Jennifer Aniston won’t attend the 2021 Emmys due to ongoing pandemic

Jennifer Aniston has announced she won’t attend the 2021 Emmys ceremony due to ongoing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic.

The actor was asked about the awards show on Monday night on Jimmy Kimmel’s late-night show.

Kimmel mentioned that the Friends reunion, in which Aniston took part along with her former co-stars, is up for four awards, and asked Aniston whether she was planning to attend.

“No, I will not be going,” Aniston said.

“This is a big step for me to just be here,” she added about her presence on the set of Jimmy Kimmel Live in front of a live audience. “Baby steps.”

Throughout her conversation with Kimmel, Aniston emphasised the precautions she has taken during the pandemic, saying she has spent a lot of time at home and has only interacted with a small circle of loved ones.

The 2021 Emmys will take place on Sunday (19 September) in Los Angeles.

The Television Academy, which oversees the ceremony, will require all attendees to show proof of vaccination against Covid as well as a negative PCR test result. As additional precautions, the event will be hosted outdoors in front of a limited number of attendees.

“Although invitations have just been mailed out, nominated teams of three or more will now be limited to no more than four tickets per nomination,” the Television Academy’s instructions read in part, according to Variety. “Unfortunately, this means not all nominees will be able to attend this year’s awards. We recommend those on nominated teams coordinate between themselves and identify how they will allot their four tickets before they RSVP.”

Aniston told Kimmel that she expects other people, including Friends reunion director Ben Winston, to attend the Emmys as part of the show’s nomination.