After reflection, co-creator of "Friends," Marta Kauffman, has finally addressed decades of criticism.

After ignoring the criticism for twenty-five years, claiming it was "difficult and frustrating," Kauffman changed her tune in a June 29 interview with "The Los Angeles Times," saying,

"Admitting and accepting guilt is not easy. It's painful looking at yourself in the mirror. I'm embarrassed that I didn't know better twenty-five years ago."

The series ran from 1994 to 2004 without addressing or reflecting on the issue of race. It was not until 2020 that Kauffman could begin to understand where she went wrong.

"It was after what had happened to George Floyd that I began to wrestle with my having been brought into systemic racism in ways I was never aware of. That was really the moment that I began to examine the ways I had participated. I knew then I needed to course-correct."

In efforts to amend her past decisions, Kauffman claimed,

“In this case, I’m finally, literally putting my money where my mouth is.”

Kauffman subsequently announced to pledge four million dollars to Brandeis University's African and African American studies department. She chose this school specifically as it is her alma mater, and because the department is one of the oldest in the country.

In response, Brandeis University released their plans for the funds, sharing,

“It will support a distinguished scholar with a concentration in the study of the peoples and cultures of Africa and the African diaspora [as well as] assist the department to recruit more expert scholars and teachers, map long-term academic and research priorities and provide new opportunities for students to engage in interdisciplinary scholarship."