Hold on to your Central Perk mugs because we’ve got some Emmy drama hotter than Monica’s kitchen on Thanksgiving! Rumors swirled like Joey chasing a sandwich that the Friends cast would crash the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards to give a legendary send-off to our beloved Chandler, aka Matthew Perry. But alas, the only crashing they did was our hopes and dreams.
In a plot twist bigger than Ross saying the wrong name at the altar, Matthew snagged the final spotlight in the In Memoriam segment that aired at the Peacock Theater in the City of Angels. The Friends theme song played like a heartstring-tugging symphony, but our Fab Five – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer – were MIA.
Now, the Emmy producers are here to spill the tea on why our favorite sitcom squad ghosted the memorial.
Jeannae Rouzan-Clay, one of the puppet masters behind the Emmy extravaganza, spilled to THR, “It’s still very fresh for them.” Fresh like Ross’s disastrous spray tan or Monica’s meticulously labeled spices? You decide.
Jesse Collins, another mastermind in the Emmy realm, chimed in with, “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.” Translation: They were dealing with more emotional baggage than Ross and Rachel combined.
Collins continued, “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.” So, the Emmy producers are basically saying, “Cut them some slack; they’re not ready for a group hug just yet.”
In the end, our Friends chose to honor Matthew Perry in their own way, probably binge-watching old episodes while sipping on a giant cup of Central Perk coffee. So, until the next reunion (fingers crossed for a Central Perk coffee shop grand opening), let’s raise a toast to Matthew Perry, the ultimate sarcastic sweetheart of the gang. May he rest in peace, surrounded by a laugh track that never fades.