Matthew Perry ‘made everyone uneasy at Friends: The Reunion’ as he failed to address addiction struggles
MATTHEW Perry “made everyone uneasy at Friends: The Reunion” as he failed to address his addiction struggles.
The Chandler Bing actor joined the other stars for Friends: The Reunion, which airs on HBO Max on Thursday.
Read our Friends reunion live blog for the latest updates…
Matthew revealed on The Chris Evans Breakfast Show in 2016 that he couldn’t remember “somewhere between season three and six” of his time on the NBC sitcom.
The star was addicted to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines and alcohol, but eventually received a Champion of Recovery award in 2013 for opening sober residency Perry House.
Variety critic Caroline Framke wrote on the reunion: “The special ultimately declines to discuss any of his troubled experience explicitly, but it nonetheless lingers around the margins with palpable unease.
“When his castmates talk about staying in touch with each other, he cracks a joke about how he doesn’t hear ‘from anyone’ so dryly that it’s impossible to tell if it’s actually joke.”
Perry did hint towards his addiction battle in the special, saying he felt every night “like I was going to die if they didn’t laugh,” and said, “it wasn’t healthy, for sure”.
Lisa Kudrow responded that the rest of them “never knew that”.
Fans worried Matthew Perry suffered a drugs relapse when he was filmed with “slurred speech” during a promo for the reunion.
But The Sun exclusively revealed this is due to dental work, which left him “unwell and in pain”.
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Matthew sat down with the cast of Friends for a “three question” interview with PEOPLE last week about the upcoming HBO Max special.
Many fans also expressed their concern over Matthew, with one wroting: “This felt so good seeing but also broke my heart seeing Matthew Perry like this.”
Now a source has told The Sun that Matthew had actually undergone an emergency dental procedure which left him in pain – and he has not relapsed.
A source said: “Matthew turned up to the reunion and members of his team said that he had an emergency tooth procedure that day.
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“That was said to impact his wellbeing and also how he was feeling.
“He had been in pain from what we understand, which caused the slurred speech.
“Obviously no one wants to film after a procedure, but it happened.
“The feeling was one of huge sympathy for Matthew especially in recent days given how people have reacted online.
“Matthew has told those around him that he is sober, and there is no need to worry.”