David Schwimmer’s ‘Friends’ Throwback Ad Sparks Antisemitic Fury Online

So no one told you life was gonna be this way.“Friends” star David Schwimmer may have expected little more than a nostalgic promotional romp when he signed on to tout a red sweater for online retailer Quince. The campaign was designed to capitalize on a beloved episode from 25 years ago, when the sweater became a key clue that Schwimmer’s character, Ross, had fathered a child with Rachel, played by Jennifer Aniston.Instead Mr. Schwimmer, who is Jewish, is facing a torrent of antisemitic hate on social media and calls for a boycott — a backlash so intense that the Israeli American Council released a statement defending him and saying “I’ll be there for you,” the title of the show’s theme song.“When someone uses their voice to do what’s right, and a company stands firmly beside them, we show up,” the Council said. “Proud to support David and Quince for keeping character, quality and respect front and center.”The path to this controversy started 25 years ago, when the “Friends” episode “The One With the Red Sweater” aired on October 4, 2001 on NBC. Mr. Schwimmer directed the episode.In the episode, Rachel is pregnant but will not reveal the identity of the father. The remaining friends in the cast are not satisfied with the non-answer and try to solve the mystery. They discover a red sweater which they are convinced is the telltale mark of the father’s identity. Hijinks ensue, before the last moment of the episode where Mr. Schwimmer’s character Ross offhandedly identifies the red sweater as his, inadvertently confirming he is the father of Rachel’s child.In 2026, the e-commerce company Quince decided to capitalize on the episode by incorporating it into a large-scale holiday advertising campaign. Mr. Schwimmer appears in the ad, seeking an identical red sweater to the one his character wore in the episode. Running around the “Friends” stomping grounds of Manhattan seeking the garment, he sees the red sweater on everyone else including a dog before finding his own sweater draped across a park bench.When the ad was posted on Quince’s Instagram account, users savaged the company and Mr. Schwimmer.“Red as the blood of all the murdered Palestinians by the IDF,” another user wrote.“Genocide red?” another user asked. “Come on selling Zionism in 2026 is not at all attractive.”“I’ve spent thousands shopping with you guys over the last 3-4 years,” a user wrote. “I don’t approve of you featuring a Zio in your ad. Please do better.”“Zioooo alert,” a user commented.“Didn’t know we still love blood thirsty Zionists,” wrote another.“Boycotting Quince,” a user wrote. “Free Palestine.”“Trying to be cute and aligning with this scumbag?” one user wrote. “No thanks.”The user completed the comment with an image of a Palestinian flag.“Finding out he was a Zionist was actually heartbreaking,” a different user wrote. “Ross was one of my favorite characters in Friends, just tarnished a beautiful legacy ad.”Mr. Schwimmer has publicly backed the Anti-Defamation League and spoke at its 2025 Never Is Now conference.“I get that speaking out is hard,” Mr. Schwimmer said in March 2025. “Plenty of people I respect, even some of my heroes in entertainment, music and sports, have chosen to keep a low profile and sit this one out, including some whose careers have been made by leaning into their Jewish identity, and others who have won acclaim for playing Jews onscreen. Some of them are doing a lot behind the scenes, privately and in their own way, but so many have chosen not to say anything publicly at all. And if I can say something directly to them: I really wish you would.”Mr. Schwimmer also called Kanye West a “deranged bigot” for antisemitic comments on the social media platform X, and urged X owner Elon Musk to take those rantings down. In 2023, Mr. Schwimmer blasted those who denied that Hamas terrorists had committed atrocities of rape and sexual violence during the attack on Israel on October 7 of that year.“They’ll fight like hell for ALL victims of sexual violence — unless they’re Jews,” Mr. Schwimmer wrote on Instagram. “For many of them, denying it even happened is a convenient way of avoiding compassion and personal responsibility.”Mr. Schwimmer has garnered support both online and from the Israeli American Council.“After launching a brilliant new holiday campaign paying homage to Friends with David Schwimmer, the clothing brand Quince began facing aggressive boycott calls because David has always chosen to be an unapologetic voice against hate,” the Council wrote, “standing up for human rights and on the right side of history.”Quince told the Forward it stands by Mr. Schwimmer and its ad campaign.“We’ve seen more than 8 million views across our social channels in the first 48 hours, alongside international press coverage and recognition from the marketing community for the creative,” said Dakota Isaacs, head of brand strategy and narrative. “It’s been especially rewarding to see fans connect with the humor and nostalgia while discovering Quince.”

David Schwimmer’s ‘Friends’ Throwback Ad Sparks Antisemitic Fury Online

David Schwimmer’s ‘Friends’ Throwback Ad Sparks Antisemitic Fury Online

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