Matthew Perry Commends Friends Co Stars For Being Like Penguins While He Was Sick

Actor Matthew Perry, who is beloved for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on the hit TV series Friends, recently opened up about his opioid and alcohol addiction, sharing new details about his hospitalization in 2018 and that his battle with the illness almost killed him. The Friends actor has also opened up about the fact that although he tried to hide his condition, the dramatic changes in his appearance from year to year made it obvious to his co-stars, who regularly checked in on Perry to let the actor know they cared about him and his well-being.

In a new trailer posted online for his October 28 sit-down with ABC News journalist Diane Sawyer in advance of his tell-all new book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, Perry recalls a time when his Friends co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about his problem. Sawyer reminded Perry of the incident between the two actors where Aniston said to Perry, “We know you’re drinking.”

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Perry confirmed the conversation with Aniston. “Imagine how scary a moment that was,” he says to Sawyer. “She was the one who reached out the most, you know. I’m really grateful to her for that.”

Matthew Perry Was in Early Stages of Alcoholism During Friends

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Matthew Perry was in the early stages of alcoholism when Friends began. However, his problem grew worse over the ensuing years with the dramatic changes in his appearance reflecting his state of sobriety, to the point where four years ago his colon burst from using opioid drugs, and he had to wear a colostomy bag for nine months. Now, thanks to the harrowing experience, Perry says that he is sober and if he ever thinks about using again that he just has to think about how close he came to dying.

In addition to Jennifer Aniston’s support, Perry previously told People that his other Friends cast mates “were understanding, and they were patient,” as well. “It’s like penguins. Penguins, in nature, when one is sick, or when one is very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up. They walk around it until that penguin can walk on its own. That’s kind of what the cast did for me,” said Perry.

Matthew Perry only recently was comfortable opening up about his addiction struggles and his new tell-all memoir detailing them, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir, comes out November 1, 2022.