Fans were concerned after watching the People interview as Perry seemed glassy eyed and his speech slightly slurred. Photo / People
Fans were concerned after watching the People interview as Perry seemed glassy eyed and his speech slightly slurred. Photo / People
Fans are beside themselves with excitement over the Friends reunion special that will air on HBO Max on May 27, but there is one returning friends star that is making headlines for all the wrong reasons.
Matthew Perry has alarmed fans with slurred speech and a "thousand-yard stare" during an interview with People to promote the upcoming Friends: The Reunion special.
The video clip, posted online by People, shows the 51-year-old actor alongside co-stars Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc as they discuss what it is like to be back together.
During the interview Perry, who has admitted to struggling with substance abuse in the past, looks dazed and can clearly be heard speaking in a slow and laboured way, with some slurring. One particular segment of the interviews sees Perry saying: "I stole the cookie jar that had the clock on it," and his speech is slow and a slightly slurred.
Matthew Perry appeared alongside David Schwimmer and Matt LeBlanc as they answered questions about their experiences on Friends. Photo / People
While another showed genuine concern: "I am dead serious when I ask, is Matthew Perry okay? He sounds like he is under the influence of something or had a stroke. I know he had substance issues in the past ..."
"I can easily imagine a couple of guys holding Matthew Perry up in a shower while his agent rants about him having a photo shoot in an hour," disparaged one Twitter user.
Most genuine Friends fans were supportive of Perry and saddened at the negative comments.
"Let's not use the friends reunion to make fun of the way Matthew Perry looks these days. people age, funnily enough. Matthew has been through A LOT since friends wrapped up in 2004. be respectful instead of judgmental," tweeted one fan.
"It's really disheartening whenever Friends is brought up and people feel the need to talk shit about Matthew Perry's appearance. He's struggled with addiction and been through so much but y'all are so concerned about his looks when you should just be grateful he's still alive," commented another.
Perry has been very open in the past about his struggles with addiction, which began in 1997 after recovery from a jet ski accident saw him become addicted to Vicodin. In 2001, the actor entered a rehab to recover from his use of Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines and alcohol.
The Friends cast have reunited on screen for the first time since the show ended 17 years ago. Photo / Twitter
The upcoming Friends reunion special has Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry and David Schwimmer returning to the comedy's original soundstage, with Joey asking if Courteney's lines are still written on the table.
And as well as the original cast, the reunion special directed by Ben Winston will feature a host of all-star guests from David Beckham to Justin Bieber, BTS, James Corden, Cindy Crawford, Cara Delevingne, Lady Gaga, Elliott Gould, Kit Harington, Larry Hankin, Mindy Kaling, Thomas Lennon, Christina Pickles, Tom Selleck, James Michael Tyler, Maggie Wheeler, Reese Witherspoon and Malala Yousafzai.
Friends aired for 10 seasons from 1994 to 2004 on NBC.
