Did China censor scenes from 'Friends: The Reunion' featuring BTS, Lady Gaga & Bieber?

In undoubtedly the most iconic get-together of the decade, hit sitcom from the 1990s 'Friends' returned for a 'Reunion' episode featuring the entire main star-cast in all its glory. Fans around the globe tuned in to watch 'Friends: The Reunion', sharing memories and reminiscing over their most-loved characters.

While the reunion broke on the internet, achieved a milestone rating across countries, in China a large part of the NBC sitcom was censored and cut down by almost 4-6 minutes before it was put up on three Chinese streamers for airing. Several Chinese netizens were left confused after they missed out on some much-talked about artists and segments that were strongly promoted before the episode aired. So what happened? 

Why did China censor Friends: The Reunion?

In the 104-minute reunion special that aired, Chinese netizens missed guest appearances from the likes of K-pop group BTS, American pop sensations like Lady Gaga and Justin Bieber and cameos by LGBTQIA+ fans. China which has a history of censoring social media and conflicting opinions had different reasons for cutting out each of these artists and segments.

In the case of Lady Gaga, the explanation is simple. For those who don't know, the artist has been banned in China for her meeting with Dalai Lama in 2016. What did Justin Bieber do in China? Well, the pop-star has also been banned by China for being a 'badly behaved entertainer' after he ruffled up their feathers on numerous occasions. These include being carried up the Great Wall of China by his bodyguards in 2013 and a photo of the Yasukuni War Shrine in Tokyo which he posted in 2014 which honours Japanese WWII criminals. 

For BTS, the explanation is a little more complex since the K-pop boyband is much loved and celebrated in China. According to sources, the reason behind the step was because BTS lauded the sacrifice of South Korean and US soldiers in the Korean war in October 2020. For those who don't know the history, China had backed North Korea in the war. 

How to watch Friends Reunion in India? 

Many Indians fans who missed the iconic reunion episode still have the chance to watch it. While it is still not certain if 'Friends Reunion' will be available on Netflix India (which hosts the entire series on its platform), for now, fans can watch Friends Reunion in India on homegrown streaming platform- Zee5. Friends Reunion on Zee5 has already crossed 1 million streams, as per the company.