Friends cast ‘in talks’ to reunite for Matthew Perry tribute at 2023 Emmys
The five core Friends cast members are reportedly in talks to reunite at the 75th Primetime Emmy Awards to honour their late co-star Matthew Perry.
Perry was pronounced dead on 28 October after being found unresponsive in his hot tub at his Los Angeles home. He was 54.
Following the news, his five Friends co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow – released a joint statement asking for time to “process this unfathomable loss”.
The quintet of actors have now each shared individual statements on their social media accounts remembering the late Chandler Bing star.
Citing a source close to the cast, Daily Mail reported on Friday (17 November) that the five are in “early talks” to pay tribute to Perry at the Emmys, which are being held on 15 January in Los Angeles, California.
A source told the publication: “When it comes to Matthew’s death, emotions are still running high and it is still a very touchy situation, which is totally understandable.”
They continued to tell the Mail: “But Jen, Lisa, and the rest of the cast want to honor him publicly at some point and give him the tribute he so rightfully deserves – and there have been rumblings to do it at next year’s Emmys.”
While Perry is likely to feature in the show’s annual In Memoriam segment, the source claimed Kudrow, 60, Cox, 59, Schwimmer, 57, LeBlanc, 56 and Aniston, 54, would also like to share their memories on stage.
“They all would love to get together on stage to speak about him and also have their own unique moment sharing memories about him and telling the world about the man he was in real life,” they continued.
“If they can all agree on a worthy tribute and get the blessing of his family, they will absolutely get together to make that night a special moment for Matthew and all who loved him.”
The Independent has contacted the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences for comment.
The Emmy Awards were postponed for the first time since 9/11 earlier this year due to the joint actors’ and writers’ strikes, which shut Hollywood down for around 200 days.
The full list of Emmy nominees can be found here.
Perry was nominated for five Emmy awards in his lifetime, including Outstanding Lead Actor in a Comedy Series in 2002 for Friends.
On 3 November, the Friends cast attended Perry’s funeral service at Forest Lawn Memorial Park in the Hollywood Hills.
Earlier this week, his death certificate was released by the Los Angeles Police Department.
According to the paperwork, Perry’s cause of death remains “deferred” pending further investigation, after initial toxicology tests revealed there was “no meth or fentanyl” in his system at the time of his death.