Chinese content streamers have edited out a lesbian-related plotline and sexually suggestive dialogue from the first episode of the popular sitcom Friends, sparking outrage from the show’s loyal fans in the country.
Viewers noticed that references to character Ross’s lesbian ex-wife were scrubbed when the show started streaming Friday on Chinese platforms, including Bilibili, Tencent, Youku, Sohu, and iQiyi, according to CNN. The tag #FriendsCensored became the No. 1 trending topic on Chinese social media outlet Weibo on Friday following the discovery with 54 million results, until it too disappeared on Saturday morning.
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Also missing were accurate subtitles when Ross talked about women being able to have multiple orgasms, with the English dialogue staying the same but the Chinese subtitles changing the line to “women have endless gossip.” Many viewers caught the discrepancy, especially among the Chinese millennials who said the show helped them learn English, according to the BBC.
Friends first aired in China between 2012 and 2013, during which it gained a massive fan base. Chinese streaming companies again won streaming rights after the 2021 reunion special again raised interest in the show among Chinese fans.
In 2016, the country outlined stringent rules for what would be allowed to broadcast, including banning portrayals of homosexuality and other “immorality.” Western stars who have displeased the Chinese Communist Party in some way may also face censorship, which affected Justin Bieber’s and Lady Gaga’s appearance on the Friends reunion, the BBC reported.
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Bieber was banned from performing in China after he posted pictures of himself at the Yasukuni Shrine in Tokyo in 2014, which in the eyes of China and South Korea honors war criminals. Lady Gaga has also been banned for meeting with the Dalai Lama, a Buddhist leader whom the CCP views as a Tibetan separatist.
