"I Was A Fan Of 'Living Single'": David Schwimmer Responds To Erika Alexander Over All-Black 'Friends' Controversy
Erika Alexander had called out David Schwimmer on certain comments he made in a recent interview.
After Erika Alexandercalled out David Schwimmer for recent comments he made about Friends having an all-Black cast if the series were to be rebooted, the actor has now responded to the Living Singleactress.
READ: Erika Alexander Reminds David Schwimmer That 'Living Single' Was The Blueprint For 'Friends'
Schwimmer took to Twitter to respond directly to Alexander's tweet where she said Living Single "invented the template" for shows like Friends.
"I was asked recently in an interview for The Guardian how I felt (for the thousandth time) about a reboot of Friends immediately following a conversation about diversity on the show, and so offered up other possibilities for a reimagining of the show today," Schwimmer explained. "I didn't mean to imply Living Single hadn't existed or indeed hadn't come before Friends, which I knew it had."
"I was a fan of Living Single, and was not implying Friends was the first of its kind," he continued. "To my knowledge, Friends (which came out a year later) was inspired by [show creators] Marta & David's own lives and circle of friends living in NY in their twenties. If it was based on Living Single you'd have to ask them."
"It's entirely possible that Warner Brothers and NBC, encouraged by the success of Living Single, gave the Friends pilot a green light," he added. "I honestly don't know, but seems likely! If that's the case, we are all indebted to Living Single for paving the way."
"I assure you I meant no disrespect," Schwimmer concluded his response with.
Queen Latifah spoke on the comparisons between the two shows back in 2016 during an appearance on The Late Late Show with James Corden.
“It was interesting because, when Living Single came out, shortly thereafter, Warren Littlefield, who was at NBC, they asked him if he could have any show on television — any of the news shows — which one would it be?” Latifah said. “And he said Living Single. It was in the newspaper. And then the next thing you know here comes Friends.”