The One With Matthew Perry has landed on Netflix, bringing with it some deeply emotional revelations.
Matthew Perry was tragically found dead on October 28, 2023, at his Los Angeles home, sending the world into mourning.
Now, the heartbreaking three-part series chronicles the beloved actor’s Hollywood success, outspoken advocacy and struggles with addiction.
His family and friends appeared on screen to pay tribute to Matthew, though the Friends cast declined to join the documentary.
Below, we look at some of the biggest revelations from the heartbreaking series.
Matthew’s $7million sobriety bid
Matthew’s sister, Maria “Mia” Perry Bowick, revealed that the Friends star spent $7million trying to get sober.
“It just paints a picture to me of overall how serious he took his disease and how desperate he was to be sober,” she shared.
He spent the “staggering” sum across his lifetime on various rehabilitation programs and worked hard to try and “beat” his addiction.
Matthew dedicated a huge part of his life to advocacy and helping others overcome drug and alcohol addiction, converting his former Malibu home into a sober living facility for men.
“I got the sense that he was just so frustrated and angry and sad that he couldn’t beat it,” Matthew’s close friend, David Pressman, added.
While Matthew spent significant periods of his life sober, he did not beat his lifelong addiction.
His addiction battle inspired his sister, Mia, to become a therapist to help others struggling.
The start of his addiction
Matthew’s lifelong battle with addiction began with an on-set injury.
During the filming of 1997’s Fools Rush In, Matthew enjoyed a ride on a jet ski during a lunch break at Lake Mead and injured himself.
After seeking medical attention, Matthew was prescribed painkillers, and his first starring role also marked the start of his substance dependence.
“Who knows what would have happened if that accident didn’t happen,” the film’s producer, Doug Draizin, said in the documentary.
Saving his friend’s life
During the documentary, Matthew’s friend revealed how the actor saved his life.
Tim Harrington, who met the actor at a recovery meeting in 2001, said Matthew took him in when he was about to relapse and preparing to live out of his car.
“He’s like, ‘You can go get your stuff, but you’re moving in with me,’” Tim recalled.
“He saved my life right there in my moment. I believe that.”
Tim was not the only person in recovery whom Matthew helped, with the Friends actor having a lasting impact on many people’s lives.
His memoir joy
The happiest time in Matthew’s life was when he published his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
The book, which documented Matthew’s rise to fame and his battle with addiction, became an instant hit, and the actor was so “proud” of his achievement.
“He was the happiest we’d really ever seen him,” Mia said in the documentary.
“I think the memoir, in a lot of ways, was accomplishing his life’s work […] he made it to the top of that mountain.”
The Friends wedding
When Chandler and Monica’s Friends wedding was filmed, Matthew was commuting back and forth from rehab.
The scenes were particularly poignant for Matthew’s family, who attended filming because they knew it might be the only wedding they saw for him.
“It was a really big deal because we’re all worried about him, we don’t know what what’s going to happen in the future,” Mia emotionally recalled.
“The unspoken truth we were all sitting with in one way or another was: ‘Is this his wedding?’ When Matthew said his vows to her, the emotion in his eyes and everything was so real.”
Matthew’s 2018 health scare
In 2018, Matthew had a near-death experience when his colon ruptured. He was put into a two-week coma and was in hospital for five months.
His sister, Mia, candidly admitted that the harrowing experience aged him by 20 years in just three months.
Matthew was treated in the same ICU that Mia had been discharged from just six weeks earlier after giving birth, and she was made his power of attorney as his life hung in the balance.
“In some ways, I was really honoured to get to be the person to make these sorts of choices for my brother,” she shard. “But I also felt this really intense anxiety and pressure, and [I was] barely functioning.”
Hidden heartbreak behind the Friends reunion
While Friends fans were overjoyed to see the cast back together for the 2021 reunion episode, it came at a difficult time for Matthew after his near-death experience.
Despite his health struggles and battle to stay sober, Matthew still chose to appear in the Friends reunion, though it put a lot of “pressure” on the actor.
His friend, Kevin Pollak, admitted it was difficult to watch the special, because Matthew wasn’t “himself”.
After the reunion, Mia said she began viewing Matthew’s addiction as a “terminal illness”.
“You can’t love someone and control them at the same time,” she said.
“So as soon as I really learned to let go of feeling like it was my responsibility to keep him alive, I was able to be in so much more authentic connection and love with him — and, luckily, that was the last few years of his life.”
Matthew’s funeral
Matthew tragically passed away in October 2023, with five people subsequently charged in connection with his death.
He was farewelled in a small, intimate funeral on November 3, 2023.
His Friends co-stars and lifelong friends, David Schwimmer, Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Courteney Cox and Matt LeBlanc, all attended.
“All five of them walked up to the casket holding hands and stood around him crying,” Matthew’s sister, Mia, recalled.
The National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline is a free and confidential phone service that provides counselling, advice, and information for those struggling with addiction. Call 1800 250 015 or visit the website.
You can also call Lifeline 24/7 on 13 11 14 or visit the website
