Jennifer Aniston broke down in tears as she was asked about her former Friends co-star Matthew Perry in a new interview.
The Friends actor was found dead in his hot tub towards the end of October at the age of 54. In December 2023, it was ruled his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic used as a treatment for depression.
And during Variety’s Actors on Actors interviews, Jennifer, 55, spoke to Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson, 34, who asked what it’s like watching Friends since Matthew’s tragic death.
When Jen heard the question, she began tearing up and said: Oh God, Don’t make me cry!’
‘You’re already crying,’ Quinta said. Do you want a minute? We don’t have to talk about [it.]’
Jennifer Aniston broke down in tears as she was asked about her former Friends co-star Matthew Perry in a recent interview
The Friends actor was found dead in his hot tub towards the end of October at the age of 54. In December 2023, it was ruled his death was caused by the acute effects of ketamine, a dissociative anesthetic used as a treatment for depression
A producer was quick to hand Jen a tissue while she stated: ‘These are happy tears’
Friends was a huge global hit as it ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004 and starred Jen, Matthew, Courteney Cox, Matt LeBlanc, David Schwimmer, and Lisa Kudrow.
The show followed a group of friends and their life endeavors in New York City.
Speaking about the beloved show, Jennifer said: ‘It’s so strange to even think that it’s 30 years old.
‘The fact that it’s had this long and wonderful life and it still means a lot to people is one of the greatest gifts I think all six of us could ever imagine.
‘It’s a family forever.’
In November, Jennifer attended the funeral for Matthew – who had struggled with addiction to alcohol and drugs for a number of years but was thought to have been sober at the time of his death – her fellow cast members Courteney, Matt, David, and Lisa, but is said to have ‘kept to herself’ on the day.
An onlooker told DailyMail.com: ‘She was one of the first to arrive. She kept herself to herself. This is a high-profile gathering.’
Jennifer revealed that Matthew was happy and healthy as she was even texting him on the morning of his death.
The actress got candid about their interactions together during Perry’s final days in a new interview with Variety as she is featured on the cover with her The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon.
During Variety’s Actors on Actors interviews, Jennifer, 55, spoke to Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson, 34, who asked what it’s like watching Friends since Matthew’s tragic death
When Jen heard the question, she began tearing up and said: Oh God, Don’t make me cry!’
Friends was a huge global hit as it ran for 10 seasons between 1994 and 2004
Aniston said: ‘As he said he’d love to be remembered. He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy —that’s all I know.
‘I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.’
Perry was found unresponsive in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home on October 28 as local authorities said foul play was not suspected. No official cause of death has been revealed.
She went on to reveal what she wants people to know about her late pal as she said: ‘I want people to know he was really healthy, and getting healthy. He was on a pursuit.
‘He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one. I miss him dearly. We all do. Boy, he made us laugh really hard.’
Aniston was ready to say goodbye to her longtime friend Perry on November 15 which was just over two weeks after his untimely death.
The Morning Show star shared an emotional post to Instagram paying tribute to her late Friends co-star.
Aniston included a sweet text message that Perry sent her sometime in the past in which he gushed about being able to make her laugh, something she said was intensely important to him.
Her tribute arrived a day after her fellow costars Matt LeBlanc and Courteney Cox both shared their own tributes to their friend.
In addition to her behind-the-scenes communications with Perry, Aniston included a sweet clip from Friends in which his character Chandler confessed his platonic love for her character Rachel before her tearful goodbye.
‘Oh boy this one has cut deep…,’ Aniston began her difficult farewell.
‘Having to say goodbye to our Matty has been an insane wave of emotions that I’ve never experienced before,’ she continued. ‘We all experience loss at some point in our lives. Loss of life or loss of love.
‘Being able to really SIT in this grief allows you to feel the moments of joy and gratitude for having loved someone that deep. And we loved him deeply,’ the actress declared, adding that Perry was a part of the Friends cast’s ‘DNA’.
‘We were always the 6 of us. This was a chosen family that forever changed the course of who we were and what our path was going to be,’ she recalled.
Jennifer revealed that Matthew was happy and healthy as she was even texting him on the morning of his death
Perry and Aniston starred on Friends through its entire run from 1994 to 2004; seen together in 1998
Aniston also recalled Perry’s need to make everyone around him crack up.
‘For Matty, he KNEW he loved to make people laugh. As he said himself, if he didn’t hear the ‘laugh’ he thought he was going to die. His life literally depended on it,’ she wrote. ‘And boy did he succeed in doing just that. He made all of us laugh. And laugh hard.’
Among her post was a short personal message that Perry had sent her via text some time in the past, though she didn’t reveal when the exchange took place.
‘In the last couple weeks, I’ve been pouring over our texts to one another. Laughing and crying then laughing again,’ Aniston admitted. ‘I’ll keep them forever and ever.
‘I found one text that he sent me out of nowhere one day. It says it all. (See the second slide…).’
