Matthew Perry's battle with addiction while filming beloved sitcom 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S'
Matthew Perry's life was a stark contrast to the character he portrayed on F.R.I.E.N.D.S. While he brought joy to millions with his role as Chandler Bing, behind the scenes, the actor grappled with a painful cycle of addiction. As the world mourns his untimely demise, we shed light on the personal struggles that he endured while entertaining the world with his humor and wit.
Perry's road to addiction: When did it all start?
In a 2022 interview, Perry revealed that he first tasted alcohol when he was 14 years old. However, his struggle with drug addiction commenced with opioids. In 1997, he was prescribed painkillers, leading to an addiction that escalated to a point where he was consuming 55 pills every day while filming the hit show F.R.I.E.N.D.S. Perry candidly admitted, "I didn't know how to stop."
'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' fans could detect his struggles through the 10 seasons
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry made a shocking statement that fans of the sitcom could discern the periods when he was battling alcohol or drug addiction by observing changes in his appearance throughout the seasons. "When I'm carrying weight, it's alcohol; when I'm skinny, it's pills; when I have a goatee, it's a lot of pills."
When co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted Perry about his drinking
Despite setting a rule to abstain from drinking while on the set of F.R.I.E.N.D.S, Perry revealed in his memoir that he would occasionally show up to work "shaking and crazy hung-over." He shared that Jennifer Aniston once confronted him, "We can smell it." Her use of "we" had a profound impact on Perry, serving as a wake-up call to the seriousness of his addiction.
Perry's stint in rehab while 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' was still in production
In his book, he also recounted one of his stints in rehab during the filming of Chandler and Monica's wedding in Season 7. "I married Monica and got driven back to the treatment center—at the height of my highest point, the highest point in my career, the iconic moment on the iconic show—in a pickup truck helmed by a sober technician," he wrote.
Perry's confession: Stealing pills during 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' heydays
In an ABC interview, Perry disclosed his shocking behavior during the apex of his addiction. He confessed to attending open houses on Sundays, where he would access the bathrooms to steal pills from the homeowners. Perry added, "And I think they thought, 'Well, there's no way that Chandler came in and stole from us.'" This highlights the stark struggles Perry faced behind the scenes.
Meanwhile, Perry's cause of death remains 'deferred'
Perry's untimely death has left a void in the hearts of millions. He was found dead in a hot tub at his residence. The latest reports reveal that the Medical Examiner's Office conducted an autopsy, but the cause of death has been listed as "deferred."
