The creators of Friends have shared that the untimely passing of Matthew Perry has cast a shadow over the show's upcoming 30th anniversary.
The actor, famed for his portrayal of Chandler Bing, tragically died in October 2023 at 54 due to the "acute effects" of ketamine in his Los Angeles home pool. The late actor starred opposite Courteney Cox who played his on-screen wife Monica Geller and David Schwimmer who played her brother Ross Geller, while Lisa Kudrow and Matt LeBlanc played Phoebe Buffay and Joey Tribbiani respectively. Jennifer Aniston portrayed Central Perk waitress Rachel Green.
Executive producer Kevin Bright expressed his belief that Perry had overcome his long-standing battles with addiction, especially after the 2021 reunion, telling the Today show: "He'd been fighting the good fight for so long, and it really did feel like, from the [2021] reunion, that he had finally found some peace."
Marta Kauffman, one of the show's creators, spoke on the impact of Perry's death, saying: "It's a huge loss, and it does make the 30th a little fraught." Her fellow creator David Crane reminisced about Perry's ability to bring laughter daily, while Bright remembered how "David always said [Matthew] was the funniest man in a room."
Since its premiere in 1994 and conclusion a decade later, fans have clamoured for a Friends reboot featuring the original characters' offspring. Addressing this, Crane commented on the surreal feeling of the show turning 30, akin to watching one's child grow up, while Kauffman acknowledged the persistent fan requests, revealing: "We get that a lot. I get emails about it all the time. Everybody has a great idea, and the great idea is: their kids, grown up, doing a Friends show."
In light of the 30th reunion, Kauffman suggested to The Times ways to honour Perry's memory, including donations to drug treatment centres to combat addiction: "Two things come to mind [about how to celebrate him]: one of them is to donate to drug treatment centres - let's fight the disease. And the second way is to watch 'Friends' and remember him not as a man who died like that but as a man who was hilariously funny and brought joy to everybody."
In June, Jennifer Aniston shed a tear while reflecting on the legacy of Friends in the wake of Perry's death. The US actress, who found global stardom playing Rachel Green in the TV sitcom, became emotional during the latest episode of Variety’s Actors On Actors YouTube series with Abbott Elementary star Quinta Brunson.
"Oh, god, don’t make me cry," she said, after an off-camera person told 34-year-old Brunson to ask Aniston about the sitcom. Brunson comforted Aniston, confirming they did not have to discuss it, while Aniston wiped away her tears with a tissue. "Sorry, I just started thinking about … I’m okay, it’s happy tears," she said.
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