Oscars viewers rage at Jonathan Ross for ‘unnecessary’ comment on Matthew Perry

If you've been living under a rock, the Oscars happened last night (10 March), and there were many memorable moments and talking points.

From Arnold Schwarzenegger and Danny DeVito's skit to John Cena's nudity, or even Ryan Gosling's legendary 'I'm just Ken' performance... there's a lot to talk about.

While the US coverage of the Academy Awards typically featured several ad-breaks, on ITV in the UK, we got coverage of the ceremony from Jonathan Ross and co. while America were on ad breaks, or between awards.

The 63-year-old spearheaded ITV's first-ever provided coverage of the awards on terrestrial TV, but it seems like viewers are not happy with one of the comments he made on the show about the late Matthew Perry, who sadly died in October 2023 at the age of 54.

During the 'In Memoriam' section of the night, the show paid tribute to several recently deceased big names in the entertainment business.

The video was coupled with a performance of 'Time To Say Goodbye', performed by Andrea Bocelli and his son Matteo.

Stars such as Sir Michael Gambon, Andre Braugher, Jane Birkin, Ryan O’Neal, Carl Weathers and Tina Turner were mentioned, as well as many others.

ITV

But after he was snubbed at the BAFTAs earlier this year, fans were looking out for Friends star Perry in the video.

Following its close, Ross said: "A touching tribute from the Academy there of some incredible performers and filmmakers sadly no longer with us - always a sombre moment," as coverage returned to the studio.

"It was nice to see Matthew Perry included, even though he's not primarily known for his work in cinema, they probably could have done it without him," he added.

This is where the trouble began, as many viewers took issue with these comments, disagreeing completely.

Many took to X, formerly Twitter to share their thoughts.

One user commented: "Jonathan Ross’ comment on Matthew Perry was so f**king unnecessary, what the f**k".

Another posted: "Me pressing mute on Jonathan Ross when the Oscars go to break," with a GIF of someone doing exactly that.

Ron Davis/Getty Images

A third said: "Totally sick of Ross and his chums now. Get this over with."

As a different user said: "The biggest loser tonight is us Brits who have to listen to Jonathan Ross in the break. All these ITV lot have no idea what they’re talking about."

LADbible has contacted Jonathan Ross' reps for comment.

As well as playing the iconic character of Chandler Bing in the NBC sitcom Friends for 10 years, Perry had a number of big screen credits in his career as well.

He was known for his roles in films Fools Rush In (1997), The Whole Nine Yards (2000), Serving Sara (2002) and 17 Again (2009) among others.