Jennifer Aniston is undoubtedly one of the most recognized actresses in the world, thanks to her role as Rachel Green on the iconic sitcom Friends from 1994 to 2004. The role earned her several awards, including Primetime Emmy, Golden Globe, and Screen Actors Guild awards.
Friends has left an indelible mark on popular culture, and its cast members, including Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, and David Schwimmer, became household names due to its popularity. Thus, when Perry was found dead at his LA residence on Saturday, October 28, 2023, fans of the show and the actor worldwide were left heartbroken.
Matthew Perry had been struggling with addiction for long and was always open about his fight against the same. He had help from his Friends co-stars in dealing with the battle against addiction.
In a 2004 interview given to Diane Sawyer of ABC, Jennifer Aniston broke down while talking about Perry and his struggle with addiction. She recounted:
“He struggled. We didn’t know. We weren’t equipped to deal with it.”
The Bruce Almighty star got emotional when discussing the suffering Perry had to undergo due to his addiction. The actress could understand that Perry was deeply struggling with the condition and was afraid of "the idea of even losing him."
Jennifer Aniston was worried about Perry’s addiction
Around twenty years before Matthew Perry’s demise, Jennifer Aniston expressed her feelings about the actor and his ongoing battle against addiction in an interview given to ABC in 2004. While commenting on each of her co-stars on Friends, she broke down into tears immediately as Perry’s name came up.
Aniston stated that the others tried their best to support Perry in his journey toward recovery. However, she was concerned that they were not 'equipped' to deal with it. She tearfully said:
“Nobody had ever dealt with that. And the idea of even losing him … he’s having a road. But he’s alright.”
Jennifer Aniston’s remarks are interspersed with voiceovers by Diane Sawyer in which the latter explains the difficult time Matthew Perry had because of his drug abuse problem. Aniston’s concerns about the actor would find new relevance when he would be found dead due to the acute effects of ketamine in 2023.
According to a report published by People magazine on December 15, 2023, the actor died due to 'unknown route of drug intake,' as per the autopsy report. While Perry was found dead in a residential pool, with 'prescription medications and loose pills present at his residence,' no pills were found near the pool.
Jennifer Aniston and the others supported Perry all along
Perry was quite frank about his addiction and his fight against the same. He discussed the subject candidly in his 2022 memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, wryly remarking that in the dictionary under the word 'addict,' "there should be a picture of me looking around, very confused."
Perry also repeatedly remarked how Jennifer Aniston and his other Friends co-stars were helpful and sympathetic to him. The report from People magazine carries the following statement from the late actor:
"They were understanding, and they were patient.”
He used the analogy of penguins to describe the nature of the support he had from his co-stars. He remarked that just as one penguin helped another injured one and kept supporting them until they were fit to walk on their own, the cast also supported him through his tough times.
He had particular praise for Jennifer Aniston, who stood by him through it all. In his own interview given to Diane in 2022, he said that Aniston was the one who had supported him the most. Perry added:
“You know, I’m really grateful to her for that.”
In a joint statement dated October 31, 2023, obtained by People magazine, the Friends cast members expressed their intense grief over Perry’s death and highlighted that they were like a family.
