BAFTA Confirms Matthew Perry Will Be Honored at TV Awards After His Omission from Film In Memoriam Sparks Backlash
The academy faced online backlash after the late ‘Friends’ star was not included in the 2024 BAFTA Film Awards In Memoriam segment
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Matthew Perry.The British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) has responded to online backlash over Matthew Perry’s absence from the 2024 EE BAFTA Film Awards’ In Memoriam segment on Sunday.
After Perry, who died last October at age 54, did not appear during the tribute — set to a special arrangement of Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time” performed by Ted Lasso’s Hannah Waddingham — social media users were quick to criticize the decision.
On X (formerly Twitter), users called out BAFTA for the perceived omission, which one dubbed “bad form” alongside a GIF of Perry’s Friends character, Chandler Bing, saying, “You can’t make this stuff up.”
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Some were perplexed by Perry’s absence, calling it “shockingly bad” and a “shocking omission.”
Others simply sought an explanation, writing, “Why wasn’t [Matthew Perry] included in the memorial sequence???”
Responding to Perry’s absence from the tribute, a spokesperson for BAFTA tells PEOPLE, “I can confirm Matthew Perry will be remembered in our forthcoming BAFTA Television Awards.”
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Matthew Perry as Chandler on 'Friends.'On X, BAFTA echoed this statement, writing, “Matthew Perry will be remembered in this year’s TV Awards ceremony,” and shared the link to the academy’s online tribute to the actor.
Several users remained frustrated with Perry’s absence from the awards ceremony, however, pointing out that while he was best known for his Friends role, Perry also starred in many films throughout his acting career.
“But he was a film actor too!” one user wrote in response to the academy’s statement.
Another added, “Matthew Perry made plenty of films … That was a poor decision,” and cited 2000’s The Whole Nine Yards.
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Perry died Saturday, Oct. 28 at his Los Angeles home. His cause of death was later determined to be due to acute effects of ketamine, with other contributing factors.
The actor was recently included in the In Memoriam segment during the 2023 Emmy Awards last month. Perry's image was shown as Charlie Puth performed his 2015 hit, "See You Again," transitioned into the Friends theme song, "I'll Be There for You."
The 2024 BAFTA Awards were held at the Royal Festival Hall in London and streamed on BritBox in the U.S. on a tape delay.
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