Matthew Perry’s Haunting Reason He Could Never Watch Friends

In a 2022 interview promoting his book, Matthew Perry spoke with Tom Power for Canada’s CBC. He revealed that, while he doesn’t think anyone else could tell what substances he was abusing just by watching episodes of “Friends,” he would certainly be able to, and he couldn’t bring himself to do it. 

“I didn’t watch the show and haven’t watched the show because I could go ‘drinking, opiates, drinking, cocaine,’” Perry said during the interview, while mock-pointing at himself in various episodes. “Like I could tell season-by-season by how I looked.”

Though Perry stated it’s all he would be able to notice if he watched the show, he went on to say that his feelings about watching it were starting to shift. “But I think I’m gonna start to watch it because … 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 said. “It’s become this important significant thing and you know, I would, I think I would watch that again. It was really funny and all the people were nice and I’ve been too worried about this. I want to watch ‘Friends’ too.”

If you or anyone you know needs help with addiction issues, help is available. Visit the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration website or contact SAMHSA’s National Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP (4357).