Jennifer Aniston Just Revealed Why She's Skipping the 2021 Emmy Awards

Jennifer Aniston may be nominated for an Emmy this year, but she won't be attending Sunday's big show.

The actress, who received an Emmy nod in the Outstanding Variety Special (Pre-Recorded) category for the HBO Max Friends reunion, revealed Tuesday that she will be skipping the festivities amid concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic. (

"I will not be going," said Aniston on Tuesday's episode of Jimmy Kimmel Live. "This is still a big step for me to be here. Just baby steps."

Aniston has been a vocal proponent of masking up and social distancing since the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic. The actress, 52, also added Tuesday that she's been staying close to home and has kept her circle of friends small as a precaution. "We had this little bubble of friends, thank God, I love all of you so much. But yeah, it was hard," she said on Jimmy Kimmel Live.

For Sunday's Emmy Awards in Los Angeles, the in-person, open-air event will be scaled down to about 600 attendees, according to Variety. Proof of vaccination and a negative COVID-19 test result will also be required, reported Variety. (

Aniston added Tuesday on Jimmy Kimmel Live that should the Friends reunion win an Emmy, director and producer Ben Winston will be in attendance to accept the prize.

Recently, Aniston opened up about how the COVID-19 pandemic had impacted some of her relationships. In an interview with InStyle, the actress said she cut a few people out of her life over their vaccination status. "There's still a large group of people who are anti-vaxxers or just don't listen to the facts. It's a real shame. I've just lost a few people in my weekly routine who have refused or did not disclose [whether or not they had been vaccinated], and it was unfortunate," she told the publication. (

The world isn't out of the COVID woods just yet. And at the end of the day, much like Aniston, you have to decide what you're most comfortable doing at this time.