Inside Friends’ Matthew Perry’s battle with addiction, health scares and porn star scandal ahead of reunion

WHEN Matthew Perry appeared in a new Friends reunion promo clip, fans were worried as the actor seemed to slur his words and appear unwell.

The 51-year-old actor, famous for playing loveable joker Chandler Bing in the hit show, was seen nodding off during a “three question” interview with People on Wednesday.

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Fans were worried when he was slurring his words in a Friends reunion interviewCredit: Youtube via People Magazine

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Matthew Perry has overcome some very difficult battles in the pastCredit: Getty Images

Several took to the comments section to express their concern over Matthew, who has struggled with addiction since his time on the award-winning show.

“Seeing Matthew sad is heartbreaking,” one wrote, adding: “I hope he gets better soon, I don’t know how I’m going to enjoy the reunion when Matthew is this sad.”

“This felt so good seeing but also broke my heart seeing Matthew Perry like this,” another admitted.

Matthew – who was recently exposed for being “creepy” towards young girls on the dating app Raya – has had a hellish few years since the TV series ended in 2004.

He had a very public battle with drugs and alcohol addiction, before being hospitalised over terrifying health scares and even being caught up in a porn star scandal.

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Matthew is reuniting with his Friends costarsCredit: HBO

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He’s overcome a lot of addictions to be back with his FriendsCredit: HBO

But things look brighter after the troubled times, as he’s back with his Friends co-stars, and also engaged to girlfriend Molly Hurwitz, 29.

Here we look at how he’s put his personal battles behind him, signed up for the Friends reunion, and found love…

‘Forgetting 3 years of Friends’ amid addiction

Perry has been very open about his long-time battle with addiction.

He famously checked himself into rehab twice during his time on Friends, firstly in 1997 to treat his addiction to prescription pills, after getting hooked following a jet-ski accident.

He then returned in 2001 to deal with Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol addictions.

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Perry (far right) shot to fame as Chandler on FriendsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

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Perry has admitted he forgot three years of filming FriendsCredit: Getty Images – Getty

Then in 2011, he issued a statement to TMZ saying he would be spending some time out of the spotlight to “proactively” focus on his sobriety.

“I’m making plans to go away for a month to focus on my sobriety and to continue my life in recovery. Please enjoy making fun of me on the world wide web,” he said.

His struggles led to the star becoming a spokesperson for drugs charities – and he even lobbied in Congress in 2011 to gain support for sufferers.

Speaking about his public battle with addiction to People in 2013, he said: “I had a big problem with alcohol and pills and I couldn’t stop…

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Perry looked very different during his time on Friends – but it was a difficult time for him personallyCredit: Alamy

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Perry pictured with his co-stars in 2002 – a year after his second rehab stintCredit: Reuters

“Eventually things got so bad that I couldn’t hide it, and then everybody knew.”

In 2016 he admitted he had forgotten “three years” of Friends due to his addiction, in an interview with BBC Radio 2’s Chris Evans.

When asked to name his least favourite episode of Friends, he said: “I think the answer is I don’t remember three years of it, so none of those. I was a little out of it at the time. Somewhere between seasons three and six.”

Sudden weight loss & health scares

In between his two stints in rehab, Perry sparked major concerns among fans when his weight is said to have plummeted to around 10 stone.

It turned out he’d spent two weeks in hospital with acute pancreatitis, which can reportedly be caused by excessive drinking.

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Perry pictured at the Gone in 60 Seconds premiere in 2000Credit: Getty Images – Getty

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Perry looked very slim in 2000Credit: Getty Images

“In my case, it was hard living and drinking hard and eating poorly,” he told Us Weekly, according to E! News. “You play, you pay… But there were no pills involved. I learned my lesson at Hazelden.”

Shortly after leaving hospital, he then crashed his Porsche into an unoccupied house. No drugs or alcohol were found in his system, but it only raised concerns about the troubled star at the time.

His Friends co-star Matt LeBlanc told People: “I tried to talk to him. There wasn’t a response. It’s such a personal struggle; they need to bottom out on their own.”

