12 Lesser-Known Revelations From Matthew Perry’s Life

Matthew Perry was one of the most loved actors. For all the right reasons? Indeed for all the right reasons. He is most celebrated for his iconic role as Chandler Bing in the popular television series Friends, which catapulted him to worldwide fame. However, with his sudden demise, everyone is left with utter shock and immense pain.

In his famous memoir titled Friends, Lovers and the Big, Terrible Thing, the Friends star revealed his near-death experience back in 2018. To say that the insights are more than just startling would be a sheer understatement!

1. When Matthew Perry shared a harrowing near-death experience in 2018

In his revealing memoir titled “Friends, Lovers and the Big, Terrible Thing,” Matthew Perry shared a harrowing near-death experience he faced in 2018. While residing in a sober living home in Southern California, Perry’s life took a dramatic turn as his colon “exploded” due to years of opioid overuse. This critical health crisis led to a two-week coma and an extensive five-month hospital stay.

The world is very well aware of how he was an addict. However, seldom anyone knows what he went through. During his recovery, Perry had to rely on a colostomy bag for a grueling nine months, an experience he humorously lamented as the bag broke at least 55 times. Now we all know Perry is as witty as Chandler. Therefore, in his characteristic wit, he quipped in his memoir as we quote,

“Dear Colostomy Bag People: make a bag that doesn’t break, you f–king morons. Did I make you laugh on Friends? If so, don’t put [expletive] all over my face.”

Perry very vividly talked about the consequences of his overdose. In his memoir, he mentioned how prolonged opiate use had caused severe constipation, which, poetically, almost became his undoing. He underwent as many as 15 surgeries to address the aftermath of his “exploded” organ. While mentioning his surgery he shared an episode about his friends and family whose hearts were shattered to see Perry like this. The revelation that he had only a two percent chance of surviving that night crushed his close ones.

2. The time when Perry’s heart stopped for five minutes

While many of you may or may not know it Matthew Perry was supposed to feature in Adam McKay’s Netflix film “Don’t Look Up,” alongside stars like Leonardo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, and Meryl Streep. However, an unexpected turn due to a significant medical scare changed everything. He described the incident as “heartbreaking,” and the one scene he managed to complete did not make it into the final cut of the movie.

Well, what happened was that during his stay at a Switzerland-based treatment center in 2020, Perry made a startling admission. He confessed to faking symptoms to obtain a prescription for hydrocodone, a decision that nearly proved fatal when mixed with the propofol he received for surgery. Perry recounted as we quote,

“I was given the shot at eleven a.m. I woke up 11 hours later in a different hospital. Apparently, the propofol had stopped my heart. For five minutes.”

Although he didn’t experience a heart attack or flatline, Perry disclosed as we quote,

“Nothing had been beating. I was told that some beefy Swiss guy really didn’t want the guy from Friends dying on his table and did CPR on me for the full five minutes, beating and pounding my chest. If I hadn’t been on Friends, would he have stopped at three minutes? Did Friends save my life again?”

The life-saving measures resulted in eight broken ribs, leaving Perry in too much pain to continue filming “Don’t Look Up.” This was a very heartbreaking episode for him.

3. Matthew Perry’s journey to sobriety

The journey to Sobriety is never an easy one. As much as it needs your sheer courage and dedication, it also needs a lot of money. Matthew Perry candidly revealed the staggering financial and personal toll he paid in his battle for sobriety. He disclosed,

“I have spent upward of $7 million trying to get sober.”

He also outlined a journey that included attending approximately six thousand AA meetings (a rough estimate), fifteen stints in rehab, a stay in a mental institution, and ongoing therapy twice a week for three decades.

In his memoir, Perry unveiled a deep connection he had with alcohol, describing it as his “best friend” and acknowledging that it had been a crutch without which he believed he would have gone “crazy.” He recounted an episode where, following an injury on the set of “Fools Rush In,” he developed an addiction to Vicodin, consuming a staggering 55 pills daily before his first rehab admission in 1997.

At the age of 53, Perry reached a significant milestone, celebrating 18 months of sobriety. He emphasized the newfound importance of sobriety in his life, stating,

“Because I learned that if you put anything in front of sobriety, you will lose that ‘anything’ anyway if you drink.”

This candid narrative sheds light on the arduous journey to recovery that Perry has undertaken.

