Friends’ cast plans ‘bittersweet’ 20th anniversary to finale, minus Matthew Perry (video)

In April 2021, the entire cast of Friends gathered at the Warner Bros. Studio lot in L.A. to film the highly anticipated reunion special, which would premiere to immense fan excitement the following month. Across two days, Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Matthew Perry came together to reminisce about their experiences on the beloved sitcom, sharing stories from both in front of and behind the camera.

However, their tight-knit bond was shattered last October when Perry was tragically found dead at his Pacific Palisades home at the age of 54. The beloved actor was discovered unconscious in his hot tub, and an autopsy later revealed that he passed away due to the acute effects of ketamine. Drowning, coronary artery disease, and the effects of buprenorphine – a medication used to treat opioid use disorder – were also listed as contributing factors, reports US Weekly.

ALSO READ: ‘Friends’ actor Matthew Perry’s cause of death finally revealed

Perry had famously struggled with drug and alcohol addiction for years, and in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, he disclosed that he was consuming 55 Vicodin pills a day during the show’s heyday.

In the wake of his sudden passing, Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, and Schwimmer have united, supporting each other as they navigate through their grief.

A source told US Weekly the former co-stars are collaborating on how to appropriately commemorate the upcoming 20th anniversary of the Friends finale, which drew in 52.5 million viewers for the event on 6 May 2004.

“The prospect of having a reunion or a formal get-together without Matthew is bittersweet. There will be a huge void,” the source reveals in the latest issue of the magazine. “However, they know Matthew would’ve wanted them to carry on and celebrate the show. So that’s very much on their minds as they move forward.”

“They will most certainly be commemorating it somehow,” continues the source, noting that Aniston, Cox, Kudrow, LeBlanc, and Schwimmer will likely post something on social media and gather privately to mark the occasion.