“Friends” cast members didn’t receive an invite to Monday’s 75th Annual Emmy Awards for the late Matthew Perry’s in memoriam tribute, executive producers revealed.
“It’s still very fresh for them,” Emmys EP Jeannae Rouzan-Clay told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview published Tuesday.
Fellow executive producer Jesse Collins also told the outlet that while they “talked about” inviting the cast of the ’90s sitcom — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — they ultimately decided against it.
“I can imagine, from their side, they’re mourning someone who was still very close to them,” Collins explained.
“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.”
The in memoiriam segment of the awards show paid tribute to many late stars as musician Charlie Puth sang “See You Again” before transitioning into the “Friends” theme song “I’ll Be There For You.”
Numerous late stars, executives and creatives in the Hollywood realm were displayed on a screen with Perry being one of the montage’s final honorees.
Elaborating on why producers chose not to invite the “Friends” crew, Collins explained that they didn’t want to play favorites among those being remembered.
“Yes, Norman Lear and Matthew Perry, you have to give some special attention to, but you don’t want anyone to feel slighted,” he said.
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“Everybody’s contribution was significant, and this is their moment inside this package.”
Perry — who played Chandler Bing on the hit show — died on Oct. 28, 2023, after being found unresponsive in the jacuzzi of his Los Angeles home. He was 54.
It was later revealed that Perry died from acute effects of ketamine.
Per the autopsy report, the “Fools Rush In” star also died from drowning, coronary artery disease, buprenorphine, an opioid, as well as other effects.
Perry, who had been outspoken about his 18 months of sobriety leading up to his death, was on “ketamine infusion therapy” — a treatment for depression — at the time of his passing,
Despite not being in attendance at the ceremony, Perry’s co-stars were able to pay tribute to him in other ways.
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just castmates. We are a family,” the cast said in a statement provided to People in October 2023.
“There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
Speaking on Perry’s sobriety, Anniston shared in December that she was in contact with her late friend up until his final day.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy,” she told Variety.
“I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly.”
