'Friends' co-creator Marta Kauffman says she hasn't done enough for diversity

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The co-creator of "Friends," Marta Kauffman, got emotional while lamenting not doing enough for diversity in a recent panel discussion.

Kauffman, who co-created the hit 90s sitcom as well as the Netflix original series "Grace and Frankie," spoke with a handful of other showrunners at an ATX TV...from the Couch panel when she began to tear up when asked what she wishes she’d known earlier in her career. 

"I wish I knew then what I know today," the TV creator, 63, said while fighting back tears (via Page Six). "Sorry, I just wish I knew then what I know now. I would’ve made very different decisions."

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Marta Kauffman got emotional while discussing the lack of diversity on shows like 'Friends.' (Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

She continued: "I mean we’ve always encouraged people of diversity in our company, but I didn’t do enough and now all I can think about is what can I do? What can I do differently? How can I run my show in a new way? And that’s something I not only wish I knew when I started showrunning, but I wish I knew all the way up through last year."

Despite being one of the more beloved sitcoms of its time, and still revered to this day, "Friends" has been criticized in the past for its lack of diversity and having an all-white cast. 

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David Schwimmer, who played Ross Geller on the show, previously stated that he lobbied for his character to date a woman of color. 

The 'Friends' co-creator lamented not doing more for diversity on the show. (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

"I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of color. One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part," he told The Guardian in January.

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In the same interview, he suggested that someone reboot "Friends" with a more diverse cast. Although there are currently no plans to reboot the comedy, the original cast is poised to get back together in a reunion special for HBO Max that was recently postponed due to the coronavirus.