When news broke of the “Friends” reunion on Jan. 13, fans rejoiced.
After 12 years of longing, we were finally getting a reunion. Or so we thought. But Matthew Perry’s absence burst our balloon faster than you could say, “Chanandler Bong.”
The friends promised to “be there for you,” but clearly, Perry has gone back on this promise. Now, the actor is under fire for his absence. He has received an unbelievable amount of backlash and deserves every bit of it.
NBC is honoring director James Burrows “Must See TV: A Tribute to James Burrows,” who shot the “Friends” pilot and 15 other episodes. This tribute will feature the casts of “Friends,” “Will and Grace,” “Cheers,” “Mike and Molly,” “Taxi,” “Frasier” and “NewsRadio.”
The tribute was taped on Jan. 24 but will air on Feb. 21. Perry’s segment was included, but he was not there physically.
“Friends” viewers gave Perry 10 years of work and one million dollars an episode toward the end of the show’s run. He had the support of millions of fans during his drug addiction and stints in rehab. The least he could do is return the favor and give fans a few minutes of his time on the special.
Perry’s absence is due to his role in a London play. He hopes to console viewers by “reuniting” through a pre-taped segment. But that’s not going to cut it.
We were there for Perry for 10 long years, but he can’t even rearrange his schedule for one night to help commemorate the show and the director that took his career to new levels. This is unacceptable. Chandler Bing would not stand for this.
Bing was always there for his friends. He did his best to ensure they felt loved and included. He went above and beyond, even going as far as lending Joey Tribbiani an estimated grand total of $120,760 over the series’ run.
Sure, he made a lot of jokes, but he only had their best interests at heart. Comedy was just how he showed his affection.
In season nine, Bing falls asleep during an important meeting at work. When he wakes up, he realizes that he unintentionally agreed to relocate to Tulsa, Oklahoma. This was hard news for the friends to bear, especially Tribbiani.

Well, you know what, Matthew Perry? Your “relocation” to London is hard news for us fans to bear. Even when Bing was in Tulsa, he came back to his friends three days a week. Perry won’t even come back to us for one night. Fans never would have expected that “life was gonna be this way.”
The show’s co-creator, Marta Kauffman, admitted in an interview with E! Online that this is the only reunion we’re ever going to get. She has eschewed a scripted special time and time again.
This is all we’re ever going to get, and Perry can’t even make it a priority to show up. We needed you, and you let us down. That’s not what friends do.
Allie Cobb is a 18-year-old mass communication sophomore from Shreveport, Louisiana. She can be reached on Twitter @alliecobbler.