NBC feared receiving complaints after airing the lesbian wedding episode of ‘Friends’
In a blast from the past Friends producer Marta Kauffman has revealed what happened when the US hit sitcom aired an episode that featured a same-sex wedding.
Airing back in 1996, and being one of the first same-sex weddings on US TV, the episode showed Ross’ ex-wife Carol marry her girlfriend Susan in the second season of the show.
According to Gay Star News, Kauffman explained how the studio feared they’d receive hundreds of complaints because of the episode.
She said, “When we did the lesbian wedding of Friends, everybody was up in arms. [NBC] put 104 operators on for fear of getting a million phone calls. They got two.”
Despite the two phone calls, they still had to wait for viewers’ letters.
“A month later, they got all the letters, but nobody called,” Kauffman added.
“And the letters were all from the Rev. [Donald] Wildmon. What a putz!”
Seems like Friends did well though, the show went on for another 8 seasons before ending in 2005.
Kaufman’s new series Grace and Frankie has been renewed for a third season and follows two rival, mature women who are brought together when their husbands elope together.
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