Matthew Perry was ‘abusive’ and lied about sobriety: Report

For years, Matthew Perry had been outspoken about his path to sobriety.

When he released his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” he revealed he’d been clean for 18 months.

Things seem to be going well until his shocking death in October of 2023.

Athenna Crosby told KTLA 5 News in November that the “Friends” star was “sober and clean” when the two acquaintances met up for lunch a day before his death.

However, those close to Perry are telling a different story.

In an exclusive interview with US Weekly, sources say that he lied about his sobriety during the book’s promotional tour and leading up to his death. These sources also claim Perry was abusing prescription drugs.

Matthew Perry

“Everybody close to Matthew was saying he died from an overdose.” the source told the magazine. “The way he dealt with that was to isolate. Since [‘Friends’ ended], he was set financially and didn’t have to work, so it created an environment to use.”

Pals of Perry said they were concerned he did not receive care for his mental health and noted abusive behavior, especially towards his friend and sober companion Morgan Moses.

“He threw [her] into a wall and threw something at her and shoved her onto a bed,” one source said. “This time, he took threats and hints of violence into actual violence.”

After the alleged incident, the source claimed “he still said, ‘If I wanted to hurt you, I would have.’”

These sources claimed that the relationship between the two was strained afterward, even after attempts to smooth things over on Perry’s part.

“Morgan was his best friend, and he burned that to the ground. He pushed her to her absolute breaking point,” the source said. “Everyone just wanted him to be OK, and he was awful. He would get pissed off about little things and then flip the narrative about what really happened to make himself the victim. [He would] escalate the situation so he could say, ‘Poor me. I’ve been hurt, and you abandoned me.’ He put people on a ride from hell.”

One source called Perry “manipulative” and said, “he was verbally, emotionally and physically abusive.” They continued saying, “All he knew how to do was cause pain and play the victim.”

Another source said that the “17 Again” actor “wasn’t a horrible human being. [But] he was so warped in his addiction that he wasn’t himself and the man he should be.”

The sources also go on to explain that Perry’s troublesome path continued when he claimed to be sober, like during his book tour.

“He wanted to sell books. Everything was crafted and manipulated; the truth wasn’t important.”

Perry also lied to his “Friends” costars, according to a source.

“He lied to all of them about so many things over the years,” one person said “He had so much respect for them, but he [didn’t always] have positive things to say about them. He felt inferior [to them], so when he spoke negatively, it came from that insecurity.”

Sources claim Perry’s last years were spent mostly alone.

“He was living locked up and not reaching out to [people],” they said. “That was his pattern when he used. He would cut himself off from everyone.”

The person claimed the “Numb” actor was disappointed where his life was going.

“He wanted a family and never found that person to settle down with. It was a tale of loneliness and how having all the money and fame can’t save anyone,” the source said.

KTLA 5 has reached out to Perry’s former team to respond to these allegations and has not heard back.

In December, the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner revealed the actor died from “acute effects” of the drug ketamine.

The medical examiner’s report said that “high levels of ketamine” were found in Perry’s “postmortem blood specimens,” adding that “the main lethal effects would be from both cardiovascular overstimulation and respiratory depression.”

While Perry had undergone ketamine therapy, the coroner found that the amount in his system “could not be from that infusion therapy, since ketamine’s half-life is three to four hours or less.”

The 54-year-old died on Oct. 28 at his home in Los Angeles’ affluent Pacific Palisades neighborhood.

Authorities confirmed Perry was already dead when first responders arrived to find him propped up in a hot tub after having initially been discovered by another person.

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