The world was a different place when Friends was on the air, and some have speculated that the show would never have lasted if it were arrive today. That's all up for speculation, though series star Jennifer Aniston will agree that the landscape of comedy has definitely changed dramatically since she filmed her final episode of the popular sitcom. She weighed in on the criticism that has been leveled at Friends in recent years, noting how there's more sensitivity with viewers today that leaves comedy writers shying away from approaching certain topics these days.

"Comedy has evolved, movies have evolved," says Aniston to AFP in Paris, via Yahoo! News. "Now it's a little tricky because you have to be very careful, which makes it really hard for comedians, because the beauty of comedy is that we make fun of ourselves, make fun of life... You could joke about a bigot and have a laugh -- that was hysterical. And it was about educating people on how ridiculous people were. And now we're not allowed to do that."

Aniston then addresses the criticism that has been leveled against Friends specifically. She comments on how none of those now-offensive jokes were ever intended to hurt anyone, even if some of them don't seem very well thought out in retrospect.

"There's a whole generation of people, kids, who are now going back to episodes of Friends and find them offensive," Aniston says. "There were things that were never intentional and others... well, we should have thought it through -- but I don't think there was a sensitivity like there is now."

Because it would seem that there are more limitations on where comedy writers can go these days, Aniston speculates that this is why there aren't as many comedies coming out as there used to be decades ago. She considers that to be a great tragedy, arguing how important comedy should be for people.

"Everybody needs funny! The world needs humor! We can't take ourselves too seriously. Especially in the United States. Everyone is far too divided," Aniston says.

Related: Brooke Shields Says Ex-Husband Andre Agassi Went Ballistic Over Her Friends Cameo

Some Critics Have Given Retroactive Criticism to Friends' Humor and Casting

Ross Unagi
Warner Bros. Television

Friends has come under fire for jokes that address a variety of topics, including how the show has depicted obese and transgender characters. Another modern complaint has been leveled against the cast, as all of the show's leads consisted of white actors. Creator Marta Kauffman told the L.A. Times last year that she's "learned a lot in 20 years" and that she's embarrassed that she didn't "know better 25 years ago" when it came to the show's lack of diversity.

While she's being careful, Aniston is still doing her best to make people laugh in the comedy genre. Fans can see her doing as such in the new movie Murder Mystery 2 alongside Adam Sandler, which hits Netflix on March 31, 2023.