Jennifer Aniston Got Disappointing News When Emmy Nominations Were Announced
Jennifer Aniston had a mixed morning on Tuesday when the 2022 Primetime Emmy nominations were announced. She was nominated, but not for what she would expect to be. She was snubbed for her performance as Alex Levy on Apple TV+'s The Morning Show Season 2 but was nominated for Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) for the Friends HBO Max reunion special. The 74th Emmy Awards will air on NBC Monday, Sept. 12.
Aniston's snub is surprising since The Morning Show's first season did very well at the 2020 Primetime Emmys. Aniston earned a not for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, while Steve Carell, Mark Duplass, and Martin Short earned nods as well. Billy Crudup won Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series. The show's second season only scored three nods. Crudup has a chance to repeat, while Marcia Gay Harden earned a nod for Outstanding Guest Actress. Reese Witherspoon represents the show in the Outstanding Lead Actress field.
Friends: The Reunion was nominated for Oustanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded). Since Aniston and her Friends co-stars Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matthew Perry, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer were all credited as executive producers, they are included as nominees for the award. The special was also nominated for Outstanding Production Design for a Variety Special, Outstanding Directing for a Variety Special, and Outstanding Lighting Design/Lighting Direction for a Variety Special.
Aniston earned five Emmy nominations for playing Rachel Green on Friends, but only won once. In 2009, she earned a nomination for her guest appearance on 30 Rock. The Morning Show also garnered Aniston two Golden Globes nominations and a Screen Actors Guild Award in 2020. Aniston is an executive producer on the show, alongside Witherspoon.
The Morning Show debuted in November 2019, and Season 2 was delayed until fall 2021 because of the coronavirus pandemic. Aniston stars as Alex Levy, the anchor of the titular morning show who tries to keep her job after Bradley Jackson (Witherspoon) is hired as the new co-anchor. The first season was inspired by the MeToo movement, as Carell's Mitch Kessler was fired from the show amid a sexual misconduct scandal. Season 2 worked in the real-life pandemic as Alex is brought back to the show. Jay Carson created the series, which was inspired by Brian Stelter's book Top of the Morning: Inside the Cutthroat World of Morning TV. The show was renewed for Season 3.