest film.
Marta Kauffman regrets the ‘Friends’ episode where Brad Pitt made an appearance
While Pitt’s performance was heralded, the storyline leaves much to be desired. At least, that’s the perspective on it looking back.
In the episode, Will reveals that he and Ross (Rachel’s on-again, off-again boyfriend and father of her then-unborn child) were members of the “I Hate Rachel” club. Will and Ross weren’t particularly popular in high school, and Rachel was something of a queen bee. Rachel doesn’t remember him from school, but then he shares that he started a rumor about her — that she was a hermaphrodite.
The rumor about Rachel was meant to tarnish her reputation. This categorization, naturally, did not sit well with the intersex community. In an interview with USA Today, creator Marta Kauffman revealed that she regrets writing that story into the show. “I might not have done the hermaphrodite stuff today if I had that to do over in the one with Brad Pitt,” she said.
‘Friends’ creators regret certain episodes of the show that didn’t age well
Pitt’s story is far from the only one that didn’t age well. That surrounding Chandler’s dad, a transgender woman, came back around multiple times. He disparages her on multiple occasions, like when he goes to see her perform in Las Vegas. (Kauffman acknowledges this issue in the USA Today article). And plenty of other instances of homophobia, transphobia, and other slights against the LGBTQ community crop up throughout the series.
There’s also the matter of the fatphobia in Friends. Monica’s weight comes up repeatedly, like in the season 5 episode The One With All the Thanksgivings. In the episode, Monica is attracted to Chandler, but he doesn’t reciprocate her interest — until after she loses weight.
The writers have noted many of the issues with the show, referring to it as “a period piece.” “There was all that stuff I just couldn’t believe we let get in there,” Kauffman said, looking back on the show years later. “It perhaps wouldn’t be what I’d do now.”
