Matthew Perry will not be in attendance at the planned “Friends” reunion in February, TheWrap has learned.
According to a statement from Perry’s reps, he will be out of town at the time, honoring another commitment to a stage play in London.
“Matthew will not be attending NBC’s James Burrows Tribute as he is in London in rehearsal for his play, ‘The End of Longing.’ Previews start on February 2 at the Playhouse Theatre,” Perry’s publicist Lisa Kasteler said. “NBC executives were aware of this prior to their TCA announcement. In other words, this will not be the reunion everyone has been hoping for.”
NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt announced the reunion, which will be part of a tribute to director James Burrows, on Wednesday.
“I shouldn’t go into detail,” Greenblatt said. “I’m hoping that all six of them will be there in the same room at the same time. I don’t know if logistically we can pull that off.” NBC reality chief Paul Telegdy added that all the cast members would be involved in some form.
The “Friends” cast will be among the casts for six shows — the rest unnamed — to be involved in the tribute special.
Burrows, who co-created the comedy “Cheers,” recently directed his 1,000th television episode, on the upcoming NBC comedy “Crowded.”