'Friends' co-creator apologizes again, now for using wrong pronouns for Chandler Bing's father: 'That was a mistake'

Marta Kauffman, co-creator of "Friends," is once again apologizing over certain aspects of the hit sitcom that are considered politically incorrect today.

"Friends" aired for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004 and is widely considered one of TV's most successful sitcoms. The show's six-member ensemble cast still earns tens of millions of dollars per year from the show, even though it ended nearly two decades ago.

What did Kauffman say?

Speaking with the BBC in a forthcoming interview, Kauffman apologized for the sin of misgendering the parent of "Friends" character Chandler Bing, who was played by Matthew Perry.

In the show, Bing's biological father is portrayed as a transgender drag queen named "Helena Handbasket." Actress Kathleen Turner played the role.

Now, Kauffman says it was a mistake to refer to the character as a male.

"We kept referring to [Helena] as 'Chandler's father,' even though Chandler's father was trans," Kauffman said. "Pronouns were not yet something that I understood, so we didn't refer to that character as 'she.' That was a mistake."

The cast of 'Friends.' (NBCU Photo Bank/NBCUniversal via Getty Images via Getty Images)

Kauffman also reiterated the importance of creating a "tolerant" set, explaining she has fired crew members for making jokes.

"I like very much to create an environment where we have a happy set and a happy crew," Kauffman said. "It's very important to me that where we are is a safe place, a tolerant place, where there's no yelling.

"I fired a guy on the spot for making a joke about a trans cameraperson," she boasted. "That just can’t happen."

The admission comes more than a week after Kauffman made headlines for apologizing for the lack of diversity on the set of "Friends." At the time, Kaufmann also announced a $4 million donation to help make amends for the sin.

Anything else?

Interestingly, Turner addressed her role in "Friends" several years ago, saying that she would not accept the role today.

"Of course, I wouldn’t do it [today] because there would be real people able to do [the part]," Turner said in 2019.