In the text message, Perry appeared to have sent her a black-and-white photo of the two pictured from behind on a set — presumably while taping Friends — as he said something that seemed to make her grin ear to ear.
‘Making you laugh just made my day,’ he wrote with the photo. ‘It made my day :).’
In her text, Aniston replied, ‘Aww the first of THOUSANDS of times…’
In her caption, she added a loving farewell to Perry while hoping that he was at ‘peace’ now.
‘Matty, I love you so much and I know you are now completely at peace and out of any pain,’ she wrote.
‘I talk to you every day… sometimes I can almost hear you saying ‘could you BE any crazier?” she added on a light note, referencing one of Chandler’s catchphrases.
‘Rest little brother,’ she concluded. ‘You always made my day…’
Perry’s tragic death occurred on October 28, when he was discovered underwater in his home’s hot tub by his assistant , who had left his home briefly to pick up some items for him.
In early November, Perry’s death certificate was released. Though the actor is believed to have died of accidental drowning, his cause of death has so far been deferred while awaiting the results of a toxicology report.
According to police, only medications that Perry had a prescription for were found in his home, but the actor had previously been open about his years-long struggle with addiction and drug abuse.
One last goodbye: Jennifer Aniston, 54, paid tribute to her late Friends costar Matthew Perry on Wednesday morning with a post including a text message he sent to her before his death
Aniston included a text message Perry sent her ‘out of nowhere one day’ in which he sent her a black-and-white photo of the two laughing on set. ‘Making you laugh just made my day,’ he wrote
David Schwimmer paid a touching tribute to Perry around the same time as Aniston with a still from Friends of him and Perry dressed up like Miami Vice characters
Courteney Cox previously shared her own tribute on November 14 (seen as Chandler Bing and Monica Geller)
Mid-November also saw the release of another somber statement from Perry’s fellow Friends costar David Schwimmer, who played Ross.
Schwimmer, 57, posted a still from Friends of one of his ‘favorite moments’ with Perry as he praised his gift for laughter and his enduring friendship.
In the humorous still, both sported designer stubble and wore brightly colored suits with the sleeves rolled up and contrasting casual shirts, as inspired by Miami Vice.
‘Matty, Thank you for ten incredible years of laughter and creativity,’ Schwimmer began in the Instagram post. ‘I will never forget your impeccable comic timing and delivery. You could take a straight line of dialogue and bend it to your will, resulting in something so entirely original and unexpectedly funny it still astonishes.
‘And you had heart. Which you were generous with, and shared with us, so we could create a family out of six strangers. This photo is from one of my favorite moments with you. Now it makes me smile and grieve at the same time.
‘I imagine you up there, somewhere, in the same white suit, hands in your pockets, looking around— ‘Could there BE any more clouds?”
In October, the surviving five Friends released a joint statement reacting to Perry’s shocking death.
‘We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,’ Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, and Schwimmer told People . ‘There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.’
The stars continued: ‘In time we will say more, as and when we are able,’ the statement continues. ‘For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.’
Perry was laid to rest in a simple hour-long service at Forest Lawn Cemetery in Los Angeles on November 3, in a ceremony attended by his Friends costars.
An onlooker told DailyMail.com: ‘Ms Aniston was one of the first to arrive. She kept herself to herself. This is a high profile gathering.’
His tearful mother Suzanne Morrison, 84, and Dateline journalist stepfather Keith Morrison, 76, were both at the private event, as was his father John Perry, 82. Morrison also served as one of the pallbearers.
The cemetery is opposite Warner Bros Studios, where Friends was filmed for 10 seasons, and is the final resting place of a galaxy of Hollywood stars, among them Carrie Fisher, Bette Davis, Stan Laurel, Buster Keaton, INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, Paul Walker, Brittany Murphy and Anne Heche.
On November 14, Cox, who played Chandler’s main love interest Monica Geller, shared her own tribute to Perry.
She wrote: ‘I am so grateful for every moment I had with you Matty and I miss you every day.
‘When you work with someone as closely as I did with Matthew, there are thousands of moments I wish I could share. For now here’s one of my favorites.
‘To give a little backstory, Chandler and Monica were supposed to have a one night fling in London. But because of the audience’s reaction, it became the beginning of their love story.
‘In this scene, before we started rolling, he whispered a funny line for me to say.
‘He often did things like that. He was funny and he was kind.’
Matt LeBlanc, 56, who played Chandler’s best friend Joey Tribbiani, also shared a remembrance of his late pal.
‘Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life,’ he wrote.
‘It was an honor to share the stage with you and to call you my friend. I will always smile when I think of you and I’ll never forget you. Never.
‘Spread your wings and fly brother you’re finally free. Much love.’
He also added a joking addendum: ‘And I guess you’re keeping the 20 bucks you owe me.’
Perry had reportedly played a two-hour game of Pickleball — a sport similar to tennis but played on a smaller court — earlier on the day of his death, before sending his assistant out on an errand. When they returned, Perry was said to be found unresponsive in his hot tub.
His body was taken from his house by the LA County Medical Examiner’s Office hours after his death.
Perry had just recently posted a picture of himself and his father John Bennett Perry, who joined him on a Friends episode in 1998.
He was born in Massachusetts and raised in Canada by his mother Suzanne Marie after his parents divorced when he was a one year old.
Perry was a natural fit for the role of Chandler, as he was beloved for his sarcastic one-liners, and many of his mannerisms grew from his own behavior.
Matt LeBlanc paid an emotional tribute to Perry. He played Chandler’s best friend Joey Tribbiani
LeBlanc, 56, who played Chandler’s best friend Joey Tribbiani, wrote: ‘Matthew. It is with a heavy heart I say goodbye. The times we had together are honestly among the favorite times of my life’
Perry appeared to die from accidental drowning in his home’s hot tub on October 28, but the cause of death determination is delayed pending a toxicology report; seen in November 2022 in NYC
He said in his memoir: ‘It was as if someone had followed me around for a year, stealing my jokes, copying my mannerisms, photocopying my world-weary yet witty view of life. One character in particular stood out to me: it wasn’t that I thought I could ‘play’ Chandler. I ‘was’ Chandler.’
Perry later revealed that when he was first cast in the sitcom at the age of 24, that is when his alcohol addiction really came to light.
He said years later that by the end of the 10th series of the hit show, he became ‘entrenched in a lot of trouble’.
In 2016 he admitted that he didn’t remember three seasons of filming because he was a ‘little out of it at the time’.
At one point during his time on Friends, Perry said he was taking 55 Vicodin painkillers a day and was down to 128lb (58kg) but yet he ‘didn’t know how to stop’.
Following his sudden death many took to social media and gave tribute to the late actor, specifically for his role as Chandler in Friends.
Justin Trudeau , the Prime Minister of Canada attended school with Perry when he lived in the country and wrote a touching post about him.
‘Matthew Perry’s passing is shocking and saddening. I’ll never forget the schoolyard games we used to play, and I know people around the world are never going to forget the joy he brought them.
‘Thanks for all the laughs, Matthew. You were loved – and you will be missed,’ Trudeau said.
Warner Bros, which produced Friends, said in a statement: ‘We are devastated to learn of Matthew Perry’s passing. He was a true gift to us all. Our heart goes out to his family, loved ones, and all of his fans.’
After moving to LA, Perry starred as Chazz Russell in Boys Will Be Boys and also had roles in shows including sitcom Growing Pains before becoming a global superstar as Chandler.
‘This was the only guy to play him,’ creator of Friends Marta Kauffman said in the 2021 reunion special.
The star laid bare the height of his terrible drug and alcohol addiction battle which nearly cost him his life in a memoir titled Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing: A Memoir.
Perry also revealed that his colon ruptured as a result of his opioid addiction when he was 49.
Doctors gave him only a two percent chance of survival and he was in a coma for two weeks followed by months more in the hospital.
Perry required 14 surgeries to help repair all of the abdominal damage, and he admitted to having gone to rehab 15 times over the years in hopes of kicking his drug addiction.
On Monday, Perry’s five co-stars from Friends released a joint official statement about the actor’s tragic passing.
In his recent memoir, Perry admitted that his drug and alcohol addictions grew during his 10 years starring on Friends, and he previously said he didn’t remember filming three of its seasons
Jennifer Aniston , Courteney Cox , Lisa Kudrow , Matt LeBlanc and David Schwimmer all signed the statement, telling fans they were heartbroken by the news.
‘We are all so utterly devastated by the loss of Matthew. We were more than just cast mates. We are a family,’ they told People . ‘There is so much to say, but right now we’re going to take a moment to grieve and process this unfathomable loss.’
The stars continued: ‘In time we will say more, as and when we are able,’ the statement continued. ‘For now, our thoughts and our love are with Matty’s family, his friends, and everyone who loved him around the world.’
Perry famously starred as Chandler Bing in the popular sitcom, alongside Aniston as Rachel, Cox as Monica, LeBlanc as Joey, Kudrow as Phoebe and Schwimmer as Ross.
Maggie Wheeler , whose character dated Perry from the show’s second season to third, was among the first to publicly mourn her late costar on social media.
‘What a loss. The world will miss you Mathew Perry,’ she captioned the image, which showed her looking at him adoringly as she portrayed her character, Janice Litman-Goralnik.
Perry also starred in several films including 17 Again starring Zac Efron, Fools Rush In with Salma Hayek, and Getting In with comedian Dave Chappelle.
He featured in The Whole Nine Yards, and The Kid with Bruce Willis – who was a guest star in the sixth series of Friends.
Perry never married and ended his engagement to Molly Hurwitz, a talent manager, in 2021.
He dated several well-known actresses including Julia Roberts and Lizzy Caplan.