Matthew Perry, is that you? The 52-year-old former Friends star looked completely unrecognizable when he was snapped running errands in Santa Monica, Los Angeles on Thursday, October 28th. In fact, we wouldn’t be surprised if someone came back to us and told us that the person in the pictures isn’t actually him. HOW does he look so different to his iconic Chandler Bing Friends character?!
In the extremely candid pap pictures, which have been shared by several tabloids over the past few days and re-shared on social media, the 17 Again actor is spotted wearing a blue plaid shirt and baggy sweatpants, and is smoking a cigarette, while holding a pack of cigarettes in his hand. This is one of the first times we have seen pictures of Perry – who has been very open about his struggles with addiction over the years – since May, after he appeared on the highly anticipated HBO Max Friends: The Reunion special alongside Friends co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc.
I am constantly worried about #MatthewPerry This poor man looks so sick – I hope he gets the help he needs. #Friends https://t.co/nWqlY2LpAn
— Duchess Meg (@stavrevsky17) October 31, 2021
Fans were very vocal on social media after seeing the Fools Rush In star on the reunion show, although it wasn’t actually his appearance which got people talking at the time, but rather, his slurred speech, which led worried fans to believe that he may have relapsed. The Serving Sara actor’s people promptly spoke out following the backlash to confirm that he was still sober, but had simply undergone emergency dental surgery just before the reunion, and was still recovering from the procedure. “Matthew turned up to the reunion in April and members of his team said that he had an emergency tooth procedure that day,” a source told The Sun at the time.
“That was said to impact his wellbeing and also how he was feeling. He had been in pain from what we understand, which caused the slurred speech. Obviously no one wants to film after a procedure, but it happened. The feeling was one of huge sympathy for Matthew, especially in recent days given how people have reacted online.” The insider concluded by once again confirming that, “Matthew has told those around him that he is sober, and there is no need to worry.” We were happy with that explanation!
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Speaking of his addiction, it's just been confirmed that Perry has signed a multi-million-dollar book deal to write about his struggles with addiction. The upcoming memoir, published by Flatiron Books, is currently set to be released in the fall of 2022. As per a summary in Deadline, Perry "will take readers behind-the-scenes and onto the soundstage of the sitcom while opening up about his private struggles with addiction. It is set to be a candid and self-aware book told with his trademark humor, with Perry vividly detailing his lifelong battle with the disease and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all."
Flatiron Books publisher Megan Lynch added: "We need humor, we need catharsis, and we need to agree on something – and Matthew’s extraordinary story, told in his inimitable voice, is that thing. Matthew’s book has unrivaled potential to bring people together, which feels especially galvanizing right now, a time of isolation and division." Sounds really exciting, and we will definitely be adding it to our must-read list when it comes out!
