Friends is one of the most successful series on television. The American series created and produced by Marta Kauffman and David Crane, was broadcast for the first time on September 22, 1994 by the NBC network and ended on May 6, 2004 after 10 seasons on the air. Starring Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Matthew Perry, David Schwimmer; fans fell in love with each of the characters.
But by the end of the series, many fans began to learn of the timeline of Matthew Perry’s struggles, beginning with alcoholism and after a jet ski accident in 1997, an addiction to pain pills. The celebrity thought that all he wanted was to become famous, but he quickly realized that he wasn’t filling the void that he thought he would.
Matthew Perry has been very open about his addiction struggles over the years, revealing the tough times he had during Friends even though his co-stars didn’t know the extent of his problems. The actor even admitted that he doesn’t remember years of his time on the show.
Given everything we know about his experience, it’s still surprising to hear that the actor considered leaving Friends. In a recent new interview with a person close to the production of the series, it was revealed that Matthew Perry did not want to return for the final season of the NBC sitcom.
“On the last season of Friends, I thought I wasn’t going to just make it and even though I was already doing it, there were a lot of times when I thought quitting was the best option.”
It was also revealed that the Friends actor had been there for him during his own struggles with addiction, serving as his driver after he went to rehab. The two met when they were going through similar situations and formed a bond.
Fans certainly didn’t realize how much Perry was going through in the latest season of Friends. Jennifer Aniston revealed that the cast didn’t either, admitting in an interview last year that she didn’t understand what she was going through. The novelty bombshell comes ahead of the release of Matthew Perry’s breakout book, in which he will discuss his substance abuse struggles, his relationships over the years and, of course, Friends.
