It was a great night for several films last night at The BAFTAs, most especially Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer. Many fans celebrated the movie’s big wins, including trophies for Cillian Murphy, Robert Downey Jr and Nolan himself, but not all of the discourse online was positive, thanks mostly to a particularly glaring omission during the In Memoriam segment. Friends star Matthew Perry, who tragically passed back in October, was not mentioned during the package, leading many to complain online. In fact, the noise got so loud that BAFTA has already officially responded.
After seeing all of the angry tweets, a BAFTA spokesman released a statement both on X, formerly known as Twitter, and directly to news outlets clarifying that the organization is planning to honor Matthew Perry at a later date. Apparently they feel it’s more appropriate to recognize his contributions at the television specific ceremony in May. Here’s the full statement…
Matthew Perry will be remembered in this year’s TV Awards ceremony.
Fans were also pointed toward a tribute on the official BAFTA website that includes a short paragraph about his career and links to his obituary in several major publications. Of note, the on-site tribute is similar to ones many other stars have, including quite a few who appeared in the In Memoriam segment, which was beautifully set to Ted Lasso star Hannah Waddingham singing Cyndi Lauper’s “Time After Time.”
In Memoriam segments at major award shows are always a touching highlight, but they’re also constant sources of online outrage. No matter how diligent the creators are at choosing the honorees and putting together a montage, there are always omissions that don’t sit well with fans. A few years ago, people were particularly upset when Luke Perry was omitted from the remembrance package at The Oscars, leading the Academy to issue a statement basically saying they thought about him but didn’t have enough space.
Still, Perry is a particularly confusing omission, given his extreme popularity and the meaningful contributions he made to entertainment. Yes, he’s best known for Friends and other TV shows like Go On and Studio 60 On The Sunset Strip, but he also had a pretty extensive movie career including playing the co-lead in The Whole Nine Yards, which grossed more than a hundred million dollars at the box office and a major role in 17 Again, which grossed almost a hundred and forty million dollars.
Perry tragically drowned in his hot tub at the age of 52. His death was met with outpourings of support and tributes from both fans and extremely famous co-stars alike, who had positive things to say about the impact he had on their lives. Ultimately, that connection isn’t affected by whether or not he’s featured in an In Memoriam package, but it’s still nice to hear he will be honored at a future ceremony.
