The Ross Geller depicter was previously dragged after seemingly forgetting the existence of 'Living Single' which inspired 'Friends' by suggesting a reboot of 'Friends' with an all-black cast.

• Jan 30, 2020

AceShowbiz - David Schwimmer has broken his silence after being slammed online over his recent remarks over wanting to have an 'all-black' and 'all-asian' version of "Friends", seemingly forgetting the existence of "Living Single" which inspired "Friends". One of the criticism came directly from "Living Single" alum Erika Alexander. And now, David attempts to explain himself to Erika in a statement.

"Hi Erika. As you know, I was asked recently in an interview for 'The Guardian' how I felt (for the thousandth time) about a reboot of 'Friends' immediately following a conversation about diversity on the show, and so offered up other possibilities for a reimagining of the show today," David, who played Ross Geller in Friends, wrote in a reply to Erika's tweet on Wednesday, January 29. "I didn't mean to imply 'Living Single' hadn't existed or indeed hadn't come before 'Friends', which I knew it had."

"Please remember in an interview quotes are often pieced together and taken out of context, and then these quotes are repurposed in other articles by other people who are trying to be provocative," continued, adding that he was "a fan of 'Living Single', and was not implying 'Friends' was the first of its kind."

David admitted that he wasn't aware of the speculations that Warner Brothers and NBC, "encouraged by the success of Living Single, gave the Friends pilot a green light." He said, "I honestly don't know, but seems likely! If that's the case, we are all indebted to Living Single for paving the way."

David went on to say, "In any event, if my quote was taken out of context, it's hardly in my control. I assure you I meant no disrespect."

The statement arrives after Erika responded to David's interview with The Guardian. "Hey @DavidSchwimmer @FriendsTV - r u seriously telling me you've never heard of #LivingSingle? We invented the template! Yr welcome bro. ;)," she wrote on Twitter.

David previously suggested during the interview a reboot of "Friends" with an "all-black" or an "all-asian" casts. "But I was well aware of the lack of diversity and I campaigned for years to have Ross date women of color. One of the first girlfriends I had on the show was an Asian American woman, and later I dated African American women. That was a very conscious push on my part," he told the site.