4. Matthew Perry’s Battle with Pancreatitis and Dilaudid

Excessive drinking is never a good thing as it leads to a lot of problems. So was the case for Matthew back in 2000. During his time filming “Friends” in 2000, Matthew Perry faced a health crisis that led to a 30-day hospital stay. The cause was diagnosed as pancreatitis, a condition he was informed was a result of excessive drinking.

Pancreatitis at the age of thirty was unheard of. But Perry encountering it was a saddening thing. As he recuperated in the hospital, Perry was introduced to Dilaudid, a powerful opioid known for altering the brain’s perception of pain. Perry admitted, “It was my new favorite drug,” and he would have been content to stay in the hospital for a hundred days if it meant continued access to this pain-relief medication.

5. How Perry was initially attracted to Jennifer Aniston

Perry emphasized the strong bond that formed among the six actors, stating,

“From that first morning, we were inseparable.”

Three years before they were cast in the iconic TV series “Friends,” Matthew Perry and Jennifer Aniston crossed paths through mutual acquaintances. Perry was immediately captivated by Aniston and even mustered the courage to ask her out. However, Aniston declined the romantic invitation, opting instead to be friends. Perry humorously recalled, “And I compounded the compound by blurting, ‘We can’t be friends!'” However, things turned out to be very different.

In the initial days he did agree that the attraction he had for Aniston was still there however he soon came to the conclusion as he mentioned,

“We were able to sail right past the past and focus on the fact that we had both gotten the best job Hollywood had to offer.”

Reflecting on his first impressions of the other co-stars, Perry described Courteney Cox as “cripplingly beautiful,” Lisa Kudrow as “just as gorgeous, hilarious, and incredibly smart” as a mutual friend had predicted, Matt LeBlanc as “nice and a cool customer,” and David Schwimmer as “incredibly funny.”

6. Friends helped Perry to remain sober

Friends played a pivotal role in Matthew Perry’s personal life. He candidly acknowledged that without “Friends,” he might have ended up struggling with addiction and facing a grim future on the streets of downtown LA. Perry found the job so enjoyable that it became a powerful incentive to remain sober, at least for a time. The financial rewards and the responsibility of his role gave him a compelling reason to stay on the right path.

Throughout the show’s run, Perry’s co-stars, especially Jennifer Aniston, played a crucial role in his life. Aniston’s intervention and her words, “We can smell it,” were a turning point. Perry described this conversation as “devastating,” leading him to hire a sober companion at work, although he later revealed that he was wholly sober only during the ninth season. “Friends” not only brought Perry fame but also offered him the support and intervention he needed during challenging times in his life.

Talking about Friends, Matthew also shared a personal happening in his memoir. He revealed that the path to playing Chandler on the hit NBC show temporarily cost him a close friendship when his friend Craig Bierko chose to star in another pilot instead of taking the role of Chandler, leading to years of silence between them.

7. Matthew’s life when Chandler and Monica’s wedding

In his memoir, Matthew Perry shared a memorable experience during his battle with addiction. He disclosed that he was granted a brief leave from his treatment center in Malibu to film Chandler and Monica’s wedding in season seven of “Friends.” The most favorite season of every Friends fanatic? Indeed.

Upon arriving on set, he had a heartwarming exchange with Jennifer Aniston. Perry remembered her saying,

“‘I’ve been mad at you.’ ‘Honey,’ I said, ‘if you knew what I’d been through, you would not be mad at me.'”

Following this touching interaction, they shared a hug, and Perry went on to film the wedding scene, marrying Monica. After the shoot, he was driven back to the treatment center in a pickup truck with a sober technician. This moment served as a poignant chapter in his life, occurring during the pinnacle of his career and in one of the most iconic moments on the much-loved TV series to date, Friends.

8. Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts brief love story

In the pages of his memoir, Matthew Perry opened up about his brief but impactful romance with the acclaimed actress Julia Roberts in the 1990s. Their relationship began after Roberts signed on to guest star in a 1996 episode of “Friends.”

In his memoir, Perry vividly recalled a significant moment from their time together of just two months. During a trip to New Mexico with Roberts and her family to welcome the New Year, the couple embarked on an adventure up a snowy mountain. Perry reminisced,

“We jumped in this big blue truck and drove up a mountain, snow swirling around. Eventually, we reached a mountaintop, and for a moment the weather cleared, and we could see New Mexico and beyond, all the way back to Canada. As we sat there, she made me feel like the king of the world. A gentle snow was falling, and with that, 1996 began.”

However, he also shared how he was not enough and he was sure that she would break up with him. Talking about their relationship Matthew shared,

“I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unlovable. So instead of facing the inevitable agony of losing her, I broke up with the beautiful and brilliant Julia Roberts.”

9. Matthew Perry’s untold A-List dates

In his memoir, Matthew Perry revealed some intriguing tales of secret dates with A-list celebrities just before “Friends” premiered in September 1994. During this time, he shared a spontaneous kiss with Gwyneth Paltrow. Perry vividly recalled the encounter, stating,

“At some big party, we slipped off into a broom cupboard and made out. We were both still unknown enough that it didn’t make it to the tabloids.”

He furthermore also disclosed a date he went on with Cameron Diaz shortly after her breakup with Justin Timberlake in 2007. This date took place at a dinner party with other people, but Perry recounted an amusing incident where Diaz, upon seeing him, seemed to become a bit disinterested in the gathering.

During a game of Pictionary, Diaz playfully aimed to punch Perry on the shoulder but accidentally struck him in the face. Perry humorously recalled his response,

“‘Are you f—ing kidding me?’ I said, realizing I’d just been punched in the face by Cameron Diaz.”

These untold A-list encounters provide an intriguing glimpse into Perry’s pre-Friends experiences with Hollywood’s elite.

10. Matthew Perry and Valerie Bertinelli’s interesting encounter

In his memoir, Matthew Perry unveiled a captivating chapter of his life, recounting his profound feelings for actress Valerie Bertinelli during the filming of the 1990 movie “Sydney.” Perry candidly admitted that he had “fallen madly in love” with Bertinelli, harboring dreams of her leaving her then-husband, Eddie Van Halen, to spend her life with him.

Perry shared an extraordinary moment from their time together when he and Bertinelli engaged in “a long, elaborate make-out session.” Remarkably, this intimate encounter occurred while her husband, the famous rocker Eddie Van Halen, was passed out mere feet away. Perry confessed to Bertinelli his long-held desire, and she reciprocated with similar sentiments.

However, he was left with a feeling of devastation when she never mentioned their passionate kiss, ever again. However, what is worth noting is that on October 27, Valerie Bertinelli responded to Matthew Perry’s revelation with a lighthearted TikTok video. In the video, she playfully acknowledged their past encounter and asked if others had experienced similar situations in their 20s and early 30s. This exchange added an interesting twist to Perry’s romantic history with the actress.

11. Matthew Perry’s hazy proposal

During his stay at a rehabilitation facility in Switzerland, Matthew Perry made a proposal he barely remembers. He confessed to proposing to his then-girlfriend while under the influence of 1,800 milligrams of hydrocodone.

Perry further revealed that he had sought her family’s blessing and proposed while “high as a kite” and on one knee. Surprisingly, she accepted the proposal. Upon returning to Los Angeles, Perry found himself in a state of bewilderment, wondering,

“‘Wait…how did I get engaged? There are dogs living in my house. How did this happen?'”

Well, as funny as it may sound it actually indeed happened and his memoir is a testament to it!

In retrospect, Perry linked his impulsive proposal to his fear of abandonment, stating,

“I bought her a ring because I was desperate that she would leave me.”

He ultimately recognized that he was not prepared for marriage or any kind of commitment, leading to their breakup.

12. Matthew Perry’s apology to Keanu Reeves

Matthew Perry stirred controversy with comments he made about Keanu Reeves in his memoir, including questioning why Reeves was still alive while reflecting on the deaths of “original thinkers” like River Phoenix and Heath Ledger. The remarks garnered attention and prompted Perry to issue an apology.

In a statement to People on October 26, Perry clarified,

“I’m actually a big fan of Keanu. I just chose a random name, my mistake. I apologize. I should have used my own name instead.”

His apology acknowledged his appreciation for Keanu Reeves and expressed regret for the choice of words in his book.

The world is at a great loss today. Matthew Perry at 54 passed away in an incident involving drowning at his residence in Pacific Palisades, Los Angeles. We hope the legend Rest in Peace.