China Censors LGBTQ Scenes in Friends

By Alistair Baker-Brian, February 14, 2022

Streaming sites in China, including Tencent, Bilibili, Sohu, iQiyi and Youku, appear to have censored scenes with LGBTQ references in the popular US sitcom Friends.

The show became available via the platforms earlier last week. However, many Chinese fans familiar with the storyline noticed that certain scenes had been cut, according to BBC News.

In particular, the versions shown avoided references to the character of Carol, played by Jane Sibbett, ex-wife of one of the main characters Ross, played by David Schwimmer.

Some of the subtitles appear to have also been changed to downplay sexual references.

In season one of Friends, viewers learn that Carol divorced Ross after realizing she was a lesbian.

Towards the end of the season, Carol gives birth to her and Ross’ son Ben, who is raised jointly by the pair, along with Carol’s same-sex partner Susan played by Jessica Hecht.

On Weibo, the hashtag ‘Friends cut’ #老友记删减# appeared to have over 800,000 views before being censored.

Weibo hashtag ‘Friends cut' appeared to have over 800,000 views before being removed by the platform. Screengrab via Weibo/@深度电影圈

Chinese fans of the show took to the social media platform to express their dissatisfaction that scenes had been cut.

One user said that it made the version of the sitcom “awkward” to watch and that it seemed “social tolerance had gone back 10 years.”

Another user stated that viewers “probably won’t get to see Chandler’s father.” This is in reference to the plot from a later season in which viewers learn that the father of Matthew Perry’s character Chandler performs as a drag queen in Las Vegas.

This is not the first time Friends has been on the receiving end of Chinese censorship. Last year saw many Chinese platforms air the special reunion show. But viewers noticed that some special guests had been cut, including Korean boy band BTS, as well as Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga.

The hugely popular sitcom went on for a total of 10 seasons from 1994 until 2004. Set in New York City, the show follows the lives of six friends Rachel (Jennifer Aniston), Phoebe (Lisa Kudrow), Monica (Courtney Cox), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), Ross (David Schwimmer) and Chandler (Matthew Perry).

The show is popular in China, with many watching as a way to improve their English. The Weibo hashtag ‘watching Friends to study English’ (#看老友记学英语#) has accumulated more than 10 million views.

Censorship of foreign movies and television shows is common in China.

Many fans noticed recently that Tencent changed the ending to psychological drama Fightclub; the platform also censored nude scenes from the movie. They eventually restored the original ending following a backlash from fans.

With a similar backlash from Friends fans, will platforms be pressured into restoring original scenes?

Let’s wait and see.

[Cover image via Weibo/@深度电影圈]