Jennifer Aniston Says Friends Reunion Delay Due to Coronavirus Pandemic Is 'Very Sad'
Just like Friends fans, Jennifer Aniston is disappointed that the highly-anticipated reunion special remains delayed.
The unscripted special is set to reunite the entire cast on the comedy's original soundstage, but due to the ongoing coronavirus shutdown, the production dates for the HBO Max special have yet to be determined.
“Unfortunately it’s very sad that we had to move it again,” Aniston, 51, told Deadline. “It was, ‘How do we do this with live audiences?’ This is not a safe time. Period. That’s the bottom line. It’s not a safe time to do it.”
Looking on the bright side, Aniston went on to point out that this only gives them “more time” to make the reunion “even more exciting.”
“It’s going to be super,” she added. “I choose to see it as the glass is half-full that it got postponed. Look, we’re not going anywhere. You’re never going to get rid of Friends, sorry. You’re stuck with us for life guys.”
HBO Max first announced the reunion in February, which will reunite Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer.
Former WarnerMedia Entertainment and Direct-to-Consumer chairman Bob Greenblatt previously confirmed in May that the reunion had been pushed back.
"At first we thought, shows will be delayed for a month or two at the most, and now it seems like it's going to be far longer than that," he told Variety at the time. "We're holding out for being able to get this special done hopefully by the end of the summer if the stars align and hopefully we can get back into production."
RELATED: From Rumors to Reboots: Here's Everything the Cast of Friends Has Said About Reuniting
Greenblatt said they still planned on taping the special in front of a live studio audience, just like during the sitcom's 10-season run.
"We do think there's a value to having a big, raucous live audience to experience these six great friends coming back together," he said. "And we didn't want to just suddenly do it on a web call with, you know, six squares and people shooting from their kitchens and bedrooms."
In the meantime, all 236 episodes of the series are available to stream on HBO Max.
As information about the coronavirus pandemic rapidly changes, PEOPLE is committed to providing the most recent data in our coverage. Some of the information in this story may have changed after publication. For the latest on COVID-19, readers are encouraged to use online resources from CDC, WHO, and local public health departments. PEOPLE has partnered with GoFundMe to raise money for the COVID-19 Relief Fund, a GoFundMe.org fundraiser to support everything from frontline responders to families in need, as well as organizations helping communities. For more information or to donate, click here.
