Steve Park Reveals Racist Behavior and Toxic Environment on ‘Friends’ Set

Actor Steve Park, who appeared as a guest star in the beloved sitcom ‘Friends’, revealed that he witnessed racist behavior during the filming of the show’s third season episode, ‘The One With the Ultimate Fighting Champion’. Speaking on Monday (03.03.2025) during the podcast ‘Pod Meets World’, Park detailed the alleged incident. Park, who played the character Phil, stated that his colleague James Hong, portraying the boxing trainer Hoshi, was subjected to racist treatment. ‘[The assistant director] would call him onto the set and, you know, essentially tell him, “Where the hell is the Oriental guy? Bring the Oriental guy,”’ Park claimed. He continued, explaining that such racist remarks were considered a common occurrence in Hollywood during the ’90s and that this wasn’t the first time he had seen it. ‘No one felt the need to say anything about it. So this was normal behavior,’ Park remarked. When Park reached out to the Screen Actors Guild regarding the racist comment, the labor union advised him to write to the Los Angeles Times. Although he sent a ‘mission statement’ to the newspaper and some journalists interviewed him, no article was ever published.