Resurfaced clip of Jennifer Aniston crying over the 'idea of losing' Matthew Perry is painful to watch
It's evident that Jennifer Aniston has always shared a special bond with her late 'Friends' co-star Matthew Perry! In a resurfaced clip from a 2004 interview, Jennifer Aniston became emotional while discussing her close friend and 'Friends' co-star, Matthew Perry. Speaking with Diana Sawyer, Aniston was asked to share something Perry didn’t realize about himself but needed to hear. Fighting back tears, she responded, “That he’s alright." She then opened up about Perry’s struggles with addiction, revealing how difficult it was for those around him to fully grasp what he was going through. “He struggled. We didn’t know. We weren’t equipped to deal with it. Nobody had ever dealt with that. And the idea of even losing him… he’s having a road. But he’s alright,” Aniston added, as per Scoop Upworthy.
Perry's struggles with addiction began after a jet ski accident in 1997, which led to his dependency on Vicodin. Back in the day, Perry confessed that at one point he was consuming "a quart of vodka and 55 Vicodin a day." Ultimately, Perry turned to alcohol abuse. In 2002, Perry was rushed to hospital due to alcohol-induced pancreatitis. Perry continued to battle with addiction during his time on the beloved sitcom 'Friends.'
During an interview with The New York Times, Perry well-known for playing the character of Chandler Bing in the longtime-running series 'Friends' opened up on his addiction struggles. He said, “When [fame] happens, it’s kind of like Disneyland for a while. For me it lasted about eight months, this feeling of ‘I’ve made it, I’m thrilled, there’s no problem in the world.’ And then you realize that it doesn’t accomplish anything, it’s certainly not filling any holes in your life. I didn’t get sober because I felt like it. I got sober because I was worried I was going to die the next day.”
Unfortunately, Perry died at the age of 54 in October 2024 after an apparent drowning. At that time, the surviving cast members of 'Friends' including Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt Le Blanc, and David Schwimmer issued an official statement mourning the loss of their co-star. "We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family. There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss. In time we will say more, as and when we are able. For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world," they said in a statement to People magazine.
In his 2022 memoir titled, 'Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing', the 'Fools Rush In' star revealed how Aniston contacted him as he fought his personal battles. “She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that," Perry told Diane Sawyer in an October 2022 interview, as per Page Six. Perry revealed that it was Aniston who first confronted him about his alcohol addiction while they were filming 'Friends'. She also let him know that the entire cast and crew were aware of his struggles with drinking.“Imagine how scary a moment that was,” Perry admitted. For those wondering, Friends is available for streaming on Netflix.
