Jesse Collins, who served as an executive producer for the ceremony, says the idea of getting Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer involved in the In Memoriam segment was discussed 'early on.'
- Jan 18, 2024
AceShowbiz - The "Friends" cast didn't honor Matthew Perry at the Emmy Awards because his death is "still very fresh." The late actor, who was found dead in his hot tub towards the end of October at the age of 54, was remembered during the In Memoriam segment at the Monday, January 15 ceremony, but his castmates Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer didn't reunite as part of the event.
Asked if there were any plans to try to get them involved in the tribute, the ceremony's executive producer Jeannae Rouzan-Clay told The Hollywood Reporter, "It's still very fresh for them."
Jesse Collins, who also served as an executive producer, admitted while the idea was discussed "early on," they wanted to "respect that they were their own family."
He added, "We had talked about it early on - 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."
The segment was introduced by "All in the Family" stars Rob Reiner and Sally Struthers, who stood in a replica of their TV living room as they paid tribute to pioneering producer Norman Lear, who created their show and others including "All in the Family", "Sanford and Son", "One Day at a Time", "The Jeffersons", "Good Times".
The pair then introduced Charlie Puth and duo The War and Treat, who performed "See You Again" during a montage of clips of those who had died.
A particularly moving moment came when the musicians transitioned into singing "I'll Be There for You", the theme tune from "Friends", when Matthew appeared on the screen.
Other stars honoured during the segment included "Euphoria" actor Angus Cloud, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" star Andre Braugher, "Three's Company" actress Suzanne Summers, Paul Reubens a.k.a. Pee Wee Herman, Cindy Williams and comedian Tom Smothers.
The ceremony acknowledged they were unable to feature everyone who had died over the last year due to time constraints, but they maintain an extensive In Memoriam segment on their website.
