TV Episodes Banned after Backlash: "The One with the Lesbian Wedding"

[JamesG]

Friends: The One with the Lesbian Wedding


Few would describe "Friends" as a paragon of progressive politics, but aspects of it were groundbreaking at the time. Notably, the series featured two lesbian characters: Carol (Jane Sibbett), Ross's (David Schwimmer) ex, and her girlfriend, Susan (Jessica Hecht).

Though Carol and Susan are often made the punchline of jokes, their marriage in a 1996 episode, aptly titled "The One with the Lesbian Wedding," marked the first appearance of a lesbian wedding on primetime TV.



Although the episode aired in most parts of the country without incident, a few communities objected to the subject matter. KJAC in Port Arthur, Texas, and WLIO in Lima, Ohio, both refused to air the episode.

Defending the decision, Ron Kelly, the station manager of KJAC, explained, "We do not believe the episode of 'Friends' meets the prevailing standards of good taste in our community."



GLAAD condemned this censorship, and managing director William Waybourn argued that these bans send "a chilling message to America that there's something wrong with lesbian and gay couples publicly stating their commitments to one another."

While bans in those two cities were meaningful, viewers in those areas represented a very small portion of the nationwide audience. Indeed, according to "Friends" co-creator Marta Kauffman, the backlash was much milder than anticipated; as she told The Hollywood Reporter, NBC "put 104 operators on for fear of getting a million phone calls. They got two."

https://www.tvline.com/2024168/tv-ep...fter-backlash/