'Friends' executive producer says he doesn't regret the show's all-white cast after years of diversity criticism

• An executive producer for "Friends" weighed in on the show's lack of diversity in a new interview.
• The all-white cast has long been criticized, but Kevin Bright said he wouldn't change a thing.
• "What can I say? I wish Lisa was Black?" Bright told The Hollywood Reporter.

An executive producer for "Friends" said in a new interview that he doesn't regret the show's all-white cast - despite years of criticism over the sitcom's lack of diversity.

"There are different priorities today and so much has changed," executive producer and director Kevin Bright told The Hollywood Reporter ahead of the "Friends" reunion special airing on HBO Max.

According to Bright, for the roles of Chandler and Phoebe, they picked "the two best actors" for each role, but "didn't intend to have an all-white cast."

"That was not the goal, either. Obviously, the chemistry between these six actors speaks for itself," Bright said.

The filmmaker said that it's "important" for TV shows today "to be reflective of the ways society truly is," but he wouldn't do anything differently with the cast of the hit sitcom.

"I don't have any regrets other than hindsight. I would have been insane not to hire those six actors," Bright told THR.

"What can I say? I wish Lisa was Black?" he continued. "I've loved this cast. I loved the show and I loved the experience."

In the years since the show first premiered in 1994, it's been criticized in retrospect for its lack of diversity, as well as for using LGBTQ characters and fat characters as punchlines.

David Schwimmer, who played paleontologist Ross Geller on the show, addressed the criticism in a 2020 interview.

"I was well aware of the lack of diversity," he told The Guardian.

"I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of color," he continued. "One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part."

The actor also suggested that there be an "all-Black 'Friends'" or an "all-Asian 'Friends'" reboot. In response to that point, many subsequently pointed out that "Living Single," a show that followed six young Black professionals living in Brooklyn, actually predates "Friends," which has been accused of copying the groundbreaking earlier sitcom. (Schwimmer later clarified his comments and said he "meant no disrespect" to "Living Single.")

Cocreator Marta Kauffman also admitted last year that she "didn't do enough" for diversity on the show.

During a virtual panel discussion with female showrunners, Kauffman was asked what she wished she'd known when starting her career.

"I wish I knew then what I know today," she said in response.

Kauffman grew teary, and said: "Sorry, I just wish I knew then what I know now. I would've made very different decisions.

"I mean we've always encouraged people of diversity in our company, but I didn't do enough and now all I can think about is what can I do? What can I do differently? How can I run my show in a new way?" she said.

"And that's something I not only wish I knew when I started showrunning, but I wish I knew all the way up through last year."

Criticism of the show's lack of diverse characters has continued leading up to the reunion special, which premiered Thursday. That same day, critic and TV host Jawn Murray resurfaced the point that "Living Single" was "'Friends' before 'Friends!'"

-Jawn Murray (@JawnMurray) May 27, 2021

"['Friends'] didn't reflect me or my friends. And by the time they added some Black people, I just wasn't interested," Murray said.