'Friends' Creator Addresses Matthew Perry Health Concerns Following Slurred Speech & Bizarre Behavior At Reunion
May 31 2021, Published 11:18 a.m. ET
The creator behind the Friends reunion is defending Matthew Perry after fans grew concerned over his slurred speech and bizarre behavior during the HBO Max special.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Kevin Bright -- who is one of the three show co-creators -- addressed the concerns surrounding the Friends actor's health.
Perry has struggled with substance abuse issues in the past.
As RadarOnline.com reported, sources chalked up his slurred speech during the reunion to emergency dental work.
Now, Bright is speaking out.
"I talked to him. It was great seeing him again," he told THR. "And what people say is what people say. I don't have any to say about that, except it was great to see him. And I think he's very funny on the show."
When it comes to Perry's health, Bright added, "But yes, I think he's OK. He seems stronger and better since the last time I saw him, and excited about going forward."
The Friends reunion director Ben Winston doubled down on Bright's statements about Perry.
"He was great. People can sometimes just be unkind. I wish they weren't," he told THR in a separate interview.
"I loved working with him," Winston added. "He's a brilliantly funny man and I thought he had some great one-liners in the show. I felt just happy and lucky to be in his presence and directing him on something like this."
Despite fans fearing Perry may have fallen off the wagon, The Sun reported his slurred speech was due to a trip to the dentist and not issues with substance abuse.
“Matthew turned up to the reunion [in April] and members of his team said that he had an emergency tooth procedure that day,” a source told the UK outlet.
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"That was said to impact his wellbeing and also how he was feeling," they added.
“He had been in pain from what we understand, which caused the slurred speech,” the insider said.
"Obviously no one wants to film after a procedure, but it happened," they continued. "The feeling was one of huge sympathy for Matthew, especially in recent days given how people have reacted online."
