Courteney Cox talks Friends co-star Matthew Perry: ‘He’s struggled for a while’

With Friends being one of the most hilarious American sitcoms of all time, it doesn’t come as a surprise that some of its biggest stars suffered from the immense fame behind closed doors.

Friends alum Courteney Cox reflected on the situation in which one can be famous and loved by many but not enjoy the glitz and glamour. More specifically, she spoke on how this common problem in the entertainment industry affected her beloved co-star Matthew Perry.

Courteney Cox opens up about Matthew Perry’s struggles

US Weekly reports that Courteney Cox extended sympathy towards Matthew Perry after he, during the Friends reunion in May 2021, opened up about how he felt he had a compulsion to make the live studio audience laugh at all his jokes.

“That was a lot of pressure he put on himself,” Cox told The Times of London in a new interview. “That’s a lot to think how much he relied on that for his own self-worth.”

And relying on his self-worth to carry the huge weight of the show was what many, including Perry, contributed to his previous issues with substance abuse.

At the height of his career, Perry had been struggling with an addiction to alcohol and painkillers. The addiction began not too long after his unfortunate jet ski accident in 1997, but progressively got worse as his exposure to Hollywood’s bright lights grew each day.

In an interview with BBC Radio 2, he revealed that between Friends season 3 through season 6, he was “a little out of it,” not being able to properly recall his time spend on set with his fellow co-stars who, at the time, didn’t know the full extent of his substance abuse.

Fortunately, Perry was able to recover and his fellow co-stars, especially Courteney Cox, can see the change in him today.

“He’s just struggled for a while,” Cox also revealed to US Weekly. “I think he’s doing great now.”

Though Cox has revealed how Matthew Perry is faring these days, the actor is currently on a journey to reveal even more about the ups and downs of his life. His autobiography, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, is set to release later this year and is reported to be a very vulnerable piece.

“He’ll delve into his addictions, of course, plus clear up rumors about his feelings for the Friends costars,” an insider revealed to the media outlet. “It wasn’t always a bed of roses for Matthew on and off the Friends set, and Matt isn’t going to sugarcoat the tougher times that he went through with the cast. He’ll also discuss what it was like at the reunion, both good and bad.”

We anticipate the release of his memoir and hope it will continue to shed some light on Matthew Perry’s inspiring path to self-discovery.