cannot send an emoji reaction to an imessage

I want to be able to respond to a Messages comment with an emoji on my iphone 11. When I tap and hold the comment I wish to respond to, a few emojis are supposed to come up. I should be able to click on the one I want and send it. Instead, when I tap and hold the comment, "Copy" comes up. That's it. Anyone else with this problem? Or better yet, a resolution to this problem? Thanks!