The actor is also known to have battled health problems since, and in 2018 he underwent emergency surgery on a ruptured bowel.

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Perry pictured in 2017, before his surgery and time in hospitalCredit: Rex Features

Gastrointestinal perforation, more commonly known as ruptured bowel, occurs when a hole forms all the way through the stomach, large bowel, or small intestine.

Symptoms include severe abdominal pain and tenderness and complications can lead to sepsis which is a life-threatening bacterial infection.

Porn star scandal

In November 2017, Perry hit the headlines when a porn star claimed the Friends actor pleaded with her to get him 40 or 50 prescription painkillers.

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Maddy O’Reilly made sensational claims about Perry in 2017Credit: MaddyOreilly/Twitter

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O’Reilly claimed she was “concerned” for PerryCredit: MaddyOreilly/Instagram

Maddy O’Reilly sensationally claimed she received a series of Instagram messages from Perry, asking if she knew anyone who could “help me purchase some pills”.

She claimed when she asked the actor what he’d be willing to pay, he replied: “It depends which one (type of painkiller) is available. But… a lot.”

She told the Daily Mail at the time: “I am concerned for Matthew’s well-being, we’re having the same drugs problem back home in North Carolina, I’ve seen it destroy many people’s lives.

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Perry attended The Circle screening the same yearCredit: Rex Features

“I would really hate to see something bad happen to him.”

Perry did not publicly respond to the wild claims at the time.

TV gig cancelled ‘without notice’

While Perry failed to land a TV show nearly as huge as Friends after it ended, he enjoyed big roles in movies like 17 Again.

However, he allegedly found out his sitcom The Odd Couple was cancelled in the worst way possible in 2017.

He tweeted: “My face on the Odd Couple stage door has been painted over with green paint.I think it’s safe to assume that we have been cancelled.”

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Perry as Ryan King in NBC sitcom Go OnCredit: 2013 NBCUniversal Media, LLC

Sadly, it wasn’t the first time one of the shows he starred in post-Friends was pulled. In 2012, Perry starred as Ryan King on the NBC sitcom Go On. The series was cancelled in May the following year.

Shock transformation sparks concerns

Perry is now dedicated to a life of sobriety, but he’s undergone a major transformation in recent years.

He was spotted for the first time in six months last April, with grey hair and stubble, looking almost unrecognisable.

Perry hinted he was finding lockdown difficult that same month, posting to his fans on Instagram: “Why is today especially hard???” as hundreds of followers replied with messages of support.

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Perry has recently been sharing snaps with fans on Instagram

However, he’s begun making more appearances since – even reuniting with his Friends co-stars – and appearing happier than he has in years.

He also recently dropped $6 million (£4.5M) on a lavish home in Los Angeles, complete with a vegetable garden, training pool and hot tub.

Happily ever after?

The Sun exclusively revealed Perry’s relationship with his now-fiancee in December 2019, as the pair enjoyed a romantic Christmas together.

Molly, a talent manager and producer, appeared to confirm the secret romance on social media as she spent Christmas at his swanky LA penthouse, posting about her “boyfriend” on Instagram.

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Molly and Matthew are engaged and he seems happier than ever with herCredit: mattyperry4/Instagram

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They’ve even been seen wearing matching Friends t-shirtsCredit: mattyperry4/Instagram

And then he revealed in December last year he’d popped the question.

“I decided to get engaged,” he told People. “Luckily, I happened to be dating the greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time.”

While they briefly split last year, they appear to be more loved up than ever now – with sources previously claiming she’s been a “huge support” for him.

An insider revealed: “Molly has been seeing Matthew for months, they mix in the same circles and she’s originally from New York where they have spent time together.

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“She has a very quirky sense of humour and they hit it off immediately.

“Molly is not interested in fame and she rarely parties, she’s been great for Matthew.”

Matthew Perry posts on Instagram for the first time on the same day $20m Friends reunion ‘is confirmed’