Beloved Friends star makes race claim about the show 30 years after its first episode aired

Friends actress Aisha Tyler has opened up about her experiences as one of the few black cast members as the iconic sitcom celebrates its 30th anniversary.

Tyler, 53, was the only black actress to have a recurring role on the series, first appearing in season nine in 2003.

She played Charlie Wheeler, the paleontology professor girlfriend of David Schwimmer’s quirky character Ross Geller. Before she ended up with Ross, she went on a few dates with Joey Tribbiani, famously played by Matt LeBlanc.

But when the cameras weren’t rolling, Tyler was confronted with the reality of the show’s and the television industry’s noticeable lack of diversity.

The former Talk Soup host said she often heard people shout “black girl from Friends” when they saw her, according to The Independent.

Tyler said people yelled ‘Black girl from Friends’ at her while she was acting on the show

Tyler said the fact that the cast was predominantly white was recognized at the time.

She told The Independent: ‘It wasn’t that people looked back on it later and said, “Wait a minute.” No, there was a lot of talk at the time about how, for a show set in the heart of Manhattan, it really lacked diversity.

‘But back then we didn’t have social media yet, so it wasn’t as much of a large-scale conversation as it would be later on.’

Adam Goldberg, 53, has spoken out about his own brief stint on Friends, where he played Joey’s roommate Eddie for three episodes in season two.

Tyler said the lack of diversity in the series was shocking, especially since it was set in Manhattan

In Friends, Charlie dated both Joey, played by Matt LeBlanc, and Ross, played by David Schwimmer

Adam Goldberg, who briefly appeared on the show as Eddie, agreed that the lack of diversity was a problem on Friends

Aisha Tyler played Charlie Wheeler on Friends. She was the only black character to return to the series

When discussing the criticism Friends often receives, he echoed Tyler’s statements.

Goldberg said The Independent: ‘When you look back at diversity, it seems insane. I’ve heard black people talk about this and it’s like you never expected to see yourself, so when you didn’t, it wasn’t a surprise,

“It was just normal that there was so little diversity.”

Tyler liked that Charlie was intelligent and “sexy,” but she felt like she wasn’t fully represented in the character.

This fit with the broader idea within the industry that “only white stories sell,” she said.

She explained to The Independent: ‘That’s been the attitude in Hollywood for a long time.

“They said people wouldn’t watch shows with these characters, and now we all know that’s not true. But that perspective still persists, and there are still people who say, well, that movie won’t sell overseas if it has a black lead, and that movie won’t sell in these markets if it has a gay lead.”

Tyler hugged Matthew Perry at a benefit he was hosting. Tyler looked back fondly on working with him

Tyler said she knew Schwimmer, who also co-directed the series, was pushing for more diversity.

She also fondly remembers the friendships she made on set, such as the one with the late Matthew Perry, who played the charming Chandler Bing.

Friends has been criticized for being non-inclusive, racist and homophobic.

Jennifer Aniston, 55, who played Rachel Green, said Entertainment weekly: ‘There’s a whole generation of people, kids, who now look back at episodes of Friends and find them offensive.

“We should have thought about it carefully, but I don’t think there was as much sensitivity as there is now.”

In addition to Friends, Tyler says she was turned down for a role because a black character had already been cast.

Jennifer Aniston spoke out about criticism, saying the younger generation finds Friends offensive

Tyler described the lack of diversity as the “norm” for the television industry at the time of Friends

She told The Independent: ‘I’m like, “Have you never seen two black people in the same room in real life? Is there only one of us? Are we like Superman and Clark Kent?

If I leave the room, Kerry Washington comes in? And then you find out later that we exchanged masks? It’s just ridiculous!’

While Tyler believes progress has been made in the television industry, she encourages more women, people of color and other marginalized groups to “get behind the camera and tell their stories.”