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17th January 2024
10:57am GMT
'The loss of Matthew Perry completely shocked Hollywood, but the loss was felt even more by the cast of 'Friends'.'
Not only were they heartbroken following the loss of their cast-mate, but they also had to grieve in the public eye. It's something we can't even begin to imagine. Your heart is completely shattered, but the eyes of the world are on you, taking photos of you at his funeral and following you to restaurants to capture images for a 'Spotted for the first time since his death' piece on TMZ.
Jennifer Aniston, Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, Courtney Cox, and David Schwimmer were expected to pay tribute to Matthew Perry at this year's Emmys, but why can't we just let them grieve in private? People even complained because they didn't pay tribute to Matthew Perry on stage.
Jennifer Aniston is encouraging fans to keep Matthew Perry's memory alive. pic.twitter.com/G3aN73YM7D
— Kate (@Kate_MLP) January 15, 2024
They may be famous, they are a major part of pop culture history, and 'Friends' is something we watch time and time again, but they're also human.
Humans who lost a beloved friend in such a tragic and shocking way. Humans who shouldn't have to perform because the public wants to see their favourite cast on stage.
Even after his passing, people were eagerly awaiting the cast's tributes.
They released an official statement together, so soon after Perry's death was announced, but the public still wondered when they'd share tributes online or speak publically about the late actor.
Pop culture has put a veil over the public's eyes and has fooled us into thinking these people are just characters from a sitcom and not people with feelings.
Emmys executive producer, Jeannae Rouzan-Clay stressed that the cast was nowhere near ready to make such a public tribute.
The "Friends" theme song was performed during the In Memoriam segment of the #Emmys. We couldn’t help but think of our dearest, Matthew Perry. 🕊️🙏🏻
— friends tv posts (@thefriendsitcom) January 16, 2024
pic.twitter.com/ZIJfGF7Ly8
She told The Hollywood Reporter: "It's still very fresh for them."
Jesse Collins added: "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."
We couldn't agree with them more. We wouldn't put non-celebs under pressure to pay tribute to someone they've lost so why do that to a group of celebrities who lost a friend?
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