Here's Why The 'Friends' Cast Did Not Attend Matthew Perry’s In Memoriam Emmy 2024 Tribute

The late Friends actor was remembered during Monday night's in memoriam part of the Emmys 2024, but Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer were conspicuously missing. Mathew Perry passed away on October 28 due to 'acute effects of ketamine.' According to Jeannie Rouzan-Clay, an Emmy's EP, in a Tuesday interview with the Hollywood Reporter, "It’s still very fresh for them."

Jesse Collins, a fellow executive producer, also revealed to the publication that while they 'talked about,' they eventually opted against bringing the cast of the 1990s comedy. Collins added, "But I can imagine, from their side, they’re mourning someone who was still very close to them. I can’t speak for them, but we all have to respect that they were their own family. It was probably just a little too soon." Charlie Puth sang See You Again during the in memoriam portion of the awards presentation, which honored several deceased celebrities. The song then switched to the Friends theme song, I'll Be There For You. The 17 Again star's image was the final to be shown during the program, and it was shown for a few more seconds than the images of other late celebrities, including Kirstie Alley, Barbara Walters, Andre Braugher, and more.

Collins further went on to tell the outlet, "There were lots of ideas on how to bring that together. Once we had Charlie [Puth] and The War and Treaty doing the theme, we knew that that was a great base, and then it just became about recognizing 44 people. Yes, Norman Lear and Matthew Perry, you have to give some special attention to, but you don’t want anyone to feel slighted. Everybody’s contribution was significant, and this is their moment inside this package. So the hardest part was really trying to find a balance. We always wanted to do something with ‘All in the Family,’ and that wound up being the perfect setup: starting with Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers onstage and having Matthew Perry be the last picture."

Pop sensation Puth and husband-and-wife country combo The War and Treaty performed an acoustic version of the sitcom's iconic theme song during Monday's broadcast. Just one day after Perry's passing, Friends superfan Puth sang the theme song live in Melbourne, Australia. As reported by USA Today, he said at the time, "I want to dedicate this song to another song, and if that makes you think if it makes you think of a person that’s who it’s dedicated to. Does this mean anything to you?" In the 1990s and early 2000s, Perry gained popularity as the sardonic Chandler Bing on the television series Friends. Throughout ten seasons, he starred in more than 200 episodes. Perry's ex-girlfriend Lizzy Caplan, who was nominated for Best Actress in a Limited or Anthology Series or TV Movie for her part in "Fleishman Is in Trouble," attended the Emmys with her husband Tom Riley.