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'Cocaine, pills, booze': The heartbreaking reason why Matthew Perry could never watch 'Friends' episodes

Matthew Perry said, 'I could tell season by season by how I looked, and I don’t think anybody else can, but I certainly could'

LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Matthew Perry, whose name is probably synonymous with his onscreen name ‘Chandler Bing’ died tragically in his Los Angeles home on Saturday, October 28.

Perry’s tragic death at 54 came as a shock to the fans of the generational sitcom ‘Friends.’

At the wake of his death, an old video of Perry’s interview resurfaced where he revealed that he could not rewatch old ‘FRIENDS’ episodes as they reminded him of the painful phase of his alcohol and drug addiction.

Matthew Perry discusses his addiction

Following the release of his memoir, ‘Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing’ on November 1, 2022, the ‘17 Again’ star sat down for an interview with CBC Radio’s Tom Power when he discussed his addiction.

In December 2022, Perry said to Power, “I can’t watch the show, because I was brutally thin and being beaten down so badly by the disease.”

He revealed that he could pinpoint which substance he was abusing by looking at himself, per Page Six.

Divulging that his addictions included alcohol, opiates, and cocaine among others, the ‘Three to Tango’ star revealed, “I could tell season by season by how I looked, and I don’t think anybody else can, but I certainly could.”

The ‘Fools Rush In’ star added, “That’s why I don’t want to watch it because that’s what I see — that’s what I notice when I watch it.”

Nevertheless, he was considering the option to start rewatching the show because of its huge cultural impact on multiple generations of fans.

He remarked, “I think I’m going to start to watch it because it really has been — first of all, it was an incredible ride — but it’s been an incredible thing to watch it touch the hearts of different generations.”

He concluded, “It was really funny and all the people were nice, I’ve been too worried about this, and I want to watch ‘Friends,’ too.”

Fans are hoping that despite his painful struggle, he managed to rewatch the show again to fully grasp how big a star he was.

Heartbroken fans react

The heartbroken fans mourned the death of their favorite Chandler Bing and took to social media to contemplate the heartbreaking reason behind Perry's abstaining from rewatching the 'Friends' episodes. 

One of the fans mourned, "Matthew Perry's journey through addiction was a difficult one, and his openness about it helped others facing similar challenges. His passing is truly sad, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time."

Another fan shared while being empathetic towards his struggle with addiction, "Listen to his audible book. Hearing in his voice. I’ve been listening this past week to it on headphones. He went through a lot. Actually a lot is an understatement."

Someone else said, "It's heartbreaking to learn about Matthew Perry's struggles with alcohol and drug addiction, and it makes his talent and resilience even more admirable. His honesty about his challenges was both brave and inspiring, and it sheds light on the importance of mental health and addiction awareness. The news of his passing is truly tragic, and our thoughts are with his family and friends during this difficult time."

"He been through hell and back actually," remarked another fan.

"So sad he was always smiling. I never knew," observed another.

Someone else commented, "He did struggle and got through it."

"I hope he managed to rewatch it," said another fan.

"I hope he watched it back before he passed so he could see how amazing he was," echoed a fan.