Matthew Perry made headlines with his breakout autobiography Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing. It took readers behind the scenes on his harrowing journey to sobriety, and also finally revealed the shocking reason why he and the queen of romcom Julia Roberts parted ways.
Perry, of course, is best known for his role as the goofy but lovable Chandler Bing in the beloved sitcom Friends, and that is exactly what led his path to cross with Roberts. Perry reveals that the producers wanted Roberts to fill a guest spot in the sitcom and shockingly the Pretty Woman star responded she would only do the show if her storyline crossed with Chandler’s. Spicy!
Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts’ relationship revealed
Sensing a romance brewing, the producers encouraged Perry to reach out to Roberts to convince her to come on the show. The two began a very You’ve Got Mail-esque romance, flirting back and forth via fax messages. Perry writes in his book: “Three or four times a day I would sit by my fax machine and watch the piece of paper slowly revealing her next missive.”
After much convincing (and flirting) Roberts agreed to do the spot, only to be dumped by Perry a mere two months after appearing on the show. Rumors flew as to why the two parted ways after such a short time, but the real answer was never really known. Until now, that is, and it’s more heartbreaking than anyone could have guessed.
Perry writes: “Dating Julia Roberts had been too much for me. I had been constantly certain that she was going to break up with me. Why would she not? I was not enough; I could never be enough; I was broken, bent, and unlovable.”
Perry and Roberts were only together for a few short months; in fact, there are hardly any pictures of them together outside of the show at all. A few lurid paparazzi shots did manage to capture an intimate moment between the two, but their romance was very short-lived.
Matthew Perry and Julia Roberts’ breakup explained
Although Perry was the one to break things off, it seemed he never quite forgot about the Hollywood starlet who went on to win award after award. He even reveals a very difficult moment in his life where he actually watched the woman he dumped win an Oscar for Erin Brockovich, all while he was “sweating and twitching” in one of his many rehab visits.
Perry, 53 at the time of the book release, his memoir revealed that his very private and very expensive sobriety journey cost him around $9 million over the years. In a very heartfelt and honest interview with People, he reports that he had even nearly lost his life at the age of 49, but had been hesitant to reveal his story until he was sure he was “pretty safely sober.” He felt his story could help others going through similar journeys and that it was important to share it.
Perry describes in the book the gastrointestinal perforation that almost took his life following his colon bursting from overuse of opioids. The incident put him in a coma for two weeks, in the hospital for five months, and using a colostomy bag for nine months. It was a harrowing experience and one that left him understandably rattled.
All of this happened behind closed doors, hidden behind the fame of his time on Friends. He details 15 separate trips to rehab and 14 stomach surgeries. He shares with Insider that during the height of his career, his life was falling apart, revealing that following the very iconic Friends episode in which Chandler marries Monica, he left the set and was taken directly into rehab.
Matthew Perry unfortunately passed away at the age of 54. His autobiography is a tribute to his life and reveals a lot of behind-the-scenes details of the star’s time in Hollywood. We guess it all goes to show that what we the viewers see portrayed on television or in the media isn’t always the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. Although Perry’s breakup with Roberts was initially rumored to be insidious, alleging everything from him using her to boost his career and ego, or simply to fill the Friends spot, the real reason behind it was truly heartbreaking.