As somebody who neither watched or liked Friends, I have always been against the idea of a Friends reunion. For people like myself - who are not fans of the show - the idea of a reunion would only bring about social exclusion. Imagine every conversation in the office, pub, cafe and restaurant - everybody would be talking about Friends. It's like when Game of Thrones is on; I have no idea what anyone is talking about.
But while I may not be a fan of a reunion, a lot of people are. Fans of the show are desperate to see the gang get back together, however, their excitement may have just been squashed by Matt LeBlanc. LeBlanc, who played Joey on the show, has stated that he is not a fan of the idea of a reunion; echoing the sentiments of his co-star Jennifer Anniston, who had previously said:
"I don’t know what we would do? I think that period of time was sort of nostalgic, you know, there’s something about a time – and I think why people have such an affection for it – there was something about a time when our faces weren’t shoved into cell phones and we weren’t checking Facebook and Instagram.
"We were in a room together, or in a coffee shop together and we were talking. And we’ve lost that."
LeBlanc appears to agree with Anniston, in an interview with Brisbane’s 97.3 FM Bianca, Terry & Bob, the 50-year-old actor explained why he doesn’t like the idea of a reunion:
"I don’t think anybody wants to see Joey at his colonoscopy. I understand people really want to see that reunion, but that show was about a finite period in these six characters’ lives, between 20 and 30.
"I think everyone’s imagination of what they (the characters) are doing is better. It’s not any one person. I think it’s better to just leave it."
LeBlanc has previously spoken about Friends and the controversy that it has recently caused. Speaking about the negative press that the sitcom has received from Generation Z - with plenty of people labelling it as sexist and homophobic - the actor said:
"I’ve heard those rumours about people taking pot shots at Friends, but I don’t want to get into that. I disagree with all that. Friends steered clear of that kind of thing, too.
"Friends was about themes that stand the test of time – trust, love, relationships, betrayal, family and things like that.
"I don’t want to make jokes that make people go, ‘Ooh, that’s not my bag.’ I don’t like that. I run from that kind of stuff. Because that joke isn’t going to be relevant in six months.
"You talk about ‘Hey man, you lied to me,’ or ‘Wasn’t that fun? – that’ll always be relevant."
So there you have it, Friends fans - you won't be getting your poxy reunion after all. I, for one, couldn't be more delighted.
