Matthew Perry revealed that he was battling his opioid addiction as “Friends” co-star Jennifer Aniston “most reached out” to support him.
“Jennifer, she says, ‘We know you’re drinking,'” Diane Sawyer implored the “Friends” star in an exclusive interview clip released Friday. “Yeah, imagine how scary that moment was,” he replied. “She was the one who reached out the most. You know, I’m really grateful to her for that.”
Leading up to the release of his memoir, titled “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing”, Perry explained that he “nearly died” from abusing opioids four years earlier at age 49 after his colon ruptured.
Watch a clip of Perry’s interview with Sawyer in the video above.
“The doctors told my family I had a 2% chance of living,” Perry Told People. “I was put on a thing called the ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And it’s called a Hail Mary. Nobody escapes it.”
In a preview of the interview that aired Friday, October 28 on ABC, the actor outlined that while his professional projects, including “Friends,” rose to the top of the charts, he had days where he took 55 Vicodin, Methadone, Xanax. And drank a full quart of vodka.
“I should have been the toast of the city, but I ended up in a dark room meeting with drug dealers and completely alone,” Perry said. “Mysteries kill you; Secrets kill people like me.”
Perry also explained why now was the right time to share this low point in her life, saying, “It was important for me to do something that helps people.”
After receiving professional rehabilitation 15 times and having 14 abdominal surgeries, the actor has said he has maintained his sobriety, although he did not specify how long he has been sober.
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse, please contact the SAMHSA Helpline at 1-800-662-HELP.