Jennifer Aniston expresses relief that Matthew Perry is now free from his suffering, revealing earlier sorrow at his passing.
In a candid interview published in Vanity Fair, Jennifer Aniston, the beloved actress known for her role as Rachel Green in Friends and her recent award-winning performance in The Morning Show, opened up about the loss of her co-star and friend, Matthew Perry.
Perry, who played the iconic character Chandler Bing, passed away in October 2023 at the age of 54. Aniston revealed that she and the rest of the Friends cast had been mourning Perry for a long time due to his prolonged struggle with addiction.
Aniston shared that they had done everything they could to help him during his battle with the disease, which was very difficult for him. Despite the pain of his loss for the cast and fans, Aniston feels a sense of relief that Perry is no longer suffering. "I’m glad he’s out of that pain," she said.
In his 2022 memoir, titled Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote frankly about his addiction, stating that it had ruined much of his life. He mentioned Aniston as the person who reached out to him most during his sobriety journey and struggles.
During the filming of The Morning Show, Perry revealed in an October 2022 interview with Diane Sawyer that Aniston confronted him directly about his addiction struggles. Perry found this moment to be "scary." Aniston recounted that during this conversation, she asked him, "We know you’re drinking."
Perry's cause of death was identified as the acute effects of ketamine, with drowning being a contributing factor. His memoir also mentioned that addiction had ruined relationships and the day-to-day process of being him.
Aniston, who plays the tough and ambitious Alex Levy in The Morning Show, for which she won the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award, can be seen returning for season four of the show on Apple TV on September 17.
In the same interview, Aniston briefly touched on the "love triangle" with Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, but focused primarily on her memories of Perry and her feelings about his death. She kept going during the furore by "picking herself up by the bootstraps and keeping on walking."
[1] Quote taken from Jennifer Aniston's Vanity Fair interview.
- Jennifer Aniston, reflecting on her co-star Matthew Perry's memoir, mentioned that his addiction not only ruined much of his life but also impacted his relationships and daily life.
- In the same interview, Aniston discussed her role as Alex Levy in The Morning Show, which earned her the 2020 Screen Actors Guild Award, and confirmed her return for season four, airing on Apple TV on September 17.
- During the filming of The Morning Show, Perry revealed that Aniston confronted him directly about his addiction struggles, a conversation he found "scary."
- Aniston, in addition to discussing her late friend Perry, briefly touched on the media frenzy over her past relationships, stating that she coped by "picking herself up by the bootstraps and keeping on walking."
