China Streaming Services Censor ‘Friends’ Episodes Featuring LGBTQ Storylines

Streaming services in China have reportedly censored episodes of 'Friends' that include appearances by and any references to LGBTQ characters.

February 13, 2022

Photograph of Friends cast in Los Angeles — Image via Getty/Gregg DeGuire
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Friends episodes that reference anything diverging from heterosexuality have been censored in China, CNN reports.

Multiple episodes featuring characters who are LGBTQIA+ have been removed from Chinese streaming platforms. Any mention of Ross’s (David Schwimmer) ex-wife, Carol (Anita Barone) who marries Ross, has his child, and then comes out as a lesbian in the TV show were removed.

According to the South China Morning Post, a scene where Chandler (Matthew Perry) and Joey (Matt LeBlanc) kiss on New Year’s Eve has also been removed. Moreover, Chinese subtitles don’t reflect the actual show’s dialogue. For example, instead of a line about women experiencing “multiple orgasms,” the line says, “women have endless gossips.”

Fans took to the social media site Weibo to protest alterations to the show after it debuted on a handful of streaming platforms on Friday, with the #FriendsCensored hashtag even becoming a trending topic. However, by Saturday morning, that hashtag was also censored on Weibo.

“Seriously, if you can’t broadcast [the complete version], just don’t do it at all,” a Weibo user reportedly wrote. “[The streaming platforms] spent big bucks to buy the rights [to the show], but efforts to alter lines and edit out scenes ended up being slammed by the audience. What for?”

Friends had a reunion last May on HBO Max, and even that was censored. Appearances from BTS, Lady Gaga, and Justin Bieber were taken out, as was a scene with a gay person from Germany who spoke on how Friends changed his life.