‘Friends’ fans ‘saddened’ after Matthew Perry is snubbed from BAFTAs’ In Memoriam segment
The BAFTAs faced online backlash on Sunday after its 2024 ceremony inadvertently snubbed Matthew Perry.
The “Friends” star, who died in October 2023 at age 54, was absent from the EE BAFTA Film Awards’ In Memoriam segment.
Perry, who was best known for his role in “Friends,” was also a movie actor who starred in films like “17 Again” and “The Whole Nine Yards.”
The “Friends” actor was notably missing from the In Memoriam segment. Getty Images
After the tribute — set to Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” — concluded, fans of the later actor jumped on X and slammed the academy.
“Shame on you @BAFTA for not acknowledging @MatthewPerry 😭😭😭 #BAFTA2024,” one user wrote, while another added, “No mention of Matthew Perry in the #BAFTAs memorial?! Bad form @BAFTA.”
A third tweeted, “Only came to make sure I wasn’t the only person saddened at the glaring omission by @BAFTA of #MatthewPerry during the in memorandum tributes! #BAFTA2024. I’m pleased to see it’s not just me!”
While Perry is best known for his role in “Friends,” he starred in movies throughout his career, too. Getty Images
Following the snub, BAFTAs tweeted, “Matthew Perry will be remembered in this year’s TV Awards ceremony.” David M. Benett
One X user even posted a GIF of Perry’s “Friends” character, Chandler Bing, saying, “You can’t make this stuff up.”
Responding to Perry’s absence from the tribute, BAFTA tweeted, “Matthew Perry will be remembered in this year’s TV Awards ceremony,” and shared a link to the academy’s online tribute to the actor.
Perry was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Oct. 28. His cause of death was later determined to be due to acute effects of ketamine.
Still, Perry’s fans were “saddened” to see him left out of the movie awards ceremony. Disney General Entertainment Content via Getty Images
The actor was honored at the 2023 Emmy Awards in January. REUTERS
After his passing, Perry was included in the In Memoriam segment during the 2023 Emmy Awards in January. His photo was shown on screen as Charlie Puth performed his 2015 hit, “See You Again,” which later segued into the “Friends” theme song, “I’ll Be There For You.”
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Viewers were surprised to see Perry’s “Friends” co-stars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer — weren’t at the show to witness the tribute, but executive producers later revealed the actors weren’t given an invite.
“[Perry’s death is] still very fresh for them,” Emmys EP Jeannae Rouzan-Clay told the Hollywood Reporter in an interview following the ceremony.
His “Friends” co-stars didn’t attend the show. Getty Images
Perry was found dead on Oct. 28, 2023. His cause of death was later determined to be due to acute effects of ketamine. Getty Images
Fellow executive producer Jesse Collins also told the outlet that while they “talked about” inviting the cast of the ’90s sitcom, 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.”