Zoe Kravitz is the newest star to name out “Mates,” criticizing the hit sitcom for jokes she says haven’t aged nicely in 2025. The “Large Little Lies” actress argued that whereas the NBC collection, which starred Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matt LeBlanc, and the late Matthew Perry, stays probably the most common exhibits in TV historical past, lots of its “tremendous homophobic” punchlines really feel outdated and problematic in the present day. Zoe Kravitz’s remarks come as “Mates” continues to dominate streaming platforms practically three many years after its 1994 premiere, typically sparking renewed debates about whether or not the present nonetheless holds up for contemporary audiences.
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Zoe Kravitz Desires To Maintain ‘Mates’ ‘In The 90s’
In a brand new interview with PEOPLE, Zoe Kravitz admitted that whereas she has loads of fond reminiscences of the ’90s, “Mates” isn’t considered one of them. The actress, who’s at present selling her upcoming crime-thriller “Caught Stealing” alongside co-star Austin Butler, was requested what she would depart behind from that decade. Her reply? Sure jokes on mainstream tv, with “Mates” on the high of the checklist.
“Tremendous homophobic jokes on mainstream tv. When you watch ‘Mates’ now, you’re like, ‘Whoa, that’s…’” Kravitz defined, noting that lots of the punchlines haven’t aged nicely. Butler was stunned, asking, “Wow, even in ‘Mates?’”
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Kravitz didn’t hesitate. “Oh, a lot in ‘Mates.’ Like, issues that aren’t punchlines are punchlines. It’s wild,” she replied. “So possibly that? We are able to preserve that there.” Butler agreed, including, “That’s loopy. Yeah, preserve that within the ’90s!”
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’90s Nostalgia On Set
The feedback got here throughout a dialog about their new movie, which is about in 1998 New York Metropolis. Each stars admitted they felt nostalgic whereas filming, surrounded by props like answering machines, VHS tapes, and even an previous Nintendo 64 with “GoldenEye.”
Kravitz laughed about utilizing a cumbersome Nokia brick cellphone on set, whereas Butler gushed in regards to the throwback particulars. “Even simply being within the house [on set] and seeing the Nintendo 64 on high of the TV,” he mentioned. “We had the ‘GoldenEye,’ I noticed that.”
The “Large Little Lies” actress summed it up with, “I’m actually nostalgic for that point. Then additionally the style, all that stuff’s so cool. New York Metropolis and the grunge. It’s a superb time.”
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David Schwimmer Defended The Present’s Context
However not everybody agrees with the backlash. David Schwimmer, who performed Ross Geller, defended the collection in a 2020 interview with The Guardian. He argued that, for its time, “Mates” truly broke limitations.
“The pilot of the present was my character’s spouse left him for a lady and there was a homosexual marriage ceremony, of my ex and her spouse, that I attended,” he mentioned. “The reality can be that present was groundbreaking in its time for the way in which by which it dealt with so casually intercourse, protected intercourse, homosexual marriage and relationships.”
Nonetheless, Schwimmer acknowledged that not each second landed, “I’m the primary particular person to say that possibly one thing was inappropriate or insensitive. However I really feel like my barometer was fairly good at the moment. It’s important to have a look at it from the standpoint of what the present was making an attempt to do.”
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‘Mates’ Again In The Highlight
Kravitz’s remarks come at a time when “Mates” has been again within the headlines. The beloved NBC sitcom, which aired from 1994 to 2004, has seen a resurgence of consideration lately because of its continued success on streaming platforms and ongoing debates about whether or not the humor holds up for contemporary audiences.
The present was additionally thrust again into the highlight in October 2023, when Perry, finest referred to as Chandler Bing, tragically died from the acute results of ketamine on the age of 54. His dying sparked world tributes, not solely from followers however from his castmates, who revealed the toll his longtime battle with dependancy had taken on their tight-knit group.
Jennifer Aniston Opens Up About Matthew Perry’s Demise
Within the days following Perry’s dying, Aniston shared a deeply shifting tribute to her late co-star on Instagram. Her put up included a candid photograph of the 2 laughing collectively on the “Mates” set, in addition to a screenshot of a textual content Perry had as soon as despatched her that includes the identical picture. “Making you chortle simply made my day. It made my day,” Perry had written within the message, reflecting the bond they shared each on and off display screen.
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Practically two years later, in a Vainness Honest cowl interview, Aniston admitted that she and the remainder of the solid had been quietly mourning Perry lengthy earlier than his passing. “We did every thing we may after we may,” Aniston mentioned. “However it nearly felt like we’d been mourning Matthew for a very long time as a result of his battle with that illness was a very exhausting one for him to combat. As exhausting because it was for all of us and for the followers, there’s part of me that thinks that is higher. I am glad he is out of that ache.”
