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Jennifer Aniston makes emotional revelation about Matthew Perry in first interview following his death

The Friends actress revealed she had texted Matthew Perry the day he passed

Bryony Gooch
US Writer
December 12, 2023
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Jennifer Aniston made a tearful confession about Matthew Perry, as she got candid in the first interview since his passing.

The Morning Show actress opened up about how she would want the world to remember her Friends co-star, who sadly passed away on October 28th aged 54 years old.

American actress and producer, Jennifer Aniston and Canadian-American actor, comedian and producer, Matthew Perry of the television comedy, Friend's, attend the 1995 NBC Fall Preview circa 1995 at the Lincoln Center in New York, New York.© Getty Images
Jennifer Aniston remained close with Matthew Perry throughout his life

Jennifer explained that Matty, as she affectionately calls him, was “happy” and “healthy”. “He had quit smoking. He was getting in shape. He was happy - that’s all I know”, she added.

The actress revealed that she had been texting with him the morning of the day he passed away. “Funny Matty. He was not in pain. He wasn’t struggling. He was happy”, she asserted again.

Jennifer’s The Morning Show co-star Reese Witherspoon chimed in at this point that “it’s important people know that”. 

WATCH: Jennifer Aniston in tears over Matthew Perry’s addiction struggles

Variety revealed that as Jennifer began crying while speaking about Matty, Reese immediately grabbed her hand and didn’t let go for the rest of the conversation as a sign of solidarity.

“I want people to know that he was really healthy, and getting healthy. He was on a pursuit. He worked so hard. He really was dealt a tough one”, Jennifer continued, before confessing that she misses him “dearly”.

Reese spoke about her own experience from appearing on Friends, when she played Rachel’s sister Jill. One thing she always remarked was how the case “all were so close.”

Matthew Perry & Jennifer Aniston during Lili Claire Foundation's 5th Annual "Helping Kids Fly Higher" Benefit at Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California, United States. ***Exclusive*** (Photo by Chris Weeks/FilmMagic)© Chris Weeks
Jennifer and Matty at the Lili Claire Foundation's 5th Annual "Helping Kids Fly Higher" Benefit

“I feel lucky that I got to be on that show and I walked in like Alice in Wonderland, watching the most popular cast do this whole thing. I remember going home and going, 'oh, they’re in another league'”, Reese said.

One thing Jennifer was keen to make clear was that she wanted her friend to be remembered how he had wanted to be remembered.

Matthew had spoken openly about his legacy, not just as a comic actor, but as an activist who advocated for people struggling with addiction. 

385848 27: Cast members of NBC's comedy series "Friends." Pictured (l to r): David Schwimmer as Ross Geller, Courteney Cox as Monica Geller, Jennifer Aniston as Rachel Cook, Matthew Perry as Chandler Bing, Matt LeBlanc as Joey Tribbiani and Lisa Kudrow as Phoebe Buffay. Episode: "The One Where They All Turn Thirthy." (Photo by Warner Bros. Television)© Getty Images
The cast of Friends

As such, he mentioned on the “Q With Tom Power” podcast that he would “like to be remembered as somebody who lived well, loved well, was a seeker, and his paramount thing is that he wants to help people. That’s what I want.”

“The best thing about me, bar none, is that if somebody comes to me and says, ‘I can’t stop drinking, can you help me?’ I can say ‘yes’ and follow up and do it,” Matthew said. “When I die, I don’t want ‘Friends’ to be the first thing that’s mentioned. I want that to be the first thing that’s mentioned. And I’m gonna live the rest of my life proving that.”

Jennifer finished the interview by remarking that she hopes “he can know that he was loved in a way he never thought he was.”

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