Can this BE any more upsetting?! Matthew Perry won’t be attending the highly anticipated Friends reunion after all, his publicist confirms to Us Weekly.
Perry, 46, was expected to reunite with his former costars — Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc — for an upcoming two-hour special about TV creator James Burrows. (Burrows has also directed some episodes of Friends.)
“Regarding Matthew Perry and the James Burrows tribute, Matthew will not be attending, as he is in London in rehearsals for his play, The End of Longing, which begins previews on February 2 at the Playhouse Theatre,” Perry’s publicist, Lisa Kasteler, tells Us in a statement.
“NBC executives were aware of this prior to their TCA announcement yesterday. Matthew may tape something for the tribute,” she continues. “In other words, this is not the reunion people have been hoping for.”
Fans of the beloved NBC comedy, which ran for 10 seasons, from 1994 to 2004, flocked to social media following the news on Wednesday, January 13, that a reunion was in the works. LeBlanc even tweeted: “Should be a good time!”
The Friends cast has had mini-reunions with a few of the stars over the years, though. Perry guest-starred on Cox’s Cougar Town, and she returned the favor on his failed sitcom Go On. Perry and LeBlanc also appeared on Kudrow’s Showtime series Web Therapy. Aniston has remained close with Cox and Kudrow, and invited them to her wedding to Justin Theroux last year.
Burrows’ special is set to premiere on NBC on Sunday, February 21.
