Let’s be real—if you were TV addicted in the 1990s, Friends and Seinfeld were likely a part of your evening routine. But for countless Black viewers—and anyone who was paying attention—there was an unmistakable void: few characters resembled them.
Even so, some appearances made a lasting impression. Here’s a retrospective on 8 Black characters who left their mark in Friends and Seinfeld, and what their roles say about the shows’ tentative handling of diversity at the time.
7. The Agency Rep (Victoria Dillard) – Seinfeld
In “The Old Man,” Victoria Dillard is a counselor who assists the gang in enrolling to work with seniors as volunteers. She isn’t even given a name, but she doesn’t need one—her placid, capable presence stands in stark relief to the typical mayhem of Jerry and his pals. She’s just there to get things done, not become part of the comedy, and she reminds us in her quiet way that the world outside the bubble of the show is much more diverse.
6. Ms. Elaine McKenna (Janet Hubert) – Friends
Janet Hubert—iconic forever as the original Aunt Viv on The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air—appears on Friends as Chandler’s boss in “The One Where Emma Cries.” Chandler succeeds in misgendering her daughter and completely messing up her name, and Ms. McKenna brings him down with a perfectly unimpressed face. It’s a brief moment, but Hubert performs it with the sort of subdued authority that lingers. It also serves to point out just how little room Friends left for Black women.
5. The Florist (Lionel Mark Smith) – Seinfeld
In “The Gum,” Lionel Mark Smith is a florist who speaks one word at most, but his character belongs to a well-worn Seinfeld template: the deadpan outsider who won’t play along with the nonsense of the cast. His no-frills presence—particularly against the backdrop of Kramer’s craziness—makes him stand out, even if he appears only briefly. It’s another instance of the Black character as voice of reason in a reality constructed on nonsense.
4. Rebecca DeMornay (Sonya Eddy) – Seinfeld
Sonya Eddy steals the episode playing Rebecca DeMornay, a charity volunteer who doesn’t fall for Elaine’s muffin-top donation scam for an instant. She calls her out for exactly what it is: a selfish act dressed up as generosity. Her acid-tipped delivery and complete absence of patience make her one of the few Black characters who has the pleasure of being just as quick-witted and funny as the rest of the main cast. As Vulture described it, her performance is “magnetic.”
3. Kristen Lang (Gabrielle Union) – Friends
Gabrielle Union guest stars as Kristen Lang, who finds herself temporarily involved in a love triangle with Joey and Ross. Although she doesn’t remain on the show long, Kristen feels like an actual character, rather than a plot device. She’s independent, with her personality and charm, which makes her one of the only Black women on Friends who gets a story. Her presence was invigorating, but also brought back how unusual that kind of role was on the show.
2. Mr. Morgan (Tom Wright) – Seinfeld
Mr. Morgan is George’s supervisor with the Yankees, and he gets to deliver one of the show’s greatest deadpan put-downs. When George fumbles an attempt to connect by saying he resembles Sugar Ray Leonard, Mr. Morgan takes it down with a one-sentence quip—and an expression that speaks volumes. Tom Wright portrays him, and he’s another in the line of how Black characters are utilized as a placid, unimpressed foil to George’s endless fumbling.
1. Jackie Chiles (Phil Morris) – Seinfeld
Jackie Chiles, portrayed by Phil Morris with élan, stands out as one of Seinfeld’s memorable recurring cast members. A send-up of celebrity lawyer Johnny Cochran, Jackie is boisterous, melodramatic, and over-the-top—in a good way. Unlike most of the Black characters on the show, he’s not merely responding to the mayhem—he’s contributing to it. His interplay with Kramer is comic gold, and his larger-than-life persona makes him a beloved favorite unto this very day.
The Bigger Picture: Margins, Mirrors, and Missed Opportunities
In both Friends and Seinfeld, Black characters tended to exist at the periphery of the narrative. They didn’t get to join the mayhem or the central clique; they were mirrors instead, reflecting the absurdity of the main cast or getting them in line. As Vulture also noted, they were the “agents of public decency,” present to remind us all just how off-the-rails the leads could be.
Looking back at these characters is not merely a matter of calling out what was lacking—it’s also about affirming the actors who brought presence, humor, and authenticity to the screen, regardless of the limited space they were afforded.