Matthew Perry’s refusal to film a gay bar scene in Friends shows his stand against stereotypes ( Photo Credit – Instagram )
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When Matthew Perry passed away, fans flooded social media with their favorite Chandler Bing moments from Friends. The guy was a master of sarcasm, slapstick comedy, and those awkward, cringey moments we all loved. But one scene never made it to air, showing Perry was never afraid to speak up. There was a plan for Chandler to end up in a gay bar—but Perry wasn’t about to let that slide.
Let’s rewind to season 7. Friends was a full-on pop culture machine by this point, but not everything about the show has aged well. The ‘90s and early 2000s were all about the “gay panic” jokes, and Friends wasn’t exactly the best at navigating them. Chandler, being his neurotic self, was often the target of these jokes—his masculinity was always up for debate. But when they wanted to send him to a male strip club? Yeah, Perry wasn’t about it.
Matthew didn’t feel the show relied on tired old stereotypes to get cheap laughs. And honestly, who could blame him? That gay bar idea was lazy, just another way to poke fun at Chandler’s awkwardness without any real thought. Perry saw the bigger picture, especially since the show wasn’t exactly known for handling LGBTQ+ topics with any depth. So, he stepped up and shut it down. And honestly? That was a smart move because that scene was scrapped and never made it to air.
You might think, “What about The One with Chandler’s Dad?” Well, that episode did come four episodes later, and it’s where Chandler’s parent is revealed to be a transgender woman, played by Kathleen Turner. But again, the show handled the topic clumsily—focusing on Chandler’s discomfort with his dad’s drag persona rather than understanding the complexity of being transgender. It was more about the cheap laughs than about the actual story.
So, it makes sense why Perry wanted to skip the gay bar storyline. Not only did he feel it didn’t fit Chandler’s neurotic vibe, but it also felt like the show was about to dive into some uncharted and potentially problematic waters with LGBTQ+ representation. Certainly, Chandler was being put in these situations without any real depth. So when the gay bar scene got the axe, it was a smart move that saved the show from stumbling into an easy trope.
Looking back, Perry’s refusal to go through with that storyline was pretty solid. It was a quiet stand against cheap jokes and a nudge toward better handling LGBTQ+ themes on TV. While Friends may not have been the most progressive show when it came to queer culture, Perry’s pushback helped keep things from veering into even murkier waters.
Ultimately, Chandler stayed the awkward, neurotic guy we all loved—and that gay bar scene never saw the light of day. Perry kept his character’s integrity intact, and in doing so, he kept Friends from leaning on tired old stereotypes. So, while Chandler will always be remembered for his one-liners, this behind-the-scenes move is another reason we should be thankful for Perry’s influence on the show.
