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    WATCH: Prior to Passing, Matthew Perry Thanked Jennifer Anniston, Other Co-Stars, For Helping Him Overcome Addiction

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    Late “Friends” Star Matthew Perry spoke fondly about his co-stars in the years after the show, noting especially how fellow cast member Jennifer Anniston continued to check in on him years after filming concluded. This bond and report that was shared among the starring group of one of the greatest sitcoms of all time is what made the show’s acting so believable and immersive for an audience that still exists to this day.

    Perry struggled with addiction in a well documented struggle that few new about at the time. While many speculated, very few were let in on the darkness that he battled through his years of substance abuse. One person who he let in however, was Jennifer Anniston.

    Speaking to ABC’s Diane Sawyer, Perry said of Anniston, “She was the one that reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that.” He continued on speaking about the impact that she had on his life and recovery. He mentioned that having a friend so worried about him made it hard for him to continue ruining his life.

    Speaking last year to People, Perry discussed the level of addiction that his disease had driven him to, saying, “I didn’t know how to stop. If the police came over to my house and said, ‘If you drink tonight, we’re going to take you to jail,’ I’d start packing. I couldn’t stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive. So it gets worse and worse as you grow older.”



    That shocking explanation is one that many other addicts feel as well. For Perry to open up about his problem was brave, and it also allowed many others who were struggling in the same way to realize that they were not alone and that there was a way out of their lonely struggle.
    Perry talked also about the way that his “Friends” co-stars refused to let him fight the battle alone. Comparing that group to a colony of penguins, Perry painted a beautiful illustration of they way the they rallied together to drag him out of his hole.
    Perry said, “[They] were understanding, and they were patient. It’s like penguins. Penguins, in nature, when one is sick, or when one is very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up. They walk around it until that penguin can walk on its own. That’s kind of what the cast did for me.”
    He made it clear in the book of his life story, “Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing,” that his life’s story was something he hoped could help others in the same way that his friends helped him. Perry hoped that by sharing his story and letting others know that they were not alone in their addiction, that they could muster the strength to overcome just like he miraculously did.
    The featured Image is a screenshot from an embedded YouTube video.