The "Friends" reunion may be down a Chandler Bing! A day after NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt announced that the cast of "Friends" would be reuniting for a special tribute - it turned out that the "Friends" reunion will be short one friend.
Matthew Perry will not be joining his former co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer and Lisa Kudrow for the reunion special, Entertainment Weekly reported.
The 46-year-old actor, who played Chandler Bing on the beloved sitcom, is busy rehearsing for his London play "The End of Longing," - a play about four friends searching for meaning in their 40s.
"Matthew will not be attending as he is in London in rehearsals for his play, 'The End of Longing,' which begins previews on Feb. 2 at the Playhouse Theatre," said Lisa Kastelerrep, Perry's rep, according to Us Weekly. "NBC executives were aware of this prior to their TCA [Television Critics Association] announcement yesterday. Matthew may tape something for the tribute. In other words, this is not the reunion people have been hoping for."
NBC reportedly hopes that Perry will be able to contribute in some way - here's hoping to Skype or a videotaped message.
The six main stars have not reunited on television since "Friends" wrapped up in 2004. They are expected to participate in a two-hour TV special honoring legendary TV director James Burrows, who recently directed his 1,000th television episode on the upcoming NBC comedy "Crowded."
"I'm hoping that all six of them will be there in the same room at the same time," Greenblatt told reporters at the TCA. "I don't know, logistically, if we can pull that off."
Cast members from popular series "Frasier," "Will & Grace," "Cheers," "Taxi," "Mary Tyler Moore," "Laverne and Shirley" and "The Big Bang Theory" will be appearing to "honor the man who was responsible for some of the biggest shows in television history," executive producer wrote on Facebook.
The special tapes on Jan. 24 and will air on Fed. 21.
