Matthew Perry Declined To Participate In West Wing Reunion
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A new report in the National Enquirer claims Matthew Perry was snubbed for the upcoming reunion episode of The West Wing. The story simply isn’t true. The actor’s spokesperson told Mediaite the situation was “quite the opposite.”
Perry received two Emmy nominations for his guest starring role on The West Wing, which ran on NBC from 1999-2006. According to the Enquirer, the Friends star is “tormented” after supposedly being left out of the reunion special, which is set to air on HBO Max this fall.
“Being left out stings because they’re actually recreating a real episode of the show, with the actors reprising their roles with new material written by Matthew’s idol Aaron Sorkin,” says an unknown source. “West Wing really has a special place in his heart. It’s just a bummer they couldn’t figure out a way to include him, because he was a big contributor to the show and is still a dedicated fan.”
Perry’s representative told Mediaite, “Matthew wasn’t left out, quite the opposite. He declined to be a part of it, directly spoke with Aaron [Sorkin].” Although it’s unclear why Perry decided to turn down the gig, the tabloid’s assertion that he was “snubbed” was rejected by his spokesperson.
It should be noted, Perry only appeared during The West Wing’s 2002-03 season. He’s not a member of the show’s main cast, which includes Martin Sheen, Rob Lowe, Bradley Whitford and Allison Janney, all of whom are returning for the reunion show. The special will feature the cast performing a stage version of the season 3 episode “Hartsfield’s Landing.” Perry wasn’t featured on that episode, but the special will feature surprise guest appearances.
It should be noted, Perry has his own reunion special set up at HBO Max. The actor will be joining his Friends co-stars for an unscripted reunion, but a shooting date is still to be determined. It’s possible that the actor didn’t want to step on any toes by joining a different reunion show at HBO Max, however that’s just speculation on our part. Perry’s spokesperson didn’t elaborate on why he declined the West Wing reunion.
