Zoe Kravitz Slams 'Friends' For 'Super Homophobic' Jokes: 'Keep That In The ’90s'

Zoe Kravitz is the latest 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late Matthew Perry, remains one of the most popular shows in TV history, many of its “super homophobic” punchlines feel outdated and problematic today. Zoe Kravitz's remarks come as "Friends" continues to dominate streaming platforms nearly three decades after its 1994 premiere, often sparking renewed debates about whether the show still holds up for modern audiences.

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

“Super homophobic jokes on mainstream television. If you watch 'Friends' now, you’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s…’” Kravitz explained, noting that many of the punchlines haven’t aged well. Butler was taken aback, asking, “Wow, even in 'Friends?'”

Kravitz didn’t hesitate. “Oh, so much in 'Friends.' Like, things that aren’t punchlines are punchlines. It’s wild," she replied. "So maybe that? We can keep that there.” Butler agreed, adding, “That’s crazy. Yeah, keep that in the ’90s!”

The comments came during a conversation about their new film, which is set in 1998 New York City. Both 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 about the throwback details. “Even just being in 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 time. Then also the fashion, all that stuff’s so cool. New York City and the grunge. It’s a good 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 woman and there was a gay wedding, of my ex and her wife, that I attended," he said. "The truth is also that show was groundbreaking in its time for the way in which it handled so casually sex, protected sex, gay marriage and relationships.”

Still, Schwimmer acknowledged that not every moment landed, “I’m the first person to say that maybe something was inappropriate or insensitive. But I feel like my barometer was pretty good at that time. You have to look at it from the point of view of what the show was trying to do.”

Kravitz’s remarks come at a time when "Friends" has been back in the headlines. The beloved NBC sitcom, which aired from 1994 to 2004, has seen a resurgence of attention in recent years thanks to its continued success on streaming platforms and ongoing debates about whether the humor holds up for modern audiences.

The show was also thrust back into the spotlight in October 2023, when Perry, best known as Chandler Bing, tragically died from the acute effects of ketamine at 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 days 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 two laughing together on the "Friends" set, as well as a screenshot of a text Perry had once sent her featuring the same image. “Making you laugh just made my day. It made my day,” Perry had written in the message, reflecting the bond they shared both on and off screen.

Nearly two years later, in a Vanity Fair cover interview, Aniston admitted that she and the rest of the cast had been quietly mourning Perry long before his passing. “We did everything we could when we could,” Aniston said. “But it almost felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a long time because his battle with that disease was a really hard one for him to fight. As hard as it was for all of us and for the fans, there’s a part of me that thinks this is better. I'm glad he's out of that pain."