Matthew Perry on drug addiction, which 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' co-star helped him
What's the story
Matthew Perry has opened up about his struggle with drug addiction and alcoholism and which F.R.I.E.N.D.S co-star helped him the most during his battle. In an interview with ABC journalist Diane Sawyer, he even discussed a health crisis that almost claimed his life a few years ago. A trailer for the interview—which airs on October 28—was dropped ahead of his memoir's release next month.
Confession
Jennifer Aniston reached out to him the most
The trailer showed Perry speaking to Sawyer during the interview, where he recalled how his F.R.I.E.N.D.S co-star Jennifer Aniston reached out to him the most during his addiction battle. He added that Aniston even confronted him about his alcohol addiction and tried to help him. "She was the one that reached out the most. I'm really grateful to her for that," Perry said.
Details
Perry was hospitalized for five months
Separately, in an interview with People earlier this month, 53-year-old Perry also revealed he was hospitalized for five months when he was 49, was in a coma for two weeks, and used a colostomy bag for nine months. His new book, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir—awaiting release on November 1—will offer more details into his addictions to alcohol and drugs.
Information
Perry was also put on an ECMO machine
"Doctors told my family that I had a 2% chance to live," he told People. "I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that." Notably, Perry had previously spoken about substance abuse but discussed never the severity of his four-year-old health crisis.
Quote
He believes the book will help people battling addiction
In his memoir, Perry is set to detail his addictions, battles, and the health crisis that hit him four years ago. "I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober—and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction—to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people," he told People about the book.