Why Matthew Perry Was Missing From the 2024 Emmys In Memoriam Tribute: Inside the Technicality

The Emmy Awards’ “In Memoriam” tribute is always emotional, but many viewers were shocked when Matthew Perry was missing from the 2024 Emmys tribute after his death in 2023. However, it was due to a technicality – not a snub – that the late Friends actor was not included. 

Why Matthew Perry wasn’t included in the 2024 Emmys In Memoriam tribute

The reason Perry wasn’t included in the 2024 Emmys In Memoriam tribute is straightforward: Perry was honored at the delayed 2023 Emmys in January, where a tribute to the Friends star included playing the show’s theme song.

In January 2024, the 2023 Emmys aired after being delayed due to the Screen Actors Guild - American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) strike. During the postponed  ceremony, the Emmys honored the late actor by playing “I’ll Be There for You” during the video, and Perry’s picture was shown last.

The Emmys producers attempted to involve Perry’s Friends co-stars in his tribute, but Jesse Collins revealed that it may have been too soon for them to participate, as they were still mourning their close friend.

“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,” Collins said. “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.”

Which ‘Friends’ co-stars attended the 2024 Emmys after Matthew Perry’s death?

Perry’s co-star and close friend Jennifer Aniston was in attendance at the 2024 Emmys. She was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her work as Alex Levy on The Morning Show.

Sadly, though, Aniston lost to Anna Sawai from Shōgun.

Reese Witherspoon, who guest-starred alongside Perry in Friends for two episodes in 2000, was also in attendance. Just like Aniston, Witherspoon was nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series for her performance in The Morning Show.

What happened to Matthew Perry?

Perry was found facedown in the heated part of his home swimming pool on October 28, 2023, having suffered a fatal ketamine overdose. He was 54.

It was initially believed that Perry used ketamine to help manage his depression, but it was revealed after his death that the actor had been using it recreationally as well.

Four people have been arrested and charged in relation to his death as of publication: Perry’s personal assistant Kenneth Iwamasa, a drug dealer known as “The Ketamine Queen” (Jasveen Sangha), and Salvador Plasencia and Mark Chavez — both of whom are doctors.

“Matthew Perry’s journey began with unscrupulous doctors who abused their position of trust because they saw him as a payday,” Anne Milgram, Drug Enforcement Administration chief, said in August 2024. “And it ended with street dealers who sold him ketamine in unmarked vials.”

None of Perry’s Friends co-stars have commented on the charges as of the date of publication, but Aniston did note in December 2023, “He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy — that’s all I know. I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling.”

“I hope he [Perry] knows that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.”

As the investigation into Perry’s tragic death continues, fans and co-stars alike remember the beloved actor. Though his absence from the 2024 Emmys In Memoriam raised questions, the beloved actor was given a final farewell.

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