For Friends fans around the world, the recent star-studded reunion special was a moment of harmless fun. However, China’s strict state censors thought otherwise. They have heavily edited the episode, removing references to LGBTQ issues and cutting scenes featuring celebrities who have offended the communist regime, including Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga. SponsoredSome devoted Chinese fans of the show have been left bewildered after the country’s top streaming platforms including iQiyi, Youku, and Tencent Video, censored about six minutes of material from HBO Max’s Friends: The Reunion when it was released this week. A three-minute scene where Gaga sings Smelly Cat, a song written by the character Phoebe played by Lisa Kudrow, who laments the state of her pungent feline pet, was removed from

Source: The Times May 28, 2021 09:45 UTC