Wendi McLendon-Covey has dismissed speculation that she deliberately avoided joining her Bridesmaids co‑stars on stage at the Oscars, explaining she was recovering from cosmetic surgery.

Kristen Wiig, Rose Byrne, Melissa McCarthy, Maya Rudolph and Ellie Kemper reunited at Sunday night's (15.03.26) ceremony in Hollywood, prompting fans to question why Wendi was absent from the line-up.

Addressing the messages she received online, the actress, who played Rita in the 2011 romantic comedy, clarified the situation on Instagram, telling her followers: "In response to some of the DMs I'm getting: I had a neck lift last week because I'm tired of looking like a melting candle. So I had to skip the Academy Awards. No drama. Everything is fine."

She also posted a picture of her head bandage from the operation.

Bridesmaids sees Annie Walker (Kristen Wiig) overcome a series of problems as she is named maid-of-honour at Lillian's (Maya Rudolph's) wedding.

However, Lillian's other pal Helen (Rose Byrne) - who is more organised - attempts to replace Annie as maid-of-honour.

Rose is among the cast members who wants to make a sequel to Bridesmaids.

In May 2023, she told People: "If all the girls were in, I absolutely would.

"It's a hard act to follow because the first film was so great. It was so magical and so beloved.

"Maybe we could do a different movie together. A reimagining of something. But I miss them all. I saw Kristen Wiig recently. It was so lovely to see her. I hadn't seen her for so long, and they've all got such a special place in my heart."

Her comments echoed those of co-star Melissa, who played Megan Price in Bridesmaids - which earned almost $300 million at the box office.

She also told the publication that year: "I would do a Bridesmaids sequel this afternoon, right now.

"That group of women was the most magical thing ever. Almost all of us were really good friends already. I think it was such a magical time.

"[Even if we are] all in our nineties and Kristen and Annie are like, 'Should we team back up?' I'd be like, 'Yes. Yeah, we should.'"

However, director Paul Feig has ruled out a sequel to the Oscar-nominated Bridesmaids.

He was quoted by Variety in September 2018 as saying: "I don't know if there will be one, honestly. That movie worked so well because it was about a woman having a crisis in her life and fixing it. So you don't want her to have another crisis."