The plot-line of a wife leaving a husband for her lesbian lover in the sitcom Friends may have tickled our funny bone, but Chinese authorities, have censored it out of the series. Sexually suggestive dialogues have been censored out of the series. The edits undoubtedly have angered fans of the iconic comedy series.
According to a CNN report, a famous dialogue by Ross in one episode that “(women can have) multiple orgasms” was changed to “women have endless gossips.” the point was being made when Ross was discussing the pros and cons of women.
'Friends' uncensored version was being streamed in China on OTT platform Sohu video and iQiyi in 2012, post which it gained a massive fan following. It was removed from streaming platforms in 2013. The Friends reunion, which premiered in December was censored as well. Angry fans took to the social media site Weibo to express their anger. The hashtag #FriendsCensored trended too, with over 54 million hashtag views.
In 2016, the Chinese government had said that television shows must not include plotlines that involved gay relationships or topics which include or “exaggerate the dark side of society."
