Matthew Perry's Ex-Lovers Revealed: 15 Women Who Stole The 'Friends' Actor's Heart Before His Death
Matthew Perry dated women inside and outside Hollywood.
Valerie Bertinelli
Valerie Bertinelli was married to Eddie Van Halen when they had a brief connection.
Matthew Perry and Valerie Bertinelli went from costars to quick flings after working on Sydney.
In his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, the late Friends actor revealed he made out with the actress secretly while her then-husband, Eddie Van Halen, was a few feet away from them.
"It was happening — maybe she felt the same way I did," he wrote. "I told her I had thought about doing that for a long time, and she had said it right back to me."
Tricia Leigh Fisher
She became the first-known girlfriend of Matthew Perry in Hollywood.
Perry had his first official relationship when he was 18 when he started dating Carrie Fisher's half-sister, Tricia Fisher. Their relationship progressed from emotional to physical after she made the first move and did things on his bed.
Despite their deep connection, they called it quits afterward — though they reconnected a few years later again.
"Years later, Tricia and I would date again while Friends was at its peak," Perry revealed. "She didn't abandon me, but old fears crept up, and I ended the relationship."
Gwyneth Paltrow
Stewart slammed Gwyneth Paltrow in the past for venturing outside of Hollywood.
In the memoir, Perry disclosed another make-out session with Gwyneth Paltrow "in a closet" before Friends aired in 1994. He told GQ that he hoped she would find the experience a cute story because "it would be bad" if the Iron Man actress hated him.
As he wished, Paltrow revealed on Instagram that she was always happy to see Perry, although they drifted apart after staying friends for a while.
"We were both there for most of the summer doing plays," she recalled. He was so funny and so sweet and so much fun to be with. We drove out to swim in creeks, had beers in the local college bar, kissed in a field of long grass. It was a magical summer. He had shot the pilot of Friends, but it had not aired yet. He was nervous, hoping his big break was just around the corner. It was."
Julia Roberts
Sources claim the stress of Eric's book release is already being felt in his sister's marriage.
Perry found his then-future girlfriend — Julia Roberts — when they shot an episode of Friends as she wanted to be part of the sitcom and his character. He met her family in New Mexico, but their relationship ended after two months.
"Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me," Perry said. "I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, unloveable."
Gabrielle Allan
She famously worked on 'SCRUBS.'
Amid his struggles with alcohol, the 17 Again actor found solace when he dated Gabrielle Allan. He reportedly realized he was obsessed with the substance after they watched a magic show in University City and went back to her house.
"Gaby didn't have any alcohol at home, which is, of course, totally fine, but for me, at the age of twenty-one, all of a sudden this creeping feeling came over me for the first time. I felt my blood on fire for more to drink," Perry continued.
Jamie Tarses
Jamie Tarses was married to Dan McDermott from 1993 to 1996.
Jamie Tarses — who died on February 1, 2021, due to complications from a cardiac event she previously suffered from — also became Perry's muse at one point. The Fools Rush In actor called her "the most magical, beautiful and smart" woman who was there for him amid his substance abuse struggles.
However, he decided to end their relationship after two years to give her back the time she spent with him despite her busy schedule.
Yasmine Bleeth
Yasmine Bleeth met her husband, Paul Cerrito, in December 2000.
Perry made one of his dreams come true and dated his crush Yasmine Bleeth in 1996. Their relationship did not last a long time, though he still referenced her in the series after their split.
Neve Campbell
She was first married to Jeff Colt before she moved on with John Light.
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Following their collaboration in a Three to Tango scene, Perry dated Neve Campbell, with whom he developed a close relationship in 1998. Their romance did not last long, as they quit before the flick arrived at the cinemas the next year.
Maeve Quinlan
Maeve Quinlan wed Tom Sizemore in 1996 but divorced him in 1999.
Perry was linked to Marve Quinlan from 2002 to 2003. Although they had a serious connection, the former couple reportedly called it quits a few months after they started dating.
Lauren Graham
Law enforcement sources said no foul play was involved in Matthew Perry’s death.
In 2003, the Serving Sara actor had a brief relationship with Lauren Graham before ending things on good terms. They even worked together on the set of Birds of America years after the breakup.
Rachel Dunn
They have a 14-year age gap.
Perry called Rachel Dunn the ex-girlfriend of his dream in his memoir. They dated for two years before calling it quits in 2005, with a source saying that the split happened because he wanted to focus on his sobriety.
"With Rachel in my life, I know that I can be very committed and not some selfish guy who just wants to hang out with friends," he told the Evening Standard in 2004. "I want to spend time with my girlfriend and explore what it means to have a much closer relationship than I've previously had time for."
Natasha Wagner
She is the daughter of Richard Gregson and Natalie Wood.
For Perry, Natasha Wagner was the perfect woman in his eyes — but he could not date her properly at that time. They only had a short-lived romance, but they remained friends after the breakup.
Cameron Diaz
She married Benji Madden in 2015.
After dating Justin Timberlake, Cameron Diaz struck up a romance with Perry after a group of friends set them up. The romance buzz died down shortly after.
Lizzy Caplan
Matthew Perry had his longest relationship when he dated Lizzy Caplan from 2006 to 2012.
From being "friends with benefits," Perry and Lizzy Caplan almost exchanged "I do's" when they dated from 2006 to 2012. In his memoir, he admitted that their split still affected him.
"All my fears reared up like a snake," Perry said. "I often think if I'd asked [her to marry me], now we'd have two kids and a house. Instead, I'm some schmuck who's alone in his house at fifty-three."
Molly Hurwitz
He proposed to the literary agent but called it off in 2021.
Two years before his death, Perry shared a romantic relationship with Molly Hurwitz and popped the question in November 2020. He told People that he was lucky to date the "greatest woman on the face of the planet at this time," and he decided to propose to her.
They kept a low-profile connection before calling it quits in 2021 because "things just did not work out."