Matthew Perry: ‘Friends’ Rehab and Funeral Revealed — SkimNews
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- The One About Matthew Perry, Mary Robertson’s three-part Netflix documentary, debuted Oct. 27 and quotes Perry alongside testimony from his sister and close friends about his life, addiction and death.
- Roger Costillo said “Friends” production paused in 2001 while Matthew Perry entered rehab; in a 2002 Larry King interview, Perry said producers gave him the most time they could and shot around him.
- Matthew Perry wrote in his memoir that his weight across “Friends” seasons tracked his addiction: alcohol when heavier, pills when skinnier, and a goatee when he was taking “lots of pills.”
- Mia Perry Bowick said Perry commuted between rehab in Malibu and the Season 7 set for Chandler and Monica’s wedding, while the family and cast carried the unspoken question, “Is this his wedding?”
- Matthew Perry’s 2023 funeral was a small gathering of close friends and family, with the casket briefly open; Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc entered together, held hands around it and cried.
Why it matters: Costillo’s account makes clear that Perry’s addiction interrupted work for the “Friends” crews: production stopped for a time in 2001, and he returned for Season 7 while commuting from rehab. The five cast members’ hand-holding at the 2023 funeral adds a personal coda to the documentary’s three-part record of sobriety, work and grief.
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