For decades, an unspoken beef between TV shows “Friends” and “Living Single” has plagued Hollywood. Both shows were iconic in their own way, but only the white actor-led sitcom got the Hollywood red carpet rolled out. Now, two of the actresses from “Living Single” are clearing up which came first, the chicken or the egg.
Kim Coles and Erika Alexander went on “The Breakfast Club” to promote their new podcast, “Reliving Single.” They got candid about the true impact of the ‘90s classic they both starred in. Like “Friends,” “Living Single” was a hilarious sitcom about six friends living in New York City.
Fans know “Living Single” only ran for five seasons from 1993 to 1998. Meanwhile, “Friends,” starring Jennifer Aniston and Mathew Perry, doubled the run time of its predecessor, going for a whopping 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004.
So when asked if “Friends” owed some of its success to the groundwork paved by “Living Single,” Coles did not hold back.
“One hundred thousand percent, one hundred thousand percent,” she said. “Moving on, next question.” But while “The Breakfast Club” hosts laughed off Coles’ response, the actress continued to break down a little known fact about the makings of “Friends.”
“The president of their network, NBC at the time, had been asked if there was any show that you wish you could’ve purchased for this upcoming summer season,” Cole began. “He said ‘I wish I had bought ‘Living Single.’” One year later, “Friends” premiered on NBC.
Queen Latifah, who was the main character in the ‘90s sitcom, previously shared a similar sentiment. “We knew we had already been doing that,” Latifah said in a 2019 interview with “Watch What Happens Live.” She continued, “It was one of those things where there was a guy called Warren Littlefield, who used to run NBC, and they asked him, ‘When all the new shows came out, if there was any show you could have, which one would it be?’ And he said ‘Living Single’… And then he created ‘Friends.’”
“It absolutely tracks,” Coles continued to “The Breakfast Club” before giving the rival show it’s props. “Great show. I wish them all well, but we influenced them,” Coles said.
“Friends” actor David Schwimmer previously got dragged by Alexander for claiming to be oblivious about which show really came first. That was in 2020, and five years later, it seems folks still don’t know what really went down.
Regardless if they get the real recognition or not, real fans know the real truth about “Friends” and “Living Single.” Coles and Alexander’s new podcast, “Reliving Single” premiered last week.