What-could-have-beens are always amusing food for thought in retrospect, especially when looking back on two pop culture diamonds of television from the distance of several decades. I mean, “Seinfeld” and “Friends” both ended over 20 years ago, yet here we are still talking about them in 2025 like time has barely passed at all. Okay, to be fair, this is kind of old news that came out during the COVID-19 lockdowns when “Late Show” host Stephen Colbert decided to call up his old pal Chris Rock on television for a casual chat. And beyond discussing how they missed having humans and flesh-and-bone audiences to entertain and interact with, Rock also mentioned (after Colbert brought it up) that he very well could’ve been a star in two of the most well-known and celebrated sitcoms on Earth.
Rock started by addressing the rumor that once he was in talks to portray Seinfeld’s grumpy best friend George Constanza, who was ultimately played by Jason Alexander. As the actor-comedian explained (via Fox News):
“I just heard that one. I mean, it was a lot of NBC talk. There was talk about ‘Seinfeld.’ Let’s just say the good people at ‘Seinfeld,’ they made the right choice. He’s [Jason Alexander] good. He’s amazing.”
But perhaps the more intriguing revelation, if you ask me, was that Rock was also in talks to become a major player on NBC’s juggernaut 1990s TV phenomenon, “Friends.” To quote Rock directly:
“There was talk about me being one of the ‘Friends’ at a point. Yes, I would have been the Black friend. That’s basically who I am to America anyway at this point.”
Read more: The 30 Best Sitcoms Of All Time, Ranked
Chris Rock being on Friends could’ve changed a lot of things
Matt LeBlanc as Joey and Matthew Perry as Chandler looking shocked on Friends – Warner Bros. Television
From the very beginning, “Friends” was always an overwhelmingly white series. If Rock had played Chandler (Matthew Perry), Joey (Matt LeBlanc), or even Ross (David Schwimmer), that would’ve certainly changed the show’s dynamic. On the one hand, it could’ve been interesting to see how the series’ writers integrated a non-white character (with regard to his roots and cultural background) and how he would’ve adjusted to being “the Black friend” in the group (to quote Rock). On the other hand, the show being quintessentially ’90s in its tone and humor, that might’ve led to a lot of jokes related to the race of Rock’s character that would’ve been pretty cringe-inducing to look back on.
Frankly, I’m quite doubtful that the “Friends” creatives could’ve written a Black character without resorting to the usual (and often patronizing) stereotype we often saw in other network shows throughout the 1990s. It’s equally hard to say if Rock would’ve fit in with the rest of the main cast. Not because he wasn’t up to the task (comedically, he was top-tier and already had a few acting credits to his name by that point in his career, like “New Jack City” and “Boomerang”), but again, because the times were so different socially and culturally. In an alternate universe, I’d surely check out a “Friends with Chris Rock” edition of the sitcom, but in this one, it may be a good thing that didn’t happen.
Similarly, although being on “Friends” would’ve undoubtedly skyrocketed the stand-up comedian’s acting career, we wouldn’t necessarily have ended up with the same Chris Rock that we have today, and that would’ve been a shame for sure. As far as “Seinfeld” goes, there’s no way that could’ve worked out for the better. I just don’t see it. Either way, Rock has become a comedy legend on his own right — even without being on two super-popular sitcoms — and that’s what matters the most in the end.
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