'Friends' Creator Marta Kauffman Was 'Nervous' About Matthew Perry During 2021 Reunion Special: 'I Was Concerned About Him'
"Friends" creator Marta Kauffman admitted that she was “concerned” about Matthew Perry during the show’s reunion special.
Nov. 1 2023, Published 3:10 p.m. ET
Friends creator Marta Kauffman admitted that she was “concerned” about Matthew Perry during the show’s reunion special in 2021, RadarOnline.com can report.
In the latest development to come after Perry, 54, was found dead at his Los Angeles home on Saturday from an apparent drowning, Kauffman broke her silence about the actor’s passing during Wednesday’s episode of Today.
Kauffman broke her silence about the Perry's passing during Wednesday’s episode of "Today."
Kauffman admitted that she was “concerned” about the Chandler Bing actor because he was prescribed opioids after undergoing “emergency dental surgery” shortly before the 2021 Friends reunion special was filmed.
“Yes, I was concerned about him,” she told Today’s Hoda Kotb in a pre-taped interview that aired on Wednesday morning. “Knowing that he’d been through everything he’d been through, and every time he had surgery they’re giving him opioids for pain, and the cycle starts over again.”
“So, yes, I was concerned about what point in the cycle he was in that moment,” Kauffman added.
As RadarOnline.com previously reported, Perry caused concern after Friends: The Reunion aired on HBO Max on May 27, 2021.
Perry was found dead in his jacuzzi on Saturday at 54 years old.
Fans of Perry’s Chandler Bing character noticed that the actor slurred his words during the two-hour-long special and feared that he relapsed in his lengthy battle with drug and alcohol addiction.
Perry later discussed his battle with drug abuse in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
He also discussed the Friends reunion special, and his condition at the time, during an interview with Diane Sawyer in October 2022.
“They did all sorts of things,” Perry told Sawyer regarding the emergency dental surgery he received shortly before the special filmed.
Perry later discussed his battle with drug and alcohol abuse in his 2022 memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing."
“It sounded like my voice was off,” he acknowledged before adding that he “couldn’t not show up” to the Friends reunion. “So what I chose to do was just go and do the best that I could.”
Meanwhile, Kauffman also told Kotb that she spoke with Perry just two weeks before the beloved actor passed away on Saturday.
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Kauffman, who created Friends alongside David Crane, said that Perry “seemed better” and was “emotionally in a good place” during their final exchange.
“He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that,” she recalled. “He was emotionally in a good place. He looked good. He quit smoking.”
Perry's 'Friends' costars addressed his death on Monday.
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“He learned things throughout this, and what he learned more than anything is that he wants to help other addicts,” Kauffman added. “And it gave him purpose.”
As RadarOnline.com reported, Perry’s Friends co-stars – Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and David Schwimmer – released a joint statement on Tuesday regarding the actor’s sudden passing.
They said that they were “devasted by the loss” of Perry and referred to the late actor as their “family.”
“We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,” the Friends stars wrote. “There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.”
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