At the height of Friends’ fame, when Matthew Perry was earning $1 million each episode as Chandler Bing, he was simultaneously battling a drink and drug addiction that was costing him dearly – both financially and physically.
Over the years, Friends star Matthew Perry has reportedly spent over $9 million (£8 million) on rehab to overcome his substance and alcohol abuse.
The 53-year-old actor, whose autobiography will be out next month, claims he has been sober for the past 18 months.
Perry, who portrayed Chandler Bing on the wildly popular NBC comedy, stated to The New York Times, “I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober.”
The celebrity stated that his substance abuse problems began with drinking as a teenager, before progressing to vodka, painkillers Vicodin and OxyContin, and the tranquilizer Xanax.
He stated that he was simultaneously seeing eight doctors to obtain various prescriptions to satisfy his habit.
In 2018, Perry’s decades of drinking and drug abuse culminated in a plethora of health problems, including pneumonia, an exploded colon, a brief stay on life support, two weeks in a coma, nine months with a colostomy bag, and more than a dozen stomach surgery.
In his book, he also describes losing his front teeth and having to take them in a plastic bag to the dentist.
Friends, a sitcom about friends Chandler, Joey, Monica, Phoebe, Rachel, and Ross living in New York, ran for ten seasons, with the six principal actors earning $1 million each episode at its peak.
Due to his drug usage, Perry’s look on the show varied as his weight fluctuated dramatically.
In his book, he also mentions Jennifer Aniston confronting him about his drinking in his trailer, receiving treatment for alcoholism while filming his wedding to Monica, and abandoning the set with his “sober technician” to return to the clinic.
Perry has frequently stated that his addictions were so severe that he cannot recall seasons three through six of his time on the show.
In May 2021, the stars reunited for the final time for Friends: The Reunion.
Perry, who ended his three-year engagement to Molly Hurwitz in 2021, says he now has a “sober companion” and “a few individuals on the payroll to keep me safe.”
In addition to sponsoring three members of Alcoholics Anonymous, Perry dedicates his book “to all the victims out there,” adding “you know who you are.”
On November 1, Flatiron will release Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry’s autobiography.
