Friends Star Faced Backlash For Playing A Lesbian

Jane Sibbett, who recurred as Carol Willick on Friends, reveals that she faced backlash for her portrayal of a lesbian on the hit sitcom. Taking over the role of Ross’ first ex-wife, Sibbett appeared as Carol in 15 episodes of the iconic NBC comedy. Her last appearance on the show came in season 7.

Representation has improved by leaps and bounds since Friends aired its finale back in 2004. In today’s pop culture landscape, and particularly on television, it is not all that uncommon for a series to feature several LGBTQ+ characters. From an underseen critical darling like Crazy Ex-Girlfriend to the popular drama This Is Us, examples of inclusivity are relatively plentiful nowadays. That level of acceptance wasn’t always the norm, though. Sibbett, who was originally considered to play Rachel Green, recently shed some light on the struggles she faced when she first started on Friends.

In an interview with Now To Love, Sibbett elaborated on the backlash she received as a result of the fact that Carol was a lesbian. The actress explained that, soon after taking on the role, she felt a responsibility to defend her character and that she even faced criticism from those closest to her. Check out Sibbett’s full quote below:

It became apparent soon after [beginning to play Carol] there was suddenly a responsibility about being able to stand up against all of the people that were saying this was wrong, including my own father who had a really hard time with that. I was going toe to toe with people on talk shows in America, who were saying, you know, this and this and this is the reason why you shouldn’t be doing this. I would have to break things down for them. And I felt like it was really important for me to be super clear; love is the most important, of all the things that we could possibly do love is the most important way forward from anybody. So, that was my biggest responsibility, to make sure that people knew that.

In some ways, Carol’s relationship with Susan (Jessica Hecht) wasn’t as controversial as expected. In season 2 of Friends, which highlighted the couple getting married, NBC anticipated getting dozens upon dozens of complaints. Once the episode had aired, however, only a handful of disgruntled phone calls were received. In other ways, as Sibbett’s comments illustrate, it was still unusual to see a same-sex couple prominently featured on primetime television in that era. This was reflected in how LGBTQ+ storylines were depicted at the time. Whether it was the gay panic that Friends relied on like a crutch or how characters were treated when they came out. It was often met with shock, as some protagonists reacted with unease and uncertainty. Even when Willow Rosenberg came out to Buffy in season 4 of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, there were a few moments when the title character responded with a sort of stammering nervousness that would likely draw criticism if it aired today. But, back then, even in the mid-to-late 1990s and beyond, it was an accurate if disheartening representation of how a portion of the audience felt.

On a more positive note, Sibbett has talked about how her father gradually grew to be accepting once he realized the positive impact that Carol and Susan had. On the whole, the presentation of the couple as no different than any the rest of the show’s pairings helped a great deal to shift perspectives. While it could be argued that Friends made jokes at their expense, with the writers treating Ross’ first wife as a punchline, Carol and Susan themselves rarely paid that humor any sort of mind. They’d shrug it off and go about their days, and in doing so, became an inspiration for so many viewers. Though they were relatively minor supporting characters on Friends, Sibbett and Hecht both left a lasting mark during their time on the sitcom.

Source: Now To Love

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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi
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Abdullah Al-Ghamdi joined Screen Rant in August 2019, focusing on movie and television news. In January of the same year, he wrote a 3500+ word piece on why Primo Colón is underrated. He considers it his finest work. When he’s not arguing for the merits of his favorite wrestler, he can be reached at: [email protected].

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