Why Courteney Cox Isn't Happy About Her Emmy Nomination

The "Friends" reunion special on HBO Max is still getting all the love — and giving one star from the show some overdue recognition. The "Friends: The Reunion" episode took fans behind the scenes of the show, revealing some cast secrets that have been kept from audiences for 15 years. "Friends" first premiered in 1994 and lasted 10 seasons until 2004. The comedy garnered 62 Emmy nominations and six Emmy wins amongst the cast and crew, but the one star left out of the Emmys for her role as Monica Geller was Courteney Cox.

Over a decade later, the actor is finally getting some recognition for her role as executive producer on the "Friends: The Reunion" special, being nominated for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), according to People. The reunion episode was honored in multiple categories, including outstanding production design, outstanding directing for a variety special, and outstanding lighting design/lighting direction for a variety special.

Upon hearing the news, Cox took to Instagram to express her gratitude, writing, "the one where we are incredibly grateful to the Academy for this honor and especially thankful for @mrbenwinston and his entire team for their outstanding achievement." So why is the actor now revealing she's unhappy with the Emmy nom?

Courteney Cox had never been nominated for an Emmy until 2021. The actor is nominated, along with her five co-stars, for outstanding variety special (pre-recorded) for HBO Max's "Friends: The Reunion." Cox previously told Howard Stern that if she were to ever win an Emmy she'd carry the trophy "in [her] purse" and "take it everywhere," but now, the actor seems less than excited that she's one step closer to that reality.

Cox revealed to Stern in June 2021 that it "hurt my feelings" she never was nominated for an Emmy during her decade on "Friends." The actor revealed, "When every single cast member was nominated but me, it definitely hurt my feelings. I was happy for everybody, and then when it was finally like, 'Oh, I'm the only one?' It hurt."

With news of Cox's first Emmy nomination, Entertainment Weekly caught up with the star, who admitted, "honestly, I am so happy that the reunion has been recognized because I think it's terrific. [Director] Ben Winston did a great job and all of his crew. That's not exactly the Emmy I was looking for. I'm being honest with you." Cox continued, "I'm so thrilled, but that Emmy really belongs to Ben Winston. ... So yes, I'm so happy. But when I was on 'Howard Stern,' I wasn't talking about that." Still, despite the lack of awards show recognition, fans continue to support Cox and her iconic role as Monica Geller.