Amanda LynneMatthew Perry is one of the best-known actors to ever appear on TV thanks to his role in Friends. The actor previously portrayed the character of Chandler Bing on the hit NBC sitcom from the 90s and 2000s. Perry co-starred with other big names such as Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox. David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow, and Matt LeBlanc also rounded out the cast.
While Friends was running, Matthew Perry and his co-stars were on top of the world. They had fame, fortune, and the door was open to many other opportunities. For his part, Perry found himself landing movie roles in films like “Fools Rush In” and “Three To Tango.”
Why Matthew Perry can no longer watch Friends
However, Perry found himself struggling with sobriety during his time on Friends. Now, looking back at the show proves to be difficult for the actor. In his 2022 memoir, Matthew admitted that he can no longer watch himself on the popular series, and the reason is truly heartbreaking.
During an interview with Tom Power, Matthew Perry opened up about his struggles while filming the show, and why he no longer watches Friends re-runs. He also confessed that he can tell what substances he was abusing as the seasons of the show went on.
“I could go drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine. I could tell season by season by how I looked. That’s why I don’t want to watch it because that’s what I see,” the actor told Power. “I can’t watch the show cause I was brutally thin,” Perry stated.
Perry nearly lost his life due to addiction
In his memoir, Matthew Perry revealed that his body type tells the story of his addiction during his time on Friends. “When I’m carrying weight, it’s alcohol; when I’m skinny, it’s pills. When I have a goatee, it’s lots of pills,” he revealed. The actor also confessed that during Season 3 of the series, he was taking around 55 Vicodin each day.
Although Perry was in and out of rehab during the throws of his addiction, he suffered a shocking health crisis in 2019. During a relapse, the actor’s colon burst due to the amount of opioids he was injecting into his body each day. Perry was hospitalized and nearly lost his life due to his substance abuse issues.
“I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs,” Perry told People Magazine. “And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that.”
Currently, Matthew Perry is living a sober lifestyle but still won’t watch Friends.