Jennifer Aniston has spoken about Matthew Perry in her first interview since her Friends co-star’s death.
Perry died in October aged 54. His body was found in a hot tub at his Los Angeles home. Tributes poured in from the world of entertainment, with his “devastated” Friends co-stars releasing a joint statement ahead of sharing their individual memories of the Chandler Bing actor.
“He was happy. He was healthy. He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy – that’s all I know,” Aniston said, reportedly through tears in an interview with Variety with her The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon who held her hand during the conversation.
“I was literally texting with him that morning, funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy.”
She continued: “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.”
Perry had been vocal about his battle with addiction, candidly opening up about his journey towards sobriety in his 2022 memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.
Following his death, Friends creator Marta Kauffman also confirmed that he was sober. “He seemed better than I had seen in a while. I was so thrilled to see that. He was emotionally in a good place, he looked good, he quit smoking,” she told TODAY show’s Hoda Kotb.
“It’s so beautiful,” Aniston said of the outpouring of love for the actor. “I hope he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.”
Witherspoon, who appeared on two episodes of Friends in 2000 as Rachel’s (Aniston) sister Jill, also commented on the cast’s friendship, which was forged over 10 years on the hit sitcom.
“You all were so close. It’s incredible what was born of those friendships, and how you guys have always taken care of each other for years and years. It’s really beautiful and set standards for our business, as well, with the way you respected each other,” she said.
“I feel lucky that I got to be on that show and I walked in like Alice in Wonderland, watching the most popular cast do this whole thing. I remember going home and going, oh, they’re in another league. They’re on another planet on comedy levels that I’ve never seen my entire life, pivoting on a dime and working on each other’s energy and it was extraordinary.”
Perry’s cause of death remains “deferred” after an initial postmortem showed no signs of meth or fentanyl in his system.
In separate Instagram tributes posted nearly three weeks after his death, Friends stars Aniston, Courteney Cox, David Schwimmer, Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc shared fond memories of Perry.
All three seasons of The Morning Show are available to stream on Apple TV